Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/592917
www.PowersportsBusiness.com NEWS Powersports Business • November 9, 2015 • 11 scooters from Arctic Cat, Bennche, CFMOTO, Honda, Kawasaki, KYMCO, Polaris, Star Motorcycles, Suzuki and Yamaha. President Michael Ratz serves as a member of the Polaris Dealer Council and CFMOTO Dealer Council, and is on the board of direc- tors of the Hatfield McCoy Trails System. In addition, he is a member of the Goldwing Road Riders Association WV Chapter K, and is a life member of the American Motorcyclist Association. He also serves as a member of the Logan County Chamber of Commerce and is a board member of the WV Auto and Truck Dealers Association. "Logan Powersports Group has evolved over more than 50 years to become an oper- ation that simply sets the bar with their approach to customer service," Powersports Business editor in chief Dave McMahon said. "With Mike Ratz overseeing the business oper- ations and the management and staff providing a superior retail experience for riders, Logan dealerships have set themselves apart. In fact, all of the Power 50 members set the bench- mark across North America by providing an optimal retail experience." In Logan's Power 50 application, Ratz wrote, "We have a philosophy that we man- age with at our dealerships, and every new employee is given a copy. We have it hanging on the wall for everyone to see, and we read it daily. It says … ATTITUDE The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than suc- cesses, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, gift- edness or skill. It will make or break a company … a church … a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We can- not change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happened to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you … we are in charge of our ATTITUDES. "We strive daily to maintain a good attitude and a positive corporate culture that not only gives us good reviews and a positive reputa- tion, but it also means a happier, more produc- tive work environment for our employees. Reputation and attitude is everything in the retail industry." The Power 50 dealers were selected by the Powersports Business editorial staff upon completion of an extensive application pro- cess that focused on a variety of business segments, including new and pre-owned sales, events, marketing, service and F&I department operations, employee training and social media usage. In addition to revealing the No. 1 dealer, Powersports Business also recognized the Top 5 dealers for 2015: #2: Freedom Powersports, Weatherford, Texas #3: Calculated Risk Group, Bedford, Texas #4: Bob Weaver Motorsports & Marine, Inc., North Tonawanda, New York #5: Ken's Sports, Inc., Kaukauna, Wisconsin Also, Best in Class Awards were handed out to the following dealerships: Customer Service: Killeen Power Sports, Ltd., Killeen, Texas Sales Training: Black Jack Harley-Davidson, Florence, South Carolina Service Department: Simply Street Bikes, Eden Prairie, Minnesota PSB POWER 50 CONTINUED FROM COVER The National Retail Federation announced in early October that it expects sales in Novem- ber and December (excluding autos, gas and restaurant sales) to increase a solid 3.7 percent to $630.5 billion — significantly higher than the 10-year average of 2.5 per- cent. Holiday sales in 2015 are expected to represent approximately 19 percent of the retail industry's annual sales of $3.2 trillion. Additionally, NRF is forecasting online sales to increase between 6 and 8 percent to as much as $105 billion. "With several months of solid retail sales behind us, we're heading into the all-important holiday season fully expecting to see healthy growth," said NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay. "However, while economic indicators have improved in several areas, Americans remain somewhat torn between their desire and their ability to spend; the fact remains consum- ers still have the weight of the economy on their minds, further explaining the complex retail spending environment we are seeing right now. We expect families to spend prudently and deliberately, though still less constrained than what we saw even two years ago." "Potential disruptions from yet another government shutdown in mid-December and a slower pace of job creation and income growth are just a few key factors that will impact holiday shoppers' spending this year," continued Shay. "Price, value and even tim- ing will all play a role in how, when, where and why people shop over the holiday season. Retailers will be competitive not only on price, but on digital initiatives, store hours and product offerings." Holiday sales in 2014 increased 4.1 per- cent over the previous year. "Similar to last year in the sense we're coming off a rather disappointing first half, this holiday season brings to light several crosscurrents that still exist for American households," said NRF chief economist Jack Kleinhenz. "While confidence data is encour- aging, slower job growth in 2015, deflation- ary retail prices and the mix of consumer spending somewhat shifting toward big ticket items and services ... will all contribute to the slower growth rate of sales expected for the holiday season." PSB Holiday retail sales expected to rise: NRF