Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/657286
w w w . p o w e r s p o r t s b u s i n e s s . c o m NEWS: Sturgis Hall of Fame announced . . . . . . . . . PAGE 3 FINANCE: Wells Fargo acquires CDF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 8 FOCUS: CDK Global study: Cruiser sales . . . . . . . . . PAGE 14 PWC: WSIA names executive director . . . . . . . . . PAGE 34 Powersports dealers in the Midwest who use Lightspeed as their DMS saw a major uptick in overall sales in Febru- ary, according to data presented exclu- sively to Powersports Business from CDK Global Recreation. Midwest dealers saw their unit sales rise by 19.9 percent on average, compared to February 2015. Service at Midwest dealers who use Lightspeed rose 18.2 percent compared to the year-ago month, and parts sales were up 6.5 percent. Four of the five regions saw an over- all increase in business in February, and the U.S. overall total was up 5.9 percent compared to February 2014. Check out the complete breakdown by geographic region of the 1,525 deal- erships on Page 8. INSPIRING SUCCESS THROUGH MARKET INTELLIGENCE Seven stories tall Power 50 dealer Del Amo discusses its newest Orange County location and staff expansion. SEE PAGE 38 HOTNEWS A triple threat CFMOTO adds three new regional sales managers to its team. SEE PAGE 22 One year later KISKA, an Austrian design firm, celebrates its first year of U.S. operations. SEE PAGE 26 Regional Showcase busy with dealers and reps BY LIZ KEENER MANAGING EDITOR Whenever an expo hall is buzzing with conversa- tion within the first 10 minutes of opening, it's a good sign of things to come. The Parts Unlimited/ Drag Specialties staff recognized that on Sun- day, Feb. 28, as the doors opened to the Atlanta National Vendor Presentation Product Expo. What's more, Jim Matchette, national sales manager of Drag Specialties, and Lou Lopez, national sales manager of Parts Unlimited, had already been blown away by the first-ever Dealer Preview on Saturday morning, and they contin- ued to be pleased as the expo hall remained busy throughout the weekend. Once again, Parts Unlimited and Drag Spe- cialties hosted two regional showcases, one Feb. 27-28 in Atlanta and the second March 19-20 in King of Prussia, Pa. And though both loca- tions were repeat stops from previous years — Atlanta has been on the calendar since 2014, and King of Prussia was last visited two years ago — Parts Unlimited/Drag Specialties switched up the schedule this year, offering an extra Dealer Preview day on Saturday. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Feb. 27 in Atlanta and from noon to 5:30 p.m. March 19 in King of Prussia, dealers and reps were able to stop in and check out the expo hall floor before the regular show on Sunday. "It was a real nice, non-rushed, casual day for everyone, where you didn't feel like you had to hustle and bustle to get to the next booth and move on as fast as you had to because you knew you were going to be here [Sunday]," Matchette told Powersports Business. The Saturday preview served a few purposes. On the rep side, Parts Unlimited and Drag Spe- cialties required that half of their reps attend the Atlanta show, while the other half went to King of Prussia, and they'll all be asked to attend the August National Vendor Presentation in Austin meeting big on valuable takeaways BY DAVE McMAHON EDITOR IN CHIEF When nearly three dozen dealer principals and general managers gathered in Austin, Texas, for the Texas Motorcycle Dealers Association's Annual Conference in February, they were doing what they've always done so well — keeping an eye out for each other's business and, simply, hav- ing each other's back. "I've had people from the outside tell me we're the most active state dealer association in the country," said Mark Lamb, who currently serves as president of the association while own- ing DFW Honda, a Level 5 Honda Powerhouse dealership in Grapevine, Texas. "We do have a lot of camaraderie, and the friendships for most of us go back decades." So on one hand, the turnout and over a cen- tury of experience collectively as dealership owners was impressive. On the other hand, there are more than 300 dealerships in Texas, and it would behoove all of them to become mem- bers and join the association as it celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2017. The 49th running of the annual meeting packed plenty into a one-night hotel stay. Dealers gathered in Austin — it's such a great spot that it was a near-unanimous choice to hold the 50th anniversary meeting there — and were welcomed to the downtown Courtyard Marriott on a Satur- day night. A reception at the hotel was followed by "dinner on your own," which allowed deal- ers to renew acquaintances at their leisure, and provided sponsors such as Federated Insurance, McGraw Powersports, Motorsports in Motion, Protective and Rider's Advantage an opportunity to network. Dealers appreciated the plentiful Tex- Mex and BBQ options nearby for dinner. On Sunday, McGraw Powersports spon- sored the 8 a.m. buffet breakfast, which preceded Lamb's opening remarks and welcome. A series of seminars followed, with topics including Insur- ance Loss Prevention, Contract Labor-Employ- ment and Advertising Rules, presented by Corrie PSB: FOCUS V-twin SEE PAGE 12 Texas dealers gather for annual event See Texas, Page 4 See Hot News, Page 3 April 4, 2016 • Volume 19, Number 5 • $3.99 Atlanta NVP a home run for Parts/Drag See Atlanta, Page 6 Above: Parts Unlimited and Drag Specialties' Regional National Vendor Presentation Product Expo returned to AmericasMart in Atlanta for the third year in a row in Febru- ary. Right: Dylan Jones, center, of American Kargo, kept busy during the Atlanta NVP Product Expo. PARTS UNLIMITED/DRAG SPECIALTIES ATLANTA NATIONAL VENDOR PRESENTATION PRODUCT EXPO Lightspeed dealers in Midwest strong in Feb. When the Texas Motorcycle Dealers Association gathered in Austin for its annual meeting, Alvin Sharp (center) had a story or two to tell. He founded Sharp's Motorcycle Sales in Pampa, Texas, in 1964, selling BSA and Bridgestone motorcycles. Sharp was awarded the Woody Leone Memorial Award for his contributions to the TMDA. Darryl Hurst (left) of Hurst Supply Co. in Columbus and Rick Hig- gins (right), a TMDA board member and a now a partner of Sharp's at Sharp's Motorsports in Amarillo, presented the award.