Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/711372
ATV/UTV Educational series for side-by-side dealers to debut at GIE+EXPO With summer coming to a close, powersports dealers are looking ahead and marking their calendars for the 2016 GIE+EXPO in Louis- ville, Kentucky. This year's expo will feature the first-ever UTV University, an educational series administered by Powersports Business. Cub Cadet is the inau- gural premier spon- sor of UTV University, with Walbro as the track sponsor. Five presenta- tions are set for Wednes- day, Oct. 19, with one class on Thursday, Oct. 20, at the Kentucky Expo Center. Assistant editor Kate Swanson had a chance to speak with Outdoor Power Equipment Insti- tute (OPEI) president and CEO Kris Kiser to get some insight into the upcoming event. PSB: This is the first year for UTV Univer- sity. Why was now the best time to launch such an event? KRIS KISER: OPEI (Outdoor Power Equip- ment Institute) is the trade association of record in representing the UTV market and the ANSI (American National Standards Insti- tute) standards developer for UTVs. They are an important part of our membership, and we believed the time was right to recognize this growing segment more formally at GIE+EXPO. The UTV market has grown substantially in the last few years, from the UTV manufacturers offering new products, to the powersports and outdoor power equipment dealer communities selling more UTVs. PSB: How have you seen the UTV presence grow at GIE+EXPO over the years? Why do you think this growth has happened? KK: There's been a genuine increase in UTV product offerings in the last few years. Last year, we had a number of manufacturers debut- ing new UTV products at GIE+EXPO, and we expect more this year. This is in response to the manufacturers recognizing that the landscape community, landscape contractors, the hard- scape community and others are substantial users of the product. They are finding their way onto job sites across the country more often. P S B : W h y d i d y o u d e c i d e t o o f f e r a UTV-specific event? KK: GIE+EXPO offers the perfect audience for these products. We offer a day dedicated to dealers, and we have unique education sessions UTV University rises from growing segment 22 • August 15, 2016 • Powersports Business www.PowersportsBusiness.com Side-by-side/ATV brand unveils new name, logo BY LIZ KEENER MANAGING EDITOR When Bad Boy Off Road revealed its new Stam- pede 900 4x4 side-by-side in May, the company not only had a new vehicle to showcase, but the brand also launched a new name, logo and website at the same time. "We really felt like we needed an element of 'shock and awe,' so we could really create buzz with not just a product, but a brand and a new mark and advertising. And we could open some eyes, from consumers to dealers, around our products," said John Collins, vice president of Consumer for Textron Specialized Vehicles, the Textron division that includes Bad Boy. When Textron acquired Bad Boy Buggies in 2010, the intent was to expand the company's presence into the ORV market. Textron had begun exploring off-road with E-Z-GO, but the golf car brand was not appropriate for the recreational off-road market. "When we acquired Bad Boy, we had a desire to participate in the recreational out- door space, powersports specifically, for a long time," Collins said. "That space that was a little more rugged and aggressive than the brand that we had, so that's what led to the acquisition of Bad Boy Buggies." Though Bad Boy had already established itself as a player in the hunting market with electric side-by-sides, that market is limited, and Textron wanted to reach even more customers. "As we've invested in it, it's very much a hunting brand. It doesn't speak to the enthu- siast, that recreational buyer, the farmer the way we want it to. It's very good for hunt- ing, but it doesn't speak to those other buyer demographics. As we thought about that and thought about how we would plan to grow this business, it was apparent to us that we needed to drop the 'Buggies' for one," Col- lins explained. "This is a grown-up product, a grown-up industry, and 'Buggies' just came across a little too cutesy, I guess, for what we wanted to achieve, and Bad Boy Off Road is really more of what we want to be, what we are investing in." NEW NAME, NEW LOGO The Bad Boy Off Road name was revealed when the Stampede was introduced. Bad Boy also revealed its new logo, known as the Bird of Prey, which features two inward facing Bs con- nected to look like wings of a bird. "When we went out and did market surveys and focus groups, the customers that were those rec customers, farmers, agriculture buy- ers — they looked at it and said, 'That is an awesome look. I can get my arms around it. It's something I'd like to participate in. It's some- thing I'd want to be associated with,'" Collins said about the logo. Bad Boy added Off Road to the end of its name in an effort to better establish itself in the ORV market, though Collins said the name doesn't mean Bad Boy will remain only in the off-road segment. The goal is to create a mark and a logo that people will associate with the off-road lifestyle. "Bad Boy is very much a product, technol- ogy-driven company, but at the same time, it's a lifestyle brand, and we understand that our brand has to evoke the lifestyle of the guy that we want to sell to. I would say it's a technology company that makes fantastic products, but has a brand that participates in the lifestyle and understands the lifestyle of the buyer," Collins said. He added that all the products in the current three-to-five-year pipeline are off-road vehicles. "We absolutely intend to be a player and to be a name and a brand that is recognized in that New branding, no more 'Buggies' for Bad Boy See UTV University, Page 30 KRIS KISER GIE+EXPO in Louisville is well known for its high traffic volumes on the show floor. Powersports Business is partnering with the show this year for the inaugural UTV Univer- sity, a series of UTV-focused educational seminars for dealers. The Stampede 900 4x4, released May 1, is Bad Boy Off Road's first gas-powered side-by-side. See Bad Boy, Page 26 A CLOSER LOOK OCTOBER 19-20 Dealer education seminars held during the GIE+EXPO at the Kentucky Expo Center in Louisville, Kentucky gie-expo.com