Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/730410
68 • October 3, 2016 • Powersports Business MOTORCYCLE www.PowersportsBusiness.com Greeley H-D, Wild West Motorsports reopens BY KATE SWANSON ASSISTANT EDITOR The "friendliest dealer" in Colorado just got a little bit more elbowroom. Wild West Motors- ports, of Greeley, Colo., added a 12,000-square- foot expansion to its existing space in order to accommodate its continued growth and success. In 2011, the dealership started to see a real upswing in business and increased its unit sales by about 40 percent. For the next three years, Wild West saw significant growth and added the Polaris line to its offerings. With space becoming limited, the need for an expansion was clear. "We were in the midst of what was going to be our biggest year unit sale-wise, and our inventories were swelling as a result of our sales. We started to have to be much more strategic just to get all of inventory in our build- ing every night just to close up," Wild West Motorsports general manager Ryan Smith told Powersports Business. In September 2014, owner Steve Risdal made the decision to purchase the land adja- cent to the existing dealership in order to expand. Smith said the initial response to the expansion has been tremendously positive and grateful. "Our loyal customer knows we've needed this expansion for a while, and our owner Steve Risdal was very wise to do so when he did," Smith said. In June, Wild West Motorsports kicked off its new expansion with a Beards, Bacon and Brews event, which had an overwhelming response from the Greeley community. "The Beards, Bacon and Brews event was phenom- enal," said Smith. "It was our first real event in our new facility, and the turnout was the best we've seen so far this year." In keeping with the bacon theme, Wild West employees were responsible for cooking more than 1,500 slices of bacon. "I've got to hand it to our staff, they did an amazing job preparing for and executing that event. … About five of us ending up taking around 20 pounds each of bacon home the night before the event to cook it," he added. The event was free to the public and gave away more than 220 BLTs in two hours. In addition to food and beer, a beard contest also took place with several categories featured. The dealership hosted its grand reopen- ing on July 9. Festivities included a pig roast with local HOG club members, a dunk tank, 50cc races, free beer and a free concert by a local band. The new expansion provides 12,000 square feet of space divided between two levels. It includes both storage and showroom space, which will house Polaris, Honda and Yamaha products. The existing 23,000-square-foot- dealership now operates under the name Greeley Harley-Davidson and hosts only Har- ley-Davidson bikes and product. Connected by a breezeway, Greeley Harley- Davidson and Wild West Motorsports are under the same ownership, but will operate as separate dealerships with separate names. "When we originally planned the expansion, we liked the continuity our dealership has always had with customers being able to access all brands within one building," said Smith. Instead of requiring all staff to be knowl- edgeable on four separate brands, these divided dealerships allow for more focus on individual brands. "The truth is they all require a different skillset and personnel to be great at, and that's what separating them will enable us to do," added Smith. Greeley H-D and Wild West want their customers to feel taken care of and to give them an experience that keeps them coming back. "Unquestionably what makes us different is our people and our approach to business. We believe in long-term relationships with our cus- tomers, and the only way to do that is to keep people happy and coming back," explained Smith. "People value experiences over brands, and we strive to give them a great memory of what it felt like to be in our store." "What customers like about doing business with us is working with people who genuinely care if they are happy. We're primarily a toy store, and people see us because they need more 'cool' in their life. We're here to provide opportunities for happiness and cool in the best way possible." PSB 'Colorado's Friendliest Dealer' expands The existing 23,000-square-foot dealership will operate under the name Greeley Harley-Davidson and hosts only Harley products and bikes. 'Colorado's Friendliest Dealer' held at an event on July 9 to celebrate its additional 12,000-square-foot space. Recently, Greeley Harley-David- son and Wild West Motorsports hosted a Beards, Bacon and Brew event, which cooked up more than 1,500 pieces of bacon.