PowerSports Business

November 7, 2016

Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/743349

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 3 of 39

4 • November 7, 2016 • Powersports Business NEWS www.PowersportsBusiness.com www.powersportsbusiness.com Editorial and Sales: 763.383.4400 Subscriber Service: 847.513.6025 EDITOR IN CHIEF: Dave McMahon 763/383-4411 (dmcmahon@powersportsbusiness.com) MANAGING EDITOR: Liz Keener 763/383-4413 (lkeener@powersportsbusiness.com) ASSISTANT EDITOR: Kate Swanson 763/383-4412 (kswanson@powersportsbusiness.com) DIGITAL MARKETING COORDINATOR: Shauna Spencer MANAGING ART DIRECTOR: Dodi Vessels ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR: Nicole Siewert PRODUCTION ARTIST: Kelsey Houle PRODUCTION MANAGER: Angela Schmieg PRODUCTION DIRECTOR: Cherri Perschmann NATIONAL SALES DIRECTOR Allison Gruhn 763/383-4467 (agruhn@powersportsbusiness.com) NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER Mark Rosacker 763/383-4433 (mrosacker@powersportsbusiness.com) NATIONAL SALES REPRESENTATIVE Michael Kula 763/383-4440 (mkula@powersportsbusiness.com) CEO: Marion Minor SR. VICE PRESIDENT/FINANCE & OPERATIONS: Gerald Winkel SR. VICE PRESIDENT/MARKET DEVELOPMENT: Joanne Juda-Prainito GROUP PUBLISHER/MOTORCYCLE, POWERSPORTS: David J. Voll SALES OPERATIONS MANAGER: Bernadette Wohlman CONTRIBUTORS: COLUMNISTS: Steve Jones, Paula Crosbie DEALER ADVISORY BOARD: Hooksett Kawasaki-Polaris, Jim Whalley; Hacker's Yamaha & Honda, Rick Hacker; Honda/Polaris of Lubbock, Morris Baker; All Action Water Sports, Ray Leps POWERSPORTS BUSINESS (ISSN #1522-7944) is published 15 times per year – monthly except twice in May and December, the Market Data Book in September – by EPG Media/Specialty Information Media, 10405 6th Avenue North, Suite 210 Minneapolis, MN 55441. Periodicals postage paid at St. Paul, MN and additional mailing offices. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION: Free to qualified members of the motorcycle, all-terrain vehicle, snowmobile and personal watercraft industries. Annual subscription rate is $56 per year for U.S residents, $76 for Canadian residents and $96 for residents in other countries. All paid subscriptions must be paid in advance and in U.S. funds only. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Powersports Business, P.O. Box 2123, Skokie, IL 60076-7823. CUSTOMER SERVICE: Visit www.PowersportsBusiness.com, email customerservice@epgmediallc.com, call (847) 513-6025, fax (763) -383-4497 or write to Powersports Business, PO Box 2123, Skokie, IL 60076-7823. CANADIAN RETURN ADDRESS: EPG Media & Specialty Information, 4960-2 Walker Road, Windsor, Ontario N9A 6J3. Publication Sales Agreement #40012332. EDITORIAL: All manuscripts, materials, photographs and artwork submitted are at mailer's risk and must include self-addressed envelope with sufficient postage for return. Send editorial materials to EPG Media/Specialty Information Media, 10405 6th Avenue North, Suite 210 Minneapolis, MN 55441, 763/383-4400. No responsibility will be assumed for unsolicited materials. Powersports Business is a registered trademark of EPG Media & Specialty Information. Copyright 2016 by EPG Media & Specialty Information. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited unless expressly authorized by publisher. REPRINTS: For more information on e-prints or reprints from Powersports Business, contact Robin Cooper, 763/383-4400 ext. 4491. Printed in U.S.A. two-stroke engines. This lawsuit came on the heels of a case that BRP had earlier filed against Arctic Cat for infringement of a series of patents relating to rider forward positioning and frame construction of snowmobiles. In finding for BRP, the court ruled that its engine control systems did not infringe Arctic Cat's patent. The court also ruled that if there had been a finding of infringement, the patent would have been held invalid. "The judgment addresses many factual issues which are particular to the case but also sets out some broader legal principles which will be of interest to patent practitioners as well as their clients," said Marek Nitoslawski, partner at Fasken Martineau in the Montréal office and lead counsel on the case. The team representing BRP featured Nito- slawski, David Turgeon, Joanie Lapalme and Michael Shortt of Fasken Martineau's Intellec- tual Property Group. NEW OWNER FOR TORONTO-AREA HARLEY-DAVIDSON STORE Pfaff Automotive Partners, a leading Cana- dian retailer of premium automotive brands, added Harley-Davidson to its portfolio with the acquisition of Davies Harley-Davidson, located in Richmond Hill, Ontario. The new dealership, now named Pfaff Har- ley-Davidson, serves North York, Rexdale and York Region, spanning from Toronto in the south to Georgina in the north, Etobicoke and King to the west and Whitchurch-Stouffville to the east. Pfaff Harley-Davidson is the only dealership in the Greater Toronto Area that serves two Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.) chapters: Toronto and York Region. Davies Harley-Davidson was opened in 1992 in Oak Ridges, Ontario, and has been present in Richmond Hill since 1998, offer- ing Harley-Davidson motorcycles, parts, accessories and MotorClothes riding gear and fashion apparel. "We are very excited to welcome Harley- Davidson to our family of amazing brands," said Christopher Pfaff, president and CEO of Pfaff Automotive Partners. "Passion, excite- ment and history have always been part of the Pfaff brand, and the same elements are what have made the Harley-Davidson brand the powerhouse that it is. There is no stronger, or more culturally significant, motorcycle brand on the market, and we can't wait to introduce Harley-Davidson to our passionate owners of premium automobiles. We think they'll love Harley-Davidson as much as we do." "We're thrilled to welcome Pfaff Automo- tive Partners to the global Harley-Davidson family," said Anoop Prakash, managing director, Harley-Davidson Canada. "Both Pfaff and Harley-Davidson share a passion for excellence and unparalleled customer service. As we congratulate the Davies family on their remarkable 24 years as a consistently top performing dealership, we look forward to working with the Pfaff team to build on our commitment and presence in the Greater Toronto Area." Pfaff Automotive Partners, a leading Canadian automotive retailer, was founded in 1964. Its brand offering includes Volk- swagen, Toyota, Audi, BMW, Porsche, McLaren, Singer Vehicle Design and Pagani automobiles. It has a 50-plus-year racing his- tory across many forms of motorsport. The company also operates Pfaff Tuning, Pfaff Leasing and Pfaff Autoworks. HEARTLAND USA GETS NEW OWNER Jim Grove, founder and owner of Heartland USA, has sold the aftermarket accessories business to Lonny Spiva, previously the com- pany's director of sales and marketing. Heartland manu- factures E-Z Rear Fender Conversions for the V-twin market. Spiva has worked for Biker's Choice, Custom Chrome, Hard Drive and Renegade Wheels. "Lonny was the first choice to carry the Heartland USA brand into the future," Grove said. "In the three-plus years that Lonny was here at Heartland, his fingerprints can be found all over this brand; he was instrumental in developed the first HL Catalog." "I was excited when Jim called; I have always loved the Heartland brand, and now I have been given the chance to be a part of it in a very big way!" Spiva said. "I feel I've came home, and I'm looking forward to conservator- ship of the Heartland brand". "I know that HL will be in good hands with Lonny at the wheel. He has a passion for HL as much or more than I do," Grove added. ASHER RETIRES FROM DRAGONFIRE Although they say all good things must come to an end, it is a bit bittersweet for the Dragon- Fire team to bid farewell to general manager Dave Asher. A part-time position that was only going to take a couple of weeks brought the industry veteran out of retirement in 2012 and quickly evolved into full- time leadership of one of the hottest brands in the UTV industry and trans- formed the way Dragon- Fire does business. "Dave started at Drag- onFire with a desk the size of a filing cabinet," said sales and marketing manager Megan Dible. "He was brought onboard to empty out a 5,000-square-foot storage facility packed full of obsolete inventory." It was soon realized that DragonFire needed more from Asher than just liquidat- ing overstock. He stepped up to take over daily operations. "Dave transformed DragonFire from a small race shop to where we are today with 40-plus employees and a 15,000-plus-square- foot facility," Dible added. "He grew not only the business, but the people. Dave stripped the company to its bare essentials and then rebuilt it on a solid foundation. What was a dealer/ retail direct job shop became recognized as a leader in the UTV industry, expanding not only the dealer base, but partnering with distri- bution powerhouse Tucker Rocky." "I have really enjoyed developing a team of wonderful people," Asher said. "We had 11 employees when I took over, and today we have 40 great employees designing and building the best aftermarket products avail- able for the UTV marketplace. I owe a lot of people my 'thank you' for all your support and contribution to our success. ... And now it is time, as I approach my 68th birthday, to say 'so-long friends' and to join my wife Pamela and our extended families in enjoy- ing our time together." His wife quickly countered with "Looking forward to the new chapter in our lives, but let's be honest, I give 'retirement' three months, four max! He's just 'that' kind of guy." "The team at DragonFire will forever be in Dave's debt as a leader and mentor," Dible concluded. BRP ADDS SENIOR VPS TO MANAGEMENT TEAM BRP (TSX:DOO) welcomes two new mem- bers to its Management Committee following the reorganization of the functions of Global Brand, Marketing and Communications, and the Parts, Accessories and Clothing (PAC) division, and the creation of a Can-Am Spyder vehicles business unit. As of Oct. 24, Anne-Marie LaBerge joined the BRP Management Committee as senior vice president, Global Brands, Marketing and Communications. LaBerge will report to José Boisjoli, BRP's president and CEO. Josée Perreault joined the team on Oct. 17 as senior vice president, Spyder. She will report to Boisjoli and will be fully responsible for managing the line of Can-Am Spyder vehicles worldwide. BRP is thus creating an exclusive business unit that will handle all aspects of Can-Am Spyder vehicle commercialization. "I'm delighted to welcome Anne-Marie LaBerge and Josée Perreault, two highly qualified and effective managers, to the BRP management team. I am certain that this reor- ganization will result in many synergies and greater operating efficiencies at both the global and regional levels," said Boisjoli. Laberge started her career in 1996 at TELUS, a world leader in telecommunica- tions, where she held several senior manage- ment positions, including vice-president, Brand and Marketing Communications, until May 2016. In 2011, she was named Mar- keter of the Year by Strategy Magazine and was also honored as a winner of the Québec Women in Business - Major Corporation award. Laberge sits on the Board of Directors of Imvescor. Perreault has more than 23 years of experi- ence in the international wholesale and retail business within the consumer goods industry. She served as senior vice-president of World Business for Oakley from 2010 to 2015. She joined Oakley in 1994 as general manager of the Montreal (Canada) subsidiary. Perreault subsequently held numerous positions world- wide within Oakley, in the Paris office and in Zurich as regional vice-president, Europe, Middle East and Asia. She is currently a mem- ber of the Board of Directors of Lumenpulse Inc. and WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff. Sandy Scullion, vice-president and gen- eral manager, BRP Global Sales and Customer Experience will take over management of all PAC activities in addition to his current duties. This reorganization has led to the departure of Anne Bélec, vice-president, Global Brand, Communications and PAC. "I wish to thank Anne for her contribution over the past several years and wish her every success in her career," added Boisjoli. DOMINION REGISTRIES PROVIDES THREAT MONITORING AND ALERT SYSTEM FOR TOP-LEVEL DOMAINS Dominion Registries, a division of Dominion Enterprises, has announced its selection of global expert in cyber security and risk mitiga- tion, NCC Group, to provide protective abuse monitoring services across all of Dominion's industry-specific, top-level domains. These include .Autos, .Homes and .Motorcycles. Not all domain name extensions have the same requirements for abuse monitoring and prevention. However, the new domains coming out of ICANN's (Internet Corpora- tion for Assigned Names and Numbers) most recent generic top-level domain program have stricter requirements than most legacy domains. For example, anyone can register a .com or .net domain name, but all registrants of Dominion's new top-level domain names are validated to ensure they meet industry- specific eligibility requirements. In addition to registrant validation, Domin- ion is going a step further with continuous monitoring to identify and prevent abuse within its domains. NCC Group's Domain Assured solution provides Dominion with a complete picture of the threat landscape of its domains. PSB HOT NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 LONNY SPIVA DAVE ASHER

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of PowerSports Business - November 7, 2016