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| November 2007
Dealer
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Mike Case, Orlando Harley-Davidson
Mike Case explained when he was 14, his father bought a Honda 90 for the family’s farm. The farm, located in St. Paul, OR, was rather large, said Case, and it was easier to move around the fields on a motorcycle than it was in a pick-up truck. “Of course, it immediately became my motorcycle,” he laughed. Case told us he rode it almost daily in the fields and on dirt roads and sometimes on the highway, which was how he got his first ticket,” he recalled. “I was only 14 and you had to be 16 to get a license,” Mike added. |
In 1992, after 15 years in operations at GE Finance, Case said Steve Deli, the owner of the Orlando Harley-Davidson dealership, approached him about starting up a finance arm for Harley-Davidson. Thus Harley-Davidson Credit
(Eaglemark) was born, he explained. Case worked as the vice president of operations for Harley-Davidson Credit
(Eaglemark) until 1999 and in 2001 he became a minority owner of Orlando Harley-Davidson. In the two years between, he told us, he did elective surgery financing. Case explained he has worked as the dealership’s consultant from 2002-2006 and since 2006, he also serves as the store’s general manager. Also in 2006, Case took on the title of chief operations officer for American Road
LLC, which operates airport stores for local Harley dealers across the United States, he explained.
“The ability to be involved with customers and employees that truly live and breathe the ‘brand’,” is what he enjoys most about working in this industry, he told us. One of his favorite moments was when he was driving from Carson City, NV, to meet the Reno Harley dealer, Bud Evans, former owner of Reno Harley-Davidson, for a chance to book the first Harley Credit deal. Case said he drove back to Carson City, cut the check and then immediately returned it to Evans. “Steve Deli had set a goal to book our first deal by January 1993 and we made it happen on that day, Jan. 31, 1993,” he recalled.
The economy in general is a major concern, he told us. “People buy their recreational vehicles when they feel good about the future,” Mike explained. As the stock market starts to decline, things get tough, which, at the same time, causes problems for the current housing market. “The housing market is the biggest issue at the present time, but the market always turns,” Case said, adding, “The stock market is presently volatile.”
For the Harley market, the greatest growth potential seems to be in its appeal to a diverse group of people, said Case. From younger riders, to female riders and all riders from different cultures, Harley is attempting to capture diversity, he explained. Case added, “Harley is designing motorcycles specifically directed at this group – V-Rod Special,
Nightster, FatBob.”
Before concluding our interview, Mike had a couple words of advice he wished to share with everyone. “We all need to treat our customers with honesty and respect while maintaining our fiduciary responsibilities to our business,” he stated. “All of us in the business must balance our responsibility to be profitable with making our customers feel good about our products. Best price is not always what makes our customers ‘feel good.’ They need to be given a reason to feel good about their purchase versus ‘I got it for $100 less than my buddy,’” Case concluded. |
Distributor
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Tim Pritchard, Tucker Rocky
“When I was about 10 years old my neighbor (and friend of my Dad’s) raced Taco mini bikes on a small oval dirt track,” recalled Tim Pritchard. He explained he was always hanging out in his neighbor’s garage, just sitting on the bikes. “I was fascinated with them,” Pritchard said. “When he asked me if I wanted to race them, it was a turning point in my life – from that moment on I have been completely obsessed with motorcycles of all kinds,” Tim added. |
Pritchard started working at a local motorcycle shop when he was 20, he recalled, adding, “It was truly an ‘entry level’ job doing everything from cleaning bathrooms to setting up new bikes.” Lucky for him, he said, the shop was Competition Accessories, which was owned by Warren and Grace Bales. Warren was quite an entrepreneur in the motorcycle industry. Along with Edison Dye, Warren promoted one of the very fist International-American (Inter-Am) Motocross Series races in the USA, Tim explained. Pritchard continued, “Never satisfied with just a motorcycle dealership, Warren was always looking for ways of expanding the business. I was fortunate enough to be there in the early 80’s and got in on the ground floor as we started a catalog mail order division to sell motorcycle parts and accessories nationwide.”
Moving on from Competition Accessories, Tim said he then went to work for Eclipse, a manufacturer of motorcycle soft luggage and heated riding apparel, located in Ann Arbor, MI, in 1982, where he spent his days doing inside sales and product development. “After that I became an independent sales rep for lines such as Motorcycle Stuff, Eclipse, Brooks Leather, Olympia Gloves, etc.,” he told us, adding, “I actually ended up being a rep for Rocky Cycle for just a short time prior to Ed Tucker Distributing buying Rocky Cycle. I lost out on this rep position to one of the most professional salesmen in our industry – Ron Curry. At the time they just didn’t need two Ohio reps.”
Tim continued to work in sales and he then landed a sales rep position with Wet Works, the distributor of Wet Jet personal watercraft, just as this market was really gaining in popularity in 1985, he noted. Wet Works was owned by Jim Dodd, (founder of Motorcycle Stuff), he explained, so this was the second time he had the pleasure of working for the man, who Pritchard said was really an inspiration to him.
“A couple of years later I had an opportunity to go back to work for Warren Bales (now my father-in-law) at Competition Accessories,” Tim continued. “It was the late 80’s and we were on the fast track, expanding both our retail and catalog mail order businesses. We moved to Springfield, OH, into a state-of-the-art, 64,000 sq. ft. superstore, in 1992, allowing us an opportunity to add the Honda, Suzuki and Kawasaki franchises to the existing Yamaha, BMW and Ducati lines.” Then in 1997, Tim said they sold the business to Active Leisure, allowing Warren and Grace to retire, while Tim and his wife agreed to stay with the company for three years, which turned into almost five years. “With the new company came investment money that was used primarily to promote Internet sales and for new types of marketing, including racing sponsorships,” he explained. Pritchard added, “I managed the Competition Accessories Ducati Superbike Race Team from 2000-2001.”
Tired of Ohio’s infamous cold, grey winters, Tim took advantage of an opportunity to go to work for Tucker Rocky Distributing in the fall of 2001. He started his Tucker career as its national accounts manager and in 2003, Pritchard moved to Southern California after being promoted to Tucker’s regional sales manager for California and Nevada. “Eighteen months later I had to convince my wife to leave paradise and move to Fort Worth, TX, to become Tucker Rocky’s vice president of sales,” he laughed.
His love of motorcycles and being able to work in the industry is the best thing he can imagine, Pritchard said. “I enjoy the professional relationships with fellow motorcyclists and I like that we sell to an enthusiast market,” he told us. Over the years, Tim said he has made so many good friends and has accumulated many great experiences. One of his favorite moments, Tim said, was his first time “sliding” the bikes on a beach in Baja with Malcolm Smith. “I was so enthralled all my life with the movie On Any Sunday that it made this ride almost surreal,” he explained.
“I ride as often as I can,” Tim continued. He said he tries to ride to the office every day and he really enjoys riding in the dirt. “Tucker takes dealers to Baja with Malcolm Smith each year and it’s always a great ride,” he explained, adding, “All you have to do is stock MSR in your dealership and I’ll take you to Baja next April.” He also races a couple of scrambles each year, he said, but if he could only own one bike and do only one type of riding, it would be Trials.
As an optimist, Pritchard stayed positive when discussing threats the industry faces. “I prefer to support the good things happening in our industry and I like to look at changes in the industry as an opportunity instead of a threat,” he explained.
On the other hand, he was quick to point out the greatest potential for growth lies in new riders: young, old, men and women. “Any programs, instruction, or riding facilities that can expose new people to the sport are very important,” Pritchard said. He added, “If everyone in our industry would take a new non-rider out for a day and show them how much fun they can have on a motorcycle, the industry could almost double in size!”
When asked to give advice to his fellow enthusiasts within the powersports industry, he joked, “Well, that’s easy – buy everything from Tucker Rocky.” Becoming more serious, he urged others to just ride. “Ride to work. Ride
offroad. Just ride and enjoy it. Get on a bike and remind yourself why you work in this industry. Stop and talk. I never pass a hiker, mountain bike rider, or someone on horseback without taking a moment to say hello. Be a good ambassador for motorcycling. Respect others. Respect the environment. Contrary to what they say, loud pipes don’t save lives – they just piss people off,” Pritchard said. |
Manufacturer
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Mike Kaczkowski, Dowco
“Growing up in suburban Milwaukee, my parents were friends with the owners of one of theYamaha dealers in the area,” Mike Kaczkowski told us. “Visits to their home usually includedsome riding time on dirt bikes or, in the winter, snowmobiles. I think I was around11 years old the first time I rode on a dirt bike and about the same age for my first time on a snowmobile,” he said. From that point on, Mike was hooked and motorcycling has become a consistent part of his life for the last 30 years. |
Kaczkowski first became involved in the industry in 2003, when he took on the role of vice president of sales with
Dowco, Inc., he explained. Headquarted in Manitowoc, WI, on the western shores of Lake Michigan, Dowco has been producing cut and sew products for over 80 years. Originally a tent and awning manufacturer serving local markets, the company has evolved and now focuses on the powersports and marine markets. Serving both the OE manufacturer and the aftermarket, their customer base includes major motorcycle manufacturers, powersports distributors, as well as major boat manufacturers and boat dealers. The company produces quality covers for motorcycles, ATVs, personal watercraft, snowmobiles, boats and luggage systems for motorcycles.
“Since being with Dowco, I haveassumed responsibility for marketing and new product development engineering while maintaining responsibility for the sales efforts,” said Mike, who has since moved up the ladder to the position of executive vice president at
Dowco.
This industry is about fun, he stated, and it is great to work with people and customers that enjoy what they are doing. “Being able to surround yourself at work
withenthusiasts, who are also passionate about the market, and to manufacture innovative products for the industryis a rewarding experience,” Kaczkowski told us.
He’s had a lot of great moments working in this business, so it is hard to pick out one specific favorite, Mike said. “Every once ina while, we’ll organize or participatein a group ridewith employees or customers to test new products or evaluate new ideas. Those activities are always fun. We get good, practical feedback on the products and the rides are wonderful relationship and team building experiences,” he explained.
One important issue the industry constantly faces is how to attract the next generation of powersports enthusiasts in order to keep the industry going. “My start as an enthusiast beganwith dirt bikes, which lead to street bikes, then snowmobiles and eventually ATVs,” Kaczkowski told us. “As a kid, we had numerous areas accessible for riding. Push the bike down the street a block or two and off you went on the trails – and I didn’t grow up in a
ruralarea,” he explained, adding, “That‘easy access’ to riding areas doesn’t seem to exist anymore. For us, ridingnow involves more planning andthen traveling a pretty
gooddistance. Exposing new people to the sport, especially at an early age, seems to be more difficult today.”
There is a great opportunity to diversify the consumer base, Mike continued. “Recentdemographics published for the industry confirm a pretty narrow ‘typical’ customer profile that has been the typical customer profile for a long time,” he explained. A lot ofwomen are getting into motorcycling, Mike added, and oursociety is becoming more culturally diverse every year. Kaczkowski advised, “The industry needs to continue to expandways to interest and market to a broader cross-section of potential enthusiasts.”
2007 seems to be somewhat of a challenge in terms of realizing sales growth, based on a lot of the information that has appeared in press this year, noted Mike. “In some cases, I think some of the articles printed early in the year became self-fulfilling prophecies,” he stated. His advice to others is to “focus on the positive and play to the fuel efficiency riding a motorcycle can offer if it fits into your marketing story.” He said he believes people want to spend money on toys, they only need a reason. “Also, I’ve seen a lot of older bikes come out of the garage as the price of fuel has increased over the last couple of years. My bet is that the renewed interest in riding has a strong potential to result in a new motorcycle sale, or at least in sales of service, parts and accessories. We all have to try and capitalize on that,” he concluded. |
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