American Motorcycle Dealer AMD 173 December 2013 | Page 64

HardDrive hires Heinemeyer
Boise, Idaho based distributor
Western Power Sports (WPS)
continues to work to develop its
presence in the custom
aftermarket.
Founded in 1960 and
distributing over 120,000
products in total, the company
has always had product lines
that could sell in HarleyDavidson dealerships and
aftermarket shops, but since the
2012 introduction of its
specialty v-twin brand
HardDrive the company has
been making steady progress in

<<< Continued from cover
when pushed on the subject "but at
this stage, until we are really able to
see what numbers we get, and have
a more clear understanding of who
attends, and how many of them are
new to our show, or repeat
attendees, we won't really know for
sure.
"However, no question about it, it
looks like we will see an attendance
bounce in 2014.”
"Growth in exhibitor booth terms
is a different thing. As has been the
case throughout the overall industry
and economic downturn, most of the
major and serious specialist players
are registered to exhibit. We expect
to maintain overall exhibitor
numbers from 2013 give or take a
handful of booths either way.

establishing itself with a
presence in the custom world.
Their latest news concerns the
hiring of 41 year old all-rounder
Gunnar Heinemeyer as a
Product Manager. Gunnar is well
known in the Harley-Davidson
aftermarket, having started
working for Custom Chrome in
Europe in 2001, and having
become a product manager and
parts buyer there after starting
as a technician and then moving
into sales, he transferred to the
US Custom Chrome operation at
Morgan Hill, California in 2010.
WPS has a network of five
warehouses around the United
States - at Fresno, California,
Memphis, Tennessee,
Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania

www.wps-inc.com

Ex Custom Chrome man Gunnar
Heinemeyer hired as new
Product Manager

"With that said, even if we were
to gain exhibitors due to the changes
taking place at other shows, the days
of doubling or tripling the square
footage required at ANY specialty
trade expo/show are over. The smart
businesses in our industry have
carefully planned their trade show
presence by strategically selecting a
booth size that is productive and
delivers a return on their investment.
These are the same players that
include their presence at the show as
part of their annual marketing planmeaning they promote their
presence at the V-Twin Expo for
months before, they communicate
with their dealers about what to
expect at the show in their booth,
where they will be located, they offer
training on site and more times than
not, they deploy show specials to
maintain their dealer base while they
attract new, qualified dealers.
"V-Twin Expo will again showcase
all the best and most viable business
opportunities for custom shops in

2014, but this is an industry that has
rediscovered its soul; in terms of what
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