American Motorcycle Dealer AMD 244 November 2019 | Page 20

Veracka Family Harley-Davidson
BRIEFS Dealer Group Splits into Two
Companies
NEWS
The annual Swedish Motorcycle
Show MC Massan will be staged at
Gothenburg on Sweden's west coast
from January 24-26. Alternating with
the capital Stockholm, the show is a
broad based, all industry, mainstream
powersports industry event that
usually attracts over 50,000 visitors.
Harley unit sales in Australia
through Q3 declined by -11.1%
to 4,617 units for the first nine
months of 2019. Its top selling
model has been the FXBRS (635
units), followed by the XG500
(541) and FLFBS (335). The total
market in Australia was down
by -8.0% at 62,973 units for the
period. Honda is market share
leader with 23.1% of sales,
followed by Yamaha (21%) and
Kawasaki (10.6%). Indian
Motorcycle sold 550 units, -
11.6%, including 275 Scouts
and 77 Chieftains.
Ducati is to stage its 11th biennial
World Ducati Week at the Misano
World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in
Italy from July 17-19, 2020. In 2018
the event attracted 91,000 visitors
(aka 'Ducatista') for three days of
worship at the altar of all things Red.
A 1260 Pikes Peak became the
100,000th Multistrada built by
Ducati in September - 16 years
after the first Multistrada rolled
off the assembly line. The buyer
was Dave Hayward, a German
'Ducatista' who had ordered his
Multistrada from the Düsseldorf
dealership - it was presented to
him by Ducati CEO Claudio
Domenicali in person.
Progressive International Motorcycle
Shows (IMS) has announced the
launch of "Next Steps," an extension
of their Discover the Ride program
which "serves the entire motorsports
community by breaking down the
industry's high barriers to entry." DtR
introduced over 2,000 potential
riders to the experience of
motorcycling for the first time -
"Next Steps represents an evolution
of the program by helping new riders
get trained. After receiving their
motorcycle license, new riders can
familiarize themselves with the world
of motorcycling through
NewTo2.com, an online platform
within DtR dedicated to the
continued education of the new
generation of riders."
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AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER
One of the world's largest Harley-
Davidson dealer groups has split into
two companies "representing another
chapter of the Veracka family's 40-
year motorcycle industry legacy." Paul
Veracka and Michael Veracka, owners
of the Veracka family Harley-Davidson
Dealer Group, have officially separated
themselves as of October 1, 2019.
They will no longer own or operate any
of their Harley-Davidson dealerships
together.
"It's exciting as we go our separate
ways with our own companies. We've
been in the Harley-Davidson business
together for 11 years now, growing
our footprint to cover the entire United
States," said Michael Veracka. "I'm
looking forward to my stores
competing with Paul's stores."
"This move simply gives us the chance
to establish our own visions for our
own companies," said Paul Veracka.
"Owning our individual stores has
been something we've discussed for a
few years now, and in anticipation of
this split, we have been restructuring
operationally. This will allow a
seamless transition for the current
staff at the dealerships," Paul added.
As the brothers go their separate ways,
they will be creating new roles within
their respective companies, including
opportunities to promote current staff
and attract additional experienced
talent from outside the industry. "The
systems and procedures we've created
and implemented at the stores allow
the average skilled performers to do a
great job, and the highly skilled
performers to excel. It's no secret that
our stores have historically been some
of the highest volume stores across the
country," said Michael Veracka.
Paul Veracka stated: "Our business
model of explosive growth will only
intensify as we branch out on our own.
We bought five stores over the last
couple years as one company, now it's
going to be a race."
In addition to the brothers' split, their
father, David Veracka, will continue to
be involved in the motorcycle industry,
taking over the former group parent
company, The Motorcycle Company,
which will become a consulting
company. TMC will provide services to
Harley-Davidson dealers as well as all
other brand motorcycle dealers in the
form of sales training, marketing and
accounting. David will be actively
pursuing new clients outside of
Veracka owned dealerships.
Paul Veracka now owns Rockstar
Harley-Davidson, Fort Myers, Florida,
Palm Beach Harley-Davidson, West
Palm Beach, Florida, Motown Harley-
Davidson, Taylor, Michigan and High
Octane Harley-Davidson, Billerica,
Massachusetts.
Michael Veracka now owns Avalanche
Harley-Davidson, Golden, Colorado;
Rawhide Harley-Davidson, Olathe,
Kansas, Riverside Harley-Davidson,
Riverside, California, Huntington
Beach Harley-Davidson, Westminster,
California, Jet City Harley-Davidson,
Renton, Washington and Desert Wind
Harley-Davidson, Mesa, Arizona.
Lynchburg Garage - Indian Motorcycle
Destination and Retail Store
Indian Motorcycle in America
has taken its promotional
partnership with Jack Daniel's
in an additional, new direction
with the opening of Lynchburg
Garage, a new motorcycle and
merchandise store that
celebrates the history of the
two iconic American brands.
Located at Lynchburg,
Tennessee, just down the street
from the Jack Daniel's distillery,
Lynchburg Garage "is a must-
stop destination for tourists
and motorcyclists alike.
"Inspired by the storied history
of Indian Motorcycle and Jack
Daniel's, Lynchburg Garage
represents a new chapter for
Indian Motorcycle as the brand
expands its reach into apparel
and merchandise outlets.
"Inside, guests can grab a
refreshment and relax in the
hospitality area featuring
branded artifacts, a hometown
pin board for guests to mark
where they're from, and a
large-scale map showcasing the
best motorcycle rides in
Tennessee. Additionally,
motorcycle rentals will be
available starting in September
for riders to experience Indian
Motorcycle's latest model year
line-up. Indian Motorcycle
lifestyle apparel and co-
branded Jack Daniel's gear is
also available for purchase.
"Jack Daniel's has been an
incredible partner over the past
several years, and we're
extremely excited to bring a
taste of Indian Motorcycle to
Lynchburg," said Reid Wilson,
Senior Director for Indian
Motorcycle. "Although a small
town, Lynchburg is a critical
piece of American history and a
popular destination for tourists
traveling to Nashville, and now
with Lynchburg Garage, visitors
will also have an opportunity to
engage with the Indian
Motorcycle brand and its
history."
www.indianmotorcycle.com
www.AMDchampionship.com