PowerSports Business

March 13, 2020

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w w w . p o w e r s p o r t s b u s i n e s s . c o m INSPIRING SUCCESS THROUGH MARKET INTELLIGENCE March 13, 2020 • Volume 23, Number 4 • $3.99 Polaris reveals 2020 Ranger NorthStar models See page 24 National Sales Meeting showcases vendor products, including newest addition Dunlop BY ABBY LARSON STAFF REPORTER The 2020 WPS National Sales Meeting in Boise, Idaho kicked off with its usual flurry of new products, brand announcements and property acquisitions and expansions. The four-day meeting was held in the Boise Cen- ter, with two days focusing on the V-twin market before the metric-focused vendors had a chance to be on display. WPS reps flew in from around the country to get the latest on new products and happenings from vendors to further expand their arsenal of knowledge to bring back to their respective dealer networks. The first National Sales Meeting of the new decade brought with it the announcement of WPS's newest warehouse in Georgia, which opened just one week prior to the meeting, along with news of the recently completed expansion on the warehouse in Pennsylvania. WPS CEO Craig Shoemaker talked about several recent and exciting announcements following another successful year for West- ern Power Sports. "It was a great year," said Shoemaker dur- ing an exclusive interview with Powersports Business. "It was a really busy year and every- thing came together quick. We had several big projects that took a lot of our attention. We had a construction project in the Penn- sylvania warehouse that added 110,000 square feet, so that brings the total square footage to 250,000. There was a delay in that project that pushed the completion date to the middle of December, but we managed to get it done." The expansion comes following the addition of the new 245,000 square foot warehouse in Georgia, which opened in late January. " The warehouse in Georgia is up and running, but we're taking things one step at a time. We want to walk before we start running," Shoemaker explained. " There were some mishaps along the way with both warehouses but, despite that and all the frus- trations brought with it, we still ended on a good note for 2019. Looking back at all the projects we completed, we did about three years' worth in one year." Perhaps one of the more exciting notes of the meeting came from the distributor's latest partnership with Dunlop. The new partner- ship ensured that Dunlop's booth was always packed with reps coming to check out the latest news from WPS' newest distribution partner. Dunlop's recently signed distribution agreement with WPS had the booth buzzing in Boise. WPS rings in new decade with business momentum See WPS, Page 6 Dealers turn up the heat at Ski-Doo dealer meeting in Cancun The 2021 Ski-Doo MX Z X on the showroom floor in Cancun was an ideal spot for a meeting of the Ski-Doo minds in Cancun. (From left) Bernard Guy, BRP Senior VP Global Product Strategy; Frederic Desjardins, Project Manager Ski-Doo (seated); Matt Tandrup, Director of Design for Ski-Doo, Can-Am ORV and Accessories (black shirt); and Pascal Vincent, Global product director Sea-Doo and Ski-Doo. New suspensions, engine unveiled at Club BRP BY JOHN PRUSAK CONTRIBUTING WRITER Thirty days after launching its new Summit 850 Turbo on a mountain top in Idaho, Ski- Doo unveiled the rest of a super-exciting 2021 snowmobile lineup in the polar oppo- site environment on Feb. 12 – showcasing new suspensions, a new engine, new high- tech gauge that include GPS mapping, a mas- sive expansion of Gen4 chassis and more at a swanky resort in Cancun, Mexico. On a humid 80 degree night within a stone's throw of the Gulf of Mexico, BRP CEO Jose Boisjoli and senior VP of Global Product Strategy Berndard Guy took to the stage before about 700 of their dealers and unveiled: New front and rear suspension geometry plus a new ski for the top-end trail riding crowd; An 85 hp liquid-cooled fuel-injected 600 two-stroke engine for utility and entry level; An expansion of the aforementioned 850 Turbo plus Expert package amenities for deep snow riders; Gen4 chassis amenities throughout the lineup for 2021; A new gauge, new app, even belt-monitor- ing technology. Here's what some dealership owners were discussing as we traversed the Club BRP showroom floor in sunny Cancun. See Ski-Doo, Page 14 Deb Drinan provides details on the latest Nelson-Rigg products to WPS reps in Boise.

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