Distributors optimistic
Parts Unlimited gears up for big annual Showcase
LeMans Corp., parent company to Parts Unlimited and Drag Specialties,is poised to host its annual dealer convention in August — the 2004 Showcase.
Dealers are invited to the Janesville Distribution Center from 5:30pm to 8:30pm August 28. Along with the state-of-the-art facility itself, the attraction is a variety of motorcycle and powersports celebrities including many master bike builders, journalists, and both past legends and current top racers from road racing, motocross, off-road, and more. And of course, there will be numerous custom machines to peruse while also partaking of a generous spread of food and drinks.
“We have lots of new product and some very important sales program information that we’re eager to present to our dealers, and they’re going to have some great opportunities at the NVP. We go out on the road in every direction every week from warehouses across the country with our sales reps and our hospitality efforts to support the powersports shops and franchises, and we really enjoy the chance to play host right here at our home offices in Wisconsin,” said Greg Blackwell, LeMans Vice President. “Fred Fox started this company over 35 years ago right down the road from where we are now, and it’s always something special to have our dealer convention and our many valued dealers right here where it all began.”
Action continues the day after the reception in the city of Madison, where dealers can view over 200 vendor displays while also enjoying food, refreshment, and an ample array sales programs designed to help Parts Unlimited and Drag Specialties dealers prepare for another exciting and profitable sales season. Showcase hours on Sunday, August 29, are 10:30 a.m. through 4:00 p.m.
For more information, call 608/758-1111.
Dealer Development Manager
In other news from the distribution specialist, longtime LeMans Corp. mainstay Torsten Corum has been named the company’s Dealer Development Manager in the U.S., a position placing him as point person for thousands of retailers dealing with Parts Unlimited and Drag Specialties.
Corum succeeds Jim Matchette, who is now Drag Specialties National Sales Manager.
Corum signed on to work as purchaser for Bob Maynard at Thor in 1994. The next year he moved on to the LeMans Corporate headquarters in Janesville, Wisc., where he held a purchasing position for Thor, Slippery, and Moose Off-Road. After a two-year hiatus to work with Motion Pro as general manager under Chris Carter, Corum returned to the LeMans fold in 1998, and was subsequently named sales program coordinator under Vice President Greg Blackwell, duties he continues to oversee since accepting the dealer development manager position.
Parts Canada to Expand
Parts Canada, the Canadian arm of powersports distributor Parts Unlimited, owned by Wisconsin-based LeMans Corporation, recently purchased roughly 14.8 acres of land in an Ontario industrial park, and reportedly has plans to double the size of its operation.
The company currently leases a 70,000 sq. ft. facility in London, Ontario. The immediate plan for the new property is to build a 140,000 sq. ft. building to house the staff of 50 workers, a project that would fill 20% of the recently purchase industrial park property. The plan then calls for further expansion within five years, eventually creating 60 new jobs and occupying approximately 35% of the property. psb
