Kissimmee Motor Sports, Inc. – Kissimmee, FL – Aug. 18, 2003
CONTACT
2632 North Orange Blossom Trail
Kissimmee, FL 34744
407/847-6686
www.kissimmeemotor-sports.com
OWNERS
Jeff Lampe and Bobby McClelland
BUSINESS PROFILE
Lampe and McClelland bought the five-year-old, 5,700-sq.-ft. dealership in May 2002. Carries Kawasaki (full line, except the Mule) and Polaris PWC and ATVs. Largest-selling segment is motorcycle, then ATV, then PWC. 14 employees.
GREATEST CONCERN
“We bought a really non-performing dealership,” says Lampe, who has been in the industry for 18 years. “It was selling, on average, 175 to 180 units per year. We’ll probably sell a little over 600 units this year. So we have been going through some growing pains and are splitting at the seams.”
WHAT’S HOT?
“In our cruiser segment, the Kawasaki 1500cc Classic has been a hot seller for us,” says Lampe, “and in the sportbike segment, the ZX 636 Ninja.” Kissimmee’s hot machines also include the Polaris Sportsman and Kawasaki’s new four-stroke STX 1200F PWC.
CUSTOMER BUYING TRENDS
Lampe says Kissimmee’s customer base is 21 to 50 years old and includes young people who purchase sportbikes and people in their mid-30s to late 40s who buy ATVs. Sport/utility is Kissimmee’s biggest ATV market. Lampe says manufacturers’ finance programs comprise 80% of his business and have “definitely stimulated our marketplace.”
ANTI-POWERSPORTS ISSUES
Lampe says the anti-powersports atmosphere is “not too bad right now.” He was heartened by a law passed eight months ago, the T. Mark Schmidt Off-Highway Vehicle Safety and Recreation Act. Schmidt was a long-time dealer who passed away a couple of years ago. The new law registers OHVs through the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and sets up a trust fund “to expand opportunities for off-highway vehicle use on public lands.”
PARTS AND SERVICE
Kissimmee Motor Sports has a Parts Manager, three Parts Salespeople, a Service Manager, three Technicians, and a Setup Person. The Service Department turns about 600 labor hours per month, and Parts retails about $80,000 to $90,000.
WORDS OF ADVICE
“Customer service is the key,” says Lampe. “We just try to build a store that has high-quality people who have an industry background, and we don’t lean toward one product line. We try to be well-rounded.”
