Hanover Powersports is Revving Up Summer Sales

A family that rides together, stays together. 

Hanover Powersports is a family run dealership that sells new and used motorcycles and ATVs. And while the shop has bounced around to a few different locations since its inception in 1982, management has stayed the same. 

Jesse Amato, sales manager for Hanover Powersports, grew up by his father’s side in the dealership as he watched Vinny Amato run the business. 

“I became a full-time employee in 2010, but I’ve been working at the store for much longer than that,” he says. “My dad started the company in 1982, and he would pick me up from school a few times a week when I was in seventh grade and bring me to the store.”

While Hanover Powersports boasts a substantial amount of Honda and Yamaha equipment, the shop’s ATV sales have surged as of late. 

“We sell a lot of off-road products,” Jesse notes. “Even being in New Jersey, you might not think we have a ton of off-road riding, but we have quite a good variety. And many of our customers live in areas where they can enjoy these vehicles, so the off-road segment is taking off.”

Motorcycle and ATV Enthusiasts at Your Service

Jesse’s love for powersports started in the shop. After getting his first dirt bike at four years old and then helping his dad in the store part time, his appreciation for the industry continued to grow. 

“Starting at an early age, it was so exciting to be around all these products that I love. It was like being in a candy store,” he reminisces. “While watching my dad and seeing everything that went into the business, I learned over time how to treat customers right. And we still get customers that have been coming in for over 20 years.”

And Jesse isn’t the only one who’s enthusiastic about powersports. All employees at Hanover enjoy every aspect of riding, both on the bike and off, as well as sharing their knowledge with others.

“We definitely have our own culture here,” notes Jesse. “We have a lot of long-time customers that have been doing business with us since my dad first started the company. Everybody working here is a true enthusiast.”

The Building of Hanover Powersports

While the main Hanover Powersports dealership currently resides in a 12,000-square-foot shop in the heart of Morris County, New Jersey, its location has changed quite a bit over the years. 

The store’s first location was situated along Route 10, which is about a mile down the road from where Hanover currently stands today. 

“It was just a little storefront where my dad started selling motorcross apparel and accessories,” Jesse says.

“Mopeds were really popular at the time, so we would have all these kids come in and buy mopeds. And they later grew up and became some of our current customers.”

Hanover Powersports really began taking off once Vinny started getting Honda equipment. The small motorcycle accessories shop continued to grow with each passing year until Vinny eventually upgraded to a bigger piece of property down the road. 

“There was an old house on the property, which my dad knocked down, and then he built the new store from the ground up,” notes Jesse. “Opening in the early 90s, that business continued to grow until we eventually outgrew the place and then relocated to another location along the same road.”

The almost 30,000-square-foot facility was a much-needed upgrade for Hanover and helped the dealership continue to grow. That is, until the early 2000s when the market started to plummet, leaving businesses across the country strapped for cash. 

Luckily, Vinny still owned the previous location that he had built himself, so they were able to move the dealership back down the road. This is where Hanover still stands today. 

“We could certainly use more space, but we utilize every inch as effectively as we can,” Jesse says. “We also have a warehouse which is not too far off site, which is where we keep a lot of rolling inventory.”

Providing Fun for the Whole Family

Being situated in New Jersey, the winter months certainly slow business down, but Jesse and his team have some tricks up their sleeves to keep product moving. 

“Both my dad and I are members of an off-road motorcycle club, which is in Southern New York state up in the Catskills,” Jesse mentions. “It’s a private club that has 45 members, but we have about 1,500 acres of private land with a motorcross track and a ton of trails.”

With all this room for activities, Jesse and his father host races and events at the site a few times a year. “We even do a customer appreciation day where we invite all of our customers up there and they get to ride for free,” he says. 

Not only do these events help bring the community together for a day filled with fun, but it also allows Hanover employees to get up close and personal with their customers. Creating those memories and relationships is great for turning one-time buyers into loyal customers. 

Hanover Powersports also markets themselves on a variety of different platforms to help boost business. Between e-blasts, social media, Google ads and a little bit of radio, they keep a steady fan base. 

“I’ve been branching out into Facebook marketplace for the last couple of years, and we’ve been putting more marketing emphasis into that,” Jesse says. “I have an integration service which posts most of our inventory on the marketplace, and that’s really blown up. We get a broader audience on there.”

Reaching a broader audience allows Hanover to sell to customers outside of the state who are still riding during the winter months, helping to keep business steady while the locals rest their bikes. 

Even with smart marketing tactics, Hanover Powersports’ success boils down to its resourceful and friendly staff. 

“Everyone that works here is knowledgeable. We all own bikes and we all ride,” Jesse says. “We’re not your typical run-of-the-mill, high-volume store. When you walk in, you really feel like you’re coming into a family-run powersports dealership.”