From tires to Harleys: How an entrepreneur found his niche in powersports

This article first appeared in the December issue of Powersports Business.

A nationwide auto tire franchisee turned Harley-Davidson dealership owner, Steven Towers got his first taste of entrepreneurship right after high school.  

Coming from humble beginnings in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Towers got a job changing tires part-time in high school for Bridgestone-Firestone. At 18, he became a store manager and later had the opportunity to partner with an owner of a Midas store in the Boston area. Towers showed the ability to revitalize struggling tire businesses and tried to replicate the success he had at Bridgestone. When the Boston turnaround was successful, he and his business partner acquired four more Midas stores before Towers took over the entire operation.

Establishing a dealership network

Over the next 10 years, Towers acquired more than 50 Midas locations across the U.S., becoming the third-largest Midas franchisee in the country. he eventually divested all his stores in 2022 and aimed his sights towards one of America’s most iconic brands, Harley-Davidson. 

“I’ve been riding Harley-Davidson since I was 18 years old, and I’m a big-time Harley fan and big-time Harley enthusiast. I felt it was a great time to cash out, level up, and do something that I love.”

After selling off his interest in Midas, it took Towers more than a year to find a Harley store he was interested in. While searching, Towers stayed busy running a collection of Big O Tire stores. Towers’ company, Steve Towers Enterprise — where he currently serves as CEO — still owns and operates 24 Big O Tire locations across the country.

Towers eventually added to his enterprise after purchasing his first Harley-Davidson store, Boneyard Harley-Davidson of North Carolina, in April 2023. He says for the first year, he ran the store himself and got to learn the ins and outs of the business. After falling in love with the industry even more, he set his sights on bigger Harley dealerships. In July 2024, just over a year after his first acquisition, Towers purchased his second dealership, Frontier Harley-Davidson, in Lincoln, Nebraska.

“It was an underperforming dealership, owned by a car group, and I saw it as an opportunity to own a big store and turn it around.”

But Towers didn’t have much time to revel over his newest acquisition. Just a few weeks after the Frontier deal closed, he was approached by two long-time dealership owners who were looking to exit the industry. After a few conversations, Towers wound up buying his third store in January 2025, Historic Harley-Davidson in Topeka, Kansas.

In that same year, he was approached by another underperforming Harley-Davidson dealership in Carroll, Iowa, which he purchased in August.

And as if 2025 wasn’t busy enough, just in October, Harley-Davidson reached out to Towers about another struggling dealership, this one in Baton Rouge. The store typically saw 700 units sold annually, but was performing at 300. 

It’s only been two months since that acquisition. The name has been changed to Towers’ Baton Rouge Harley-Davidson — his fifth Harley-Davidson dealership acquisition in the last 30 months — and Towers says it has had a great first month so far.

During his parade of acquisitions, Towers worked exclusively with Performance Brokerage Services, which brokered all his deals. 

“They’ve been instrumental in finding stores and helping me grow alongside The Motor Company,” he says. “They’re the largest brokerage firm for powersports out there. It probably represents about 90% of the transactions, and they know who wants to leave and who wants to come in, and it’s been a great fit.”

Putting the right people in place

So, what exactly is Towers’ secret sauce to turning around these underperforming dealerships? He says having the right team orchestrated within the right structure.

“People are everything in this business. I wouldn’t be where I am today without having great people working beside me and underneath me,” Towers says. “Obviously, we have a sales process with an organizational structure that complements that, but you must surround yourself with good people.” 

The first thing Towers says he does when acquiring a dealership is determine if the right people are in place and make any necessary changes from there. He runs a customer-centric, sales-driven organization. Taking care of the customer is first and foremost, and making sure his team gives customers an extraordinary experience buying a motorcycle takes precedence.

Turnover can be costly in the powersports industry, and it’s something Towers tries to avoid. His most recent acquisition in Baton Rouge has retained every former employee. As you can expect with any underperforming business, sometimes it’s inevitable that changes must be made. Towers says that many of his dealerships have new faces with industry experts to ensure his stores deliver the experience and expectations its loyal customers deserve and expect.

“We always hope to try and retain every single employee, and we usually do from day one. But obviously, business decisions need to be made.” 

And with five dealerships in five different states, along with a network of tire stores, putting the right people in place is essential. And although Towers does oversee all operations at all five Harley dealerships, he relies heavily on his general managers and directors to handle different aspects of the business.

His organizational structure includes GMs at each store who report to him directly. He also has directors working alongside him, specializing in sales, services, and apparel 

“I keep them all in their lanes and very focused, because I want experts leading my people in each category of the business.” 

The Motor Company

Despite some recent struggles from The Motor Company, Towers says he’s excited about the its new CEO and the direction the brand is going, and is optimistic about the future of Harley-Davidson.

“I came to Harley because I believe in the brand — what other brand do people want to run out and get tattooed on them?” Towers says, acknowledging that it’s been tough the last couple of years for some long-time Harley dealers. But notes that he’s had a great experience with The Motor Company, which has been instrumental in growing his dealership network.   

Besides a few negative headlines and some turmoil at the board level and leadership changes, any negativity surrounding the brand has eluded his suite of dealerships. Towers says business is good, with the stores continuing to push out new units.   

“We’re still moving a lot of metal. Since I’ve gotten into the industry, about 50% of the units we sell are new motorcycles, and about 50% are pre-owned. We put a focus on moving new units and believe in getting everyone on a new motorcycle.”

As far as what’s next for Towers, he says he plans to stay the course, continue to acquire stores, and expand his still-growing dealership network. 

“We’re still very much in growth mode. I’m very happy with all the success I’ve had, but I built out a corporate structure with a corporate accounting team and all my directors to set us up for long-term growth. I think late this year and early next year, you’re going to see us keep acquiring dealerships.”