Plessner: This is where memories are made

By Jan Plessner

This article originally appeared in the May issue of Powersports Business.

Everywhere you look, the world feels louder and more unstable. Spam, notifications, constant interruptions — it’s all turned what used to be a manageable flow of information into a nonstop stream. 

Hit the Reset Button

Recruiting talented candidates requires authentic conversations and human judgment. It’s not exactly bot-friendly. I’ve extended my typical workday to keep up. And while the fast pace is stimulating and satisfying, I’m deliberately making time to tune out the noise.

More importantly, I’m not the only one doing this. Our customers are looking for the same thing. 

Ninja days are the best days 

While most businesses are built around necessity, ours is built around something entirely different. We provide an outlet. An escape. A way for people to step out of the noise and into something that feels real, authentic, and exciting. 

I am reminded of that every time I throw my leg over my bright green Kawasaki Ninja 650.  

A commute that feels like just another obligation becomes something else entirely. Instead of sitting inside my truck, I ride as often as I can to be part of my surroundings. Fresh air, the sweet smell of flowering citrus trees, and all the lunchtime offerings along the coast. 

I feel the temperature shift as I climb or descend. I see the terrain instead of staring at brake lights. I am engaged in a way that is hard to replicate anywhere else. I hyper-focus on arriving safely, and that clears my head from the time I turn the key to the time I put the kickstand back down. 

On two wheels, you don’t observe the environment. You experience it. 

Disconnect to reconnect

The same thing happens on the water, and it all started in the late ’80s with a pair of used stand-up Kawasaki Jet Ski watercrafts. 

Owning a wake-surfing boat has given me something far more valuable than time outside. I’m a first-generation boat owner. Personal watercrafts are fun, but a 22-foot boat is more akin to a mobile 100-square-foot living room surrounded by a 10- to 200-foot-deep pool.  

Sharing that experience with friends and family has created some of the best memories of my life. 

Phones get put down. Conversations get better. This is what our customers are actually buying.

It is one of the few environments left where being fully present happens naturally. Boating creates a natural separation from the constant demands of daily life. 

Multigenerational connections

What stands out even more is how those moments build over time. I’ve watched my nephews and nieces start on kneeboards at four or five years old. Now they are in their mid- to late-twenties, surfing and riding hydrofoils behind the boat. The shared experiences stretch across years and decades. 

The products we sell do not just create moments. They compound into lifelong memories, and that kind of experience doesn’t just create great days. It creates long-term customers. When someone ties their best memories to a product, they come back. They upgrade. They bring their friends. They introduce the next generation. 

We are not dependent on short-term demand. When a customer associates your dealership with some of the best times of their life, prices become less important, loyalty becomes stronger, and the relationship lasts far beyond a single transaction. 

We create access to experiences. We help customers disconnect from stress and reconnect with what matters. 

As we head into summer, it’s worth remembering what we really do. We’re giving people a way to escape from the noise and into something better. 

In a world that feels increasingly busy, distracted, and unstable, what we offer is rare. And it’s something people need.