Veracka family adds another Harley-Davidson dealership; hiring 40 staff
Powersports Business has learned that Jet City Harley-Davidson in Renton, Washington, formerly known as Lawless Harley-Davidson Renton, has been acquired by Michael Veracka.
Michael, along with his brother, Paul Veracka, and father, David Veracka, have been in the Harley-Davidson business since 2003. Jet City Harley-Davidson will become the newest member to The Motorcycle Company’s family of dealerships coast-to-coast; Massachusetts to California, Kansas, Colorado, Florida, Michigan and now Washington.
“We’re excited to add Jet City Harley-Davidson, expanding our national footprint of dealerships into Washington, growing ridership nationwide to all four corners of the United States,” Michael Veracka said. “The team at Lawless H-D has done a great job over the past several years building both a community of Harley riders in the Seattle metro area, as well as a great business that we will continue to develop for many years to come. Our company was founded by riders, built for riders, and we are dedicated to passing that passion along to others from coast to coast. Our family is 100 percent committed to the Harley-Davidson brand and the sport of motorcycling.”
The new owners are currently hiring for all departments to add an additional 40 team members of both front line and management staff.
“Our management company allows us to take existing stores that do an exceptional job and build them into world class facilities, while often doubling or tripling the staff. Our industry leading compensation plans allow us to attract top industry professionals,” Paul Veracka said.
“The support we provide along with the increased marketing and increased inventory has proven successful across the United States,” Michael Veracka added. “Over the past 11 acquisitions, we have grown the Harley-Davidson markets at each location by an average of 300 percent. This aligns with Harley-Davidson’s strategy of growing ridership as we introduce thousands of new Harley-Davidson riders each year to the sport. Our partnership with Harley-Davidson corporate has allowed us to continue expanding our dealership footprint while placing the most talented industry professionals in the biggest and best locations nationwide. The rapid growth has given opportunity for promotions to our current staff at The Motorcycle Company, in addition to bringing others into our organization.”
While speaking of their explosive growth over the past year doubling their footprint and doubling their staff to over 800 employees, Michael Veracka said, “We have an aggressive growth strategy with a business model to continue expanding into additional new markets in the coming year. This strategy has allowed us to pay over market value on several of the acquisitions this year as we continue acquiring stores. We typically finalize our deals in less than 30 days whereas many deals with inexperienced buyers often take over a year.”
“The Veracka’s were looking to expand into the Pacific NW and the timing was perfect for us as we looked to exit the Harley-Davidson business in Seattle,” said Lawless H-D owner Jeff Cheek. “We were able to discuss a potential transition and agreed to terms in less than two weeks. Their experience in the Harley-Davidson industry as world-class operators made the transaction simple and straightforward. We closed and transferred ownership in less than two months. I’ve been involved in the Harley-Davidson industry for decades and this has been one of the quickest and easiest transitions I’ve seen. Powersports Listings delivered a great experience and excellent transaction process. This team does a great job for the dealer on both sides of the transaction.”
This new acquisition in Washington is a testament to The Motorcycle Company’s commitment to the continued success of Harley-Davidson for years to come. Collectively, The Motorcycle Company will sell over 10,000 Harley-Davidson motorcycles this year, continuing to strengthen its position as the largest Harley-Davidson group in the world.
As the greater Seattle metro continues to grow, Jet City Harley-Davidson plans to continue building the Harley-Davidson community one premium customer experience and one new Harley at a time!
The Veracka family’s group of Harley-Davidson stores, known as The Motorcycle Company, now consists of:
- Rawhide Harley-Davidson, Olathe, Kansas
- High Octane Harley-Davidson, Billerica, Massachusetts
- Avalanche Harley-Davidson, Golden, Colorado
- Riverside Harley-Davidson, Riverside, California
- Huntington Beach Harley-Davidson, Westminster, California
- Palm Beach Harley-Davidson, West Palm Beach, Florida
- Six Bends Harley-Davidson, Fort Myers, Florida
- Motown Harley-Davidson, Taylor, Michigan
- Jet City Harley-Davidson, Renton, Washington
The Motorcycle Company dealerships have a long history of excellence on the Powersports Business list of the Power 50 dealers nationally. Riverside H-D has been a three-time selection (2015-16-17), while Rawhide H-D, High Octane H-D, Avalanche H-D and Huntington Beach H-D were all Power 50 dealers in both 2016 and 2017.
