McGrath acquires Harley-Davidson dealership
George C. Chaconas of Performance Brokerage Services reports that Michael McGrath is now the owner of four dealerships with the acquisition of Wiebler’s Quad Cities Harley-Davidson in Davenport, Iowa, from Bob Wiebler.
The dealership opened for business last week under McGrath’s ownership. The dealership name will change to McGrath Quad Cities Harley-Davidson and will remain at the current location of 5320 Corporate Park Drive in Davenport, Iowa 52807.
McGrath also is the owner and operator of McGrath Harley-Davidson in Dubuque, McGrath Hawkeye Harley-Davidson in Coralville and McGrath Powersports of Cedar Rapids, all in Iowa.
“It brings me great pleasure to have assisted the Wiebler family with passing the torch to the McGrath family,” said Chaconas, the exclusive agent for this transaction and the head of the National Harley-Davidson and Powersports Division for Performance Brokerage Services. “I wish Bob and his wife, Tracy Wiebler an enjoyable retirement and thank them for the opportunity to earn their business.”
Wayne Wiebler, Bob Wiebler and Stephen Wiebler established Wiebler’s Quad-Cities Harley-Davidson in 1990. In 1951, Wayne started in the motorcycle business in Peoria, Illinois, for the Walters family. In 1965, Bob joined the Walters Brothers dealership in the parts department. Wayne’s son, Stephen, joined them both in 1980. After many years at the Walters Brothers dealership, the Wiebler family acquired an existing Harley-Davidson dealership in Bettendorf, Iowa.
In 1999, Stephen and Bob relocated the dealership to Davenport and celebrated a grand opening of their new facility on January 22, 2000, 49 years after Wayne Wiebler started his career in the motorcycle industry. This was a lifelong dream come true for the Wiebler family. The dealership has remained in the same location ever since.
After 28 years of ownership, the Wiebler family decided it was time to retire from the business and hired Chaconas to assist them with selling Wiebler’s Quad-Cities Harley-Davidson.
Following the sale, Bob Wiebler commented: “I had been negotiating with a local Harley-Davidson dealer that wanted to buy my store for years. When I hired George, he immediately negotiated a fair offer and helped guide me throughout the process from start to finish. He kept me informed, engaged and levelheaded. It was very difficult and emotional for me to retire as this is all I have done since I was a teenager.”
I had the pleasure of meeting Mike and his staff at a Spader 20 Group meeting. They are genuinely good people and care about the industry. Best of luck with the “new” venture!