World’s largest Harley-Davidson dealership group expands

Powersports Business has learned that the world’s largest Harley-Davidson dealership group, The Motorcycle Company, has started the New Year by acquiring Desert Wind Harley-Davidson in Mesa, Arizona.

Principal Michael Veracka, along with his brother, Paul Veracka, and father, David Veracka, have been in the Harley-Davidson business since 2003, owning and operating 13 of the largest dealerships in the country. Desert Wind Harley-Davidson will become the newest member of The Motorcycle Company, the largest Harley-Davidson dealer group in the world, with dealerships located in Massachusetts, Michigan, Florida, Kansas, Colorado, California and Washington.

“It’s been an exciting year for us as we acquire Desert Wind Harley-Davidson, our fifth dealership in the last 12 months,” Michael Veracka said. “This rapid expansion has given us a strong national presence in the Harley-Davidson community. It has also given our current staff the opportunity for internal growth as well as bring on more industry leaders to keep Harley-Davidson at the top of the motorcycle industry. This acquisition in the Phoenix, AZ metro gives us yet another major market where we can positively impact the motorcycle industry.

“We have a recipe for success that has proven successful over the past 15 years. We have industry-leading, performance-based compensation plans that allow us to attract and retain top talent in the industry. Our systems and procedures allow the average skilled performers to do a great job, and the highly skilled performers to excel. We then add the right amount of marketing to bring customers to the store and let the staff deliver a premium customer experience that keeps them coming back time and time again. It’s no secret that our stores are the highest volume stores across the country while also achieving industry leading customer service ratings and employee experience ratings. This is evidenced by the several Bar & Shield awards won each year along with Top 50 Places to Work by Powersports Business.”

“Over the past 12 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.”

While speaking of their explosive growth over the past year, doubling their footprint and doubling their staff to over 1,000 employees, Veracka said: “We have an aggressive growth strategy with a business model to continue expanding into additional new markets. This strategy has allowed us to pay over market value on several of the acquisitions this year as we continued acquiring stores. We typically finalize our deals in less than 30 days whereas many deals with inexperienced buyers can often take over a year. We were able to complete five transactions in that years’ time.”

Desert Wind H-D’s outgoing partner, Ray Croghan said: “The Veracka Team and the Croghan Powersports Team put the deal together without requiring assistance from outside advisors. It was a pleasure to watch these two teams of professionals make a deal happen quickly. We wish them continued success in Arizona.”

The Motorcycle Company brings with it a management team of over 30 staff that provide support to their 10 stores. The management company support — along with quadrupling the marketing dollars, tripling the inventory, and doubling the staff, adding over 40 additional team members — will make Desert Wind Harley-Davidson a premier location in greater Phoenix. They are currently looking to fill the general manager position vacated by previous owner Ray Croghan.

This new acquisition in Arizona is a testament to The Motorcycle Company’s commitment and partnership with Harley-Davidson for the continued success for many 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.

The Veracka family’s group of Harley-Davidson stores, known as The Motorcycle Company, 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
• Desert Wind Harley-Davidson, Mesa, Arizona