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Dealership owners off to retirement; sell after 20 years

Dave McMahonMarch 9, 2022

Performance Brokerage Services has announced the sale of a dealership that was established in 1963 and today offers a pair of powersports brands, including Harley-Davidson and Polaris.

Here’s the scoop from Performance Brokerage Services:

Performance Brokerage Services, the leader in dealership buy-sell activity, announces the sale of Four Corners Harley-Davidson and Four Corners Powersports in Farmington, New Mexico, from Tom McCreery and Gary Almond to Joe Washburn and Pete Tabor.

Four Corners Harley-Davidson and Four Corners Powersports was established as a dealership in 1963 under the name Desert Sports. It was acquired by Tom McCreery and Gary Almond in 2002. Recognizing that the dealership wasn’t hitting its full potential, McCreery and Almond moved the dealership to a newly built facility on Main Street. The location features a state-of-the-art service department with performance Dyno tuning and one of the largest showrooms in the state. The dealership also uniquely features Polaris in addition to Harley-Davidson, allowing it to serve both on-road and off-road enthusiasts.

The impressive growth of the dealership was a testament to the commitment McCreery and Almond provided to their customers. They were passionate about customer service and making sure their fellow riders had the best experience while visiting the dealership. That passion and commitment also carried down to the staff, who were always willing to go above and beyond for their customers.

Following the sale, McCreery commented, “The Performance Brokerage Services team has developed an excellent network of business contacts and service providers including attorneys, appraisers, and accountants. Four Corners Harley-Davidson and Four Corners Powersports was the second dealership George Chaconas sold for me. George and his Associate, Courtney Bernhard, did an excellent job. They identified four highly interested and qualified buyers. While two letters of intent were submitted, we ultimately negotiated with the buyer that submitted the best offer. All transactions have problems, but when we encountered them, George and his team used their business network, expertise, and experience to help us resolve them. We greatly appreciate their help and are looking forward to retirement.”

Over the last five years, Performance Brokerage Services has advised on the sale of over 250 dealerships, making it the highest volume dealership brokerage firm in North America. In 2021, the company consummated over 72 transactions, marking a record-breaking year.

George C. Chaconas, the exclusive advisor for this transaction and the head of the National Harley-Davidson and Powersports Division for Performance Brokerage Services commented, “I recently had the pleasure of working with Tom McCreery to sell his Harley-Davidson dealership in Salem, Oregon. I am very excited to announce the sale of his last store, Four Corners Harley-Davidson and Four Corners Powersports in Farmington, New Mexico. It has been a great honor to help Tom and his business partner, Gary Almond, retire after long and successful careers as Harley-Davidson and metric dealers, and move into the next chapter of their lives. I am grateful to have helped the new owners, Joe Washburn and Pete Tabor, expand beyond their Fun Center locations in Colorado, into New Mexico. This was a very exciting and strategic acquisition as Joe and Pete have always wanted to be Harley-Davidson dealers. I wish everyone great success in moving forward and am thankful for the opportunity to have been of service.”

In 2015, two former telecommunications professionals out of Denver, Washburn and Tabor, decided to buy Fun Center Cycles, a powersports dealership selling motorcycles, off-road bikes, and personal watercrafts. No strangers to the industry, both Washburn and Tabor spent weekends competing in on-road and off-road events.

Their familiarity in the powersports community enabled them to have a very good understanding of what their fellow riding enthusiasts were looking for, and how to best maximize the experience. Their current dealerships display customer photos, trophies, and battered bikes that make for great customer conversations.

With the 2 Fun Center locations currently serving Durango and Cortez, Colorado, the addition of Four Corners Harley-Davidson and Four Corners Powersports is a natural fit.

Washburn stated, “George Chaconas of Performance Brokerage reached out to me numerous times over the past few years to discuss and consider acquiring our neighboring multi-line dealership, including Harley-Davidson. At first, we were skeptical as we had never owned a Harley-Davidson dealership before. However, my family has been Harley riders and enthusiasts for a very long time. George helped us to understand the great opportunity to make the strategic move. We are very excited to expand into Farmington, New Mexico as many of our loyal customers reside in the area and we believe strongly that we can take the dealership to the next level. As with any large acquisition, there were numerous obstacles, and George was instrumental in making it happen. Thank you very much for helping us grow!”

The dealership will remain at its current location at 6520 East Main Street in Farmington, New Mexico.

Tom McCreery and Gary Almond were represented by Robert Bass and Greg May of Bass Sox Mercer in Tallahassee, Florida.

Joe Washburn and Pete Tabor were represented by Mark Stubbs of Fillmore Spencer, LLC in Provo, Utah.