A little over a year ago, the whole world came to a stop and those of us that live for the road were sent home. Irony… because for many of us, the road is our home. While many businesses and local governments struggled to figure out how to accommodate the ever-changing regulations put in place, we had to figure out how to continue to support our dealers- while complying with different companies’ guidelines, local regulations and declining airline services.
So, Brands That Shine decided to take to the road and travel around the country with motorcycles, samples and swag to promote their brands directly to the dealers, alongside their distributor reps.
With some company mandates restricting travel and others concerned with personal family health, Brands That Shine has been accommodating to work with dealers on a case by case basis.
We have been on the road a full quarter now and it’s been amazing (and challenging!). We have been through freezing rain in Wilsonville, OR, to 100° dry desert in Arizona so far. But one theme is consistent: dealers are busy! Their biggest gripe is simply that they can’t keep product on shelves or get enough vehicles in their showroom. We have all felt the supply crunch. But they all have found ways to work around their local guidelines; whether it be reduced occupancy and masks or sticking to curbside pick up. Overall, the general attitude has been very positive.
It’s no secret that powersports have prospered during all this, and we are mostly just trying to “roll with the flow” as it were. We also have been fortunate enough to connect with other industry partners along the way. Catching up for lunches with Ben Kudon, Cory Ness, Holger Mohr and others. Parking the “White Whale” anywhere from the Two Brothers Racing parking lot to driveways in front of reps’ houses or our dealers like Harley’s Custom Cycle (which I highly recommend because they have a brewery in their parking lot). So far, the biggest take away I’ve picked up from all of this is that even if they separate us and stop or change all the events, our industry is still one big family. We have found ways to stay in touch with Zoom and individual visits and just keep moving.
Brands That Shine is back on the road, looking forward to see what the next part of the country brings! And we hope to see you soon!
P.S. how big is your driveway?
Link: Brands That Shine
