Mercedes, Infinities, or Lexus. European companies started delivering value like never before in the late ‘90s and on – it was a market shift and I knew it could be a big shift for us, too.” In its first year as a multi-line dealer, Atlantic Motoplex sold eight bikes with a European badge. Now, after ten years of representing Germany, Italy, and England respectively and concurrently, LeBlanc’s sales team are now well above the 60 mark annually. Suzuki, Kawasaki, Honda, and Victory Motorcycles – as well as a selection of preowned Harley Davidsons – significantly inflate sales and have earned Atlantic Motoplex a reputation as a one-stop shop for international motorcycle enthusiasts throughout Atlantic Canada and beyond. “At any given moment,” LeBlanc explains, “we have 200 bikes in-store, on the floor, and ready to roll. We have between 200 and 300 in our ware- house and compound facility around the dealership. The selection is truly enormous.” These sales and coinciding show and storage needs are ultimately behind Atlantic Motoplex’s on-going 8,000 square feet facelift. “In a lot of ways, we hate to break-up our showroom, but these brands deserve their own spot. They’re very different. They’re sold in a different way,” LeBlanc explains. The team at Atlantic Motoplex is used to selling things in different ways, mostly because they sell a lot of different things: vehicles, vessels, speakers, seats, helmets, head- lamps, boots, and Bombardier KIMPEX Snowmobile Car- buretor Adapter Mounting Flanges – it is practically an inexhaustible list. And unlike other retailers that flirt with the big-box store model, LeBlanc’s team has never lost the specialist’s touch. “When we did the move, we rode every motorcycle here and filled the showroom like we were coming home. We emptied every crate; every single motorcycle the company owned could fit in our showroom.” “Direct manufacturer training is an incredible tool for our business. Whether it’s BMW or Yamaha, the product is getting more and more complex. Without that training, we would be struggling immensely to turn these units around fast for customer satisfaction,” LeBlanc insists. “Every time I send my technician on training, they come back faster and wiser, which translates to savings for our customers. I love being on the shop floor and watching a technician who just came back from Italy or California, Florida, Toronto, The technicians at Atlantic Motoplex, for instance, are man- ufacturer-trained to the max.
By David MacDonald L eBlanc’s teenage dream became reality 15 years later – at least in part. “I started this business in 1999. We began as a stand-alone Yamaha dealership, operat- ing in 1,600 square feet – plus a small basement. After I believe the third month, we outgrew our first home. We found another piece of property and built an 8,800 square foot multi-level location. We outgrew that in three years. We hit the road for a final time to a spacious 21,000 square feet location and I still remember how free it made us feel. When we did the move, we rode every motorcycle here and filled the showroom like we were coming home. We emptied every crate; every single motorcycle the dealer- ship owned could fit in our showroom.” Since then, Atlantic Motoplex has expanded their two acre plot to five and doubled their in-house capacity to 42,000 square feet with plans to balloon to 50,000. LeBlanc insists they will “need every square inch of the property.” LeBlanc is not a proponent of elbow room for a good reason: he has fully realized his entrepreneurial dream. Atlantic Motoplex is now one of the largest motorsports dealerships in the country. “In our third year of business – after our second move – we were approached by BMW. It was in the early 2000s and a BMW representative called us out of the blue. He invited me to a dealer conference in South Africa where they were launching a brand new bike in the GS series – which is still the number one selling BMW motorcycle in the world – and once I saw the change in direction from BMW Motorrad, I wanted to be a BMW dealer,” he explains. “I like motorcycles and motorsports, but for me the greatest exhilaration has been building up speed to grow this dealership as big as possible.” “After the South Africa conference we were all of a sudden part of a network of dealerships. I really saw the European side of things through BMW Motorrad. The demand for European motorcycles would grow steadily over years, for a decade or more. Back in the ‘80s, I remember my parents and my friend’s parents buying up Cadillacs and Buicks if they were in the market for a sophisticated and luxuri- ous automobile; today those same people go for BMWs,
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AUGUST 2017 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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