Dealer Profile: Great Western Outdoor

Keep Customers Coming Back

Great Western Outdoor, Marion, N.C.

By Heather Wilson

Charles Bridges and his grandsons were powersports industry veterans when they decided to cut a path into the power equipment industry in 2021.  

Since the ’70s, Bridges has operated a dealership. He now owns and operates Great Western Motorcycles in Statesville, North Carolina, and Great Western of Hickory in Hickory, North Carolina. Both are focused on powersports vehicles and service.  

He and his two grandsons, Brandon and Jeremy Prokupek, opened the doors of a power-equipment dealership called Great Western Outdoor in January 2021 after purchasing an existing power equipment dealership in Marion, North Carolina (formerly Specialty Outdoor since 2008). General Manager Andrew Norman joined the team in early 2021.  

“When I was growing up, my dad worked for the Bridges family at their motorcycle shop,” Norman said. “When I was in high school and just after graduating, I worked at the motorcycle shop in Hickory. Then, I went to work at a plant. I was miserable. They posted this GM job, and I applied.” 

Expansion

At the beginning, Great Western Outdoor had a small showroom and the service area needed to be cleared out, said Norman. From there, the dealership expanded by building a 3,000-square-feet building on the same property.  

Norman manages the day-to-day operations, which includes sales and service of Stihl, Briggs & Stratton, Cub Cadet, Simplicity, Hustler Turf Equipment, Ferris, and Bad Boy mowers, tractors and side-by-sides. 

Even with a range of brands to meet customers’ equipment needs and budgets, inventory of particular items continues to be a challenge. Briggs & Stratton is still struggling to meet whole good inventory needs, as Norman said they have only received about one-third of what they ordered in whole goods from the manufacturer.  

Despite product shortages ongoing since the pandemic, Norman said they have good working relationships with manufacturer sales representatives. “We’ve got pretty good reps,” Norman said. “Several come into the dealership often and are always helpful when we do have questions. They make suggestions and inform us on changes to models, but our goal is to buy what we can sell.” 

Visibility Today

While Norman primarily handles operations, he tries to make a daily post on the dealership’s Facebook page to help out with marketing. Prokupek is focused on working on the business. Also the owner of a marketing company, he leverages his expertise with search engine optimization (SEO) to attract customers to Great Western Outdoor.   

Prokupek noted that almost all shopping starts online, so it’s critical that Great Western Outdoor has a good online presence that features fresh photos of the showroom and invites the consumer to engage.  

“The more you’re visible, and the more the consumer sees you, the more likely they are to remember your name, go to your store or visit your website when that time comes,” Prokupek said. “With digital platforms, you can target specific customers looking for the products we sell.”  

They need to do all they can to increase visibility because Great Western is not exactly in a heavily traveled area. Located about 15 miles south of Interstate 40 in the quiet green hills east of Asheville, N.C., the dealership holds a lovely piece of land down a steep driveway below Montford Cove Rd. It’s a beautiful location, once you find it.  

Brandon Prokupek said their biggest goal when they purchased the dealership was to retain the customers and attract new ones. “The original owner stayed on for six months, so he could introduce us [to existing customers] and form a good relationship,” Prokupek said. “We tripled the business in the two and a half years since we took it over.” 

Shining Service

“Customer service keeps people coming back to us,” Norman said. “Plus, it’s not a typical mower shop. It’s not concrete floors and dim lighting. It’s clean and welcoming. We have really good people in place to serve our customers.” 

The dealership has two full-time mechanics. One specializes in two-stroke and hand-held products and the other is experienced with tractors, ATVs, side-by-sides and zero turn mowers.  

He said they strive for that small-town, homegrown feel with an attention to service and customer care like a larger corporation. Building a relationship with the customer online can happen in a variety of ways. From video walkarounds at the dealership to staff introductions and more. Customers will connect with a face before they walk into the store. Then, when they enter the dealership, they will feel like they already have a relationship with somebody who works there.  

People Focused

“People want to do business with people,” Prokupek said. “We all sell the same products. The thing that differentiates one store from another is their experience and their staff. I think if you showcase that online and give people that perception of who you really are, then you’re a lot more likely to get that business and retain it.” 

“Of course, we look at numbers and reports to keep the business alive,” Prokupek said. “But at the end of the day, it’s really more about the people. When employees can see that there’s some way to grow and feel like they have a say, then they are a lot more likely to stick around.” 

While employee retention can be a challenge, when dealers retain staff, the customers get used to dealing with those individuals and build that relationship. He said that being in the powersports business for so long prior to entering the power equipment space has helped them to create processes and structure. In addition to operations, Prokupek said it’s important for dealerships to build a brand.  

“We built it out as a lifestyle brand,” he said. “You’ve got to have something that people gravitate towards.”