them , but because there was so much knowledge to try to retain .” The Hub gives employees a resource to turn to when Stevens is off work or unavailable . “ It was born out of desperation to never have to answer the same question twice .”

ONLINE SHOPPING AND SOCIAL MEDIA

Online shopping is a relevant topic in the parts department since it can be a more convenient and less costly resource than shopping in-store . Recognizing this , the parts team reminds customers about the value of buying locally .

“ Most people don ’ t realize that Amazon is a third-party reseller ,” Stevens says . “ People can buy a lightbar for $ 100 cheaper , but they lose someone to call if something goes wrong . Much of the time there are limitations on returns , and they lose someone to call for a warranty or parts needed later .” The parts team tackles the impact of online shopping by reminding customers to consider guarantees , warranties and parts availability as crucial factors during their purchasing process .

Keeping a focus on the internet , “ We ’ re figuring out how to play online . I use the word ‘ play ’ intentionally ,” Steven says . “ How do we show our humanity and our personality ? The fact that we can have such a big dealership in the middle of cow country shows our customer care . We ’ ve been

really working on strategies to translate that online , so customers know who we are and how we care .”

The dealership has a presence on multiple social media platforms and Stevens shares that interacting with Facebook groups is especially beneficial .

“ There are a ton of mud events and mud parks where you can go ride and a lot of those have Facebook groups . We ’ ll post on other platforms , but the sense of community , I have not been able to recreate it anywhere else except for a Facebook group . And most of the Facebook groups we don ’ t even own , we just participate in , and that ’ s good enough .”

WORKPLACE DYNAMICS Family is an important aspect of the ARS Powersports business culture . For Stevens , she especially feels at home working with both her husband and her mom , Isabel Perez Soto , who works in accounting .

Stevens also appreciates the freedom to experiment as a means to discover more effective processes . “ They ’ ve never shut us down and said , ‘ no this is the only way this has to happen ,’” she says .

ENSURING ROOM FOR FUTURE GROWTH

The dealership carried Honda , Suzuki , Kawasaki , and Yamaha then added Can-Am three years ago . Since taking on Can-Am , the dealership has become increasingly busy . “ I ’ ve been

able to almost double my numbers every year for the past three years running ,” Stevens says .

ARS Powersports was relocated to a 14,000 square foot facility in 2022 , tripling in size . “ They were able to buy the majority of the land around us too ,” she says . “ It was smart in future proofing , so there are plans to put a warehouse on site .”

FOSTERING EMPLOYEE ACCOUNTABILITY

Customers will drive anywhere from an hour to two hours to visit the dealership ’ s rural location , according to Stevens . “ We have a really good reputation out here .” She shares that there are more cows than people in Okeechobee , so employees are recruited from other counties or employees are relocated to combat staffing challenges .

When employees have transitioned out of the dealership in the past , Stevens has informally asked what factors made their job difficult . “ I had the Rebel ’ s playbook going , but I didn ’ t have it for my team ,” she explains . After hearing from a former employee about the challenge of retaining extensive information about the parts department and the uncertainty about where to find answers , she introduced The Hub to provide a centralized resource for her team .

The Hub also includes Lightspeed data . “ I made a simple dashboard of [ the employees ], so they know what they need to do every day and where they ’ re at in numbers .

How do we show our humanity

and our personality ? The fact

that we can have such a big

dealership in the middle of cow

country shows our customer

care . We ’ ve been really working

on strategies to take that

and translate that online , so

customers know who we are

and how we care .

I make it very easy for anyone to know where they ’ re standing .” This data holds employees accountable and pushes them towards success .

“ When you ’ re doing it right , it feels like magic ; when your team is running right and when your resources are right ,” Stevens says .