22 • January 2025 • Powersports Business

This month , we shine the spotlight on a highly successful retail entrepreneur whose grit and vision have paid off in spades for Broward Motorsports and its 300 South Florida employees . From his first job sweeping floors at a dealership to his current role operating six busy retail operations in Miami , Hollywood , Fort Lauderdale , Palm Beach , Treasure Coast , and Tequesta , Sam Nehme has built a bona fide powerhouse , earning scores of impressive awards and accolades .

In our Q & A with Nehme , he addresses everything from his passion for motorsports to his unwavering focus and approach to business , to insights into the most daunting challenges facing the industry , and more . He is also the recipient of PSB ’ s Best-In-Class Leadership Award that will be given to him at our Accelerate Conference this month in Charlotte , North Carolina . to guide and push forward ; they , in turn , work with their respective teams to accomplish the set monthly goals I put in place .

My specific area of focus involves growing my dealerships . I ’ ve learned that to take the business to the next level , I need to work on it and not in it . I focus a lot on the back end of the business , trying to think of ways to evolve and grow . I always try to put BMS on the leading edge of technology ; I like to think outside of the box and not follow others . Being original and a disrupter is what makes me different from most operators .

You will hear from our employees and customers that we still have the mom-andpop shop feel . As much as we have become a large and professional operation , it ’ s still important to stay grounded with your team and customers . This is something I work hard to maintain .

Sam Nehme , owner of Broward Motorsports , is also a professional

Jet Ski racer .

PSB : Can you share a bit about your background and the products and services offered by Broward Motorsports ? SAM NEHME : I ’ ve worked in the powersports industry since I was 12 … I came across a local PWC dealership and was hooked ever since . I worked my way through the ranks to become a GM by the time I was 20 years old . From there , I had my mind set on one day owning my own dealership . At the age of 29 I started Broward Motorsports .

We carry almost every powersports brand including Honda , Kawasaki , Suzuki , BRP SeaDoo and CanAm , Yamaha , Polaris , Scarab , Slingshot , KTM , Husqvarna , Indian Motorcycle , Ducati , BMW , Triumph , CFMoto , Benelli , Segway and more .

We are a full-service dealership with new and used vehicles , a full parts and accessories department , E-commerce department and service department . Approximately four years ago , we started a bicycles division which sells mountain , road and gravel bikes including Specialized , Giant , Pivot , Evil , Cannondale , Santa Cruz , along with other brands .

PSB : What are your management responsibilities and areas of focus ? SN : I have an operations manager whom I work with closely , along with general managers of each location . I focus on being their resource

PSB : I understand you and your company have earned multiple awards over the years . Can you share the highlights ? SN : We have been # 1 for KTM , Yamaha , Kawasaki , BRP , Suzuki , along with other brands , time and time again . I ’ ve been a professional jet ski racer most of my life and I have won multiple national and world championships and titles .

I also started BMS Choppers in 2002 , building custom metric motorcycles which have won tons of awards and have made it to over a dozen magazine covers . Two very exciting wins were the Metric Revolution Biker Buildoff on ESPN , and first place at The Rats Hole .

PSB : What other industry initiatives have you been involved in ? SN : BRP and Yamaha have invited me onto their dealer councils . I ’ ve been part of the ProWatercross and P1 Aqua X Professional Watercraft Racing Committee and have owned a Yamaha Factory Race Team . I was a co-host four years of the History Channel and Discovery Channel TV show , ‘ It ’ s How You Get There ’ which was shot all over the country and was about different types of motorized vehicles . I ’ ve consulted with many OEM manufacturers , aftermarket manufacturers along with investment firms .

Christmas 2024 Team Shot of the BMS Family .

Sam Nehme with wife , Ashley .

PSB : As you consider your career , what ’ s been your biggest challenge ? SN : Great question ! Being a business owner brings challenges daily ; it ’ s all about how you react to those situations . I ’ ve learned not to be fazed by anything , and to immediately jump into solution mode .

The biggest challenge in my career was getting through the recession in 2008 . I ’ d owned my company six years and had just taken over my second location . I ’ d never been through a recession in my lifetime , nor did I know what to expect . How long will it last ? How do I handle staffing ? Do I have enough in reserves to get us through it ? Do I use this time to try and buy some of the competition , or hold onto what we have and make sure to get through it safely ? It was a tough time for all dealers in our space and it was surely a learning experience . I did take the gamble and purchased my third store ( biggest competitor in the local market at the time )… and it paid off greatly !

PSB : After 22 years at Broward Motorsports , what has been your greatest achievement ? SN : I could answer that question by talking about a bunch of awards and things that sound great , but that ’ s truly not it . I feel my greatest personal achievement in the industry has been building such an amazing team within Broward Motorsports ! We have the best of the best members on our team that our industry has to offer . Early on , I recognized that I would not be able to accomplish my goals alone and would need the help of a team to do it . Today I call this team my family !

We continue to raise the bar on how we operate our dealerships , and I feel we push our competitors to follow , which has made the industry even stronger than ever before . It ’ s not by accident that we are seeing multiple auto dealer owners looking at the powersports industry as their next venture . There once was a big separation in the two industries , but today they are very similar .