24 • September 2023 • Powersports Business www . PowersportsBusiness . com

Power Pac uses TikTok to sell its brand and drives traffic to its website via blog

BY MADELYN HUBBARD ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Josh and Mandy Witt acquired their first dealership , Power Pac of Marshfield , Wisconsin , in 2018 . Five short and busy years later , they own three locations and employee a team of 75 .

“ It ’ s been a whirlwind ,” says Mandy Witt . “ We always knew we wanted to own our own business , but it was kind of a pipe dream . We ended up meeting a friend of a friend and the more he got to know us and our background , the more he thought we would be a good fit to carry on his dealership .”

After acquiring Power Pac , the couple developed a five-year plan that included the purchase of at least one other location . A year and a half later , they learned that the owners of Erv ’ s Sales & Service in Tomahawk , Wisconsin , were looking to sell . Although the Witt ’ s were presented an opportunity to purchase a second location sooner than they planned , the dealership was established , top performing in its region , and had a great customer base . So they purchased Erv ’ s Sales & Service .

“ It was in an area that we knew would always have demand because it ’ s what I call a traveling location ,” Witt says . “ There ’ s a lot of ‘ cabiners ’ and they also had marine , which we wanted to expand into . It checked all the boxes for us .”

The couple evaluated the transition process and decided to keep the dealership ’ s original name for three to five years . “ We didn ’ t want to alienate anyone or the owners or loyal customers ,” she says . “ It turns

Power Pac of Marshfield , Wisconsin , was acquired by Mandy and Josh Witt in 2018 . out the name carries a lot of weight in its community .”

In 2021 , they acquired Country Sports in Wisconsin Rapids , Wisconsin , a location

Witt also describes as a traveling destination that sees many campers and “ cabiners ” from the Milwaukee and Chicago area .

“ We had a great relationship with the

Mandy and Josh Witt manage their three dealerships in Wisconsin with a hands-on approach , allowing them to identify and satisfy both employee and consumer needs . Photos courtesy of Power Pac

general manager and previous owner ,” says Josh Witt . “ Again , they picked us based on the feeling they had after discussions with us ; we had similar values . This purchase took more thought because it was so soon after the second purchase and we wanted to protect our territory .”

So , the Witt ’ s purchased the dealership , both expanding and preventing competitors from moving into their area .

“ It ’ s a smaller dealership , but we see a lot of potential there because they already move a lot of units out of that location ,” Mandy Witt says . “ They don ’ t have marine and that ’ s one of the things that we look forward to expanding to because they have bodies of water around there . We see quite an opportunity .”

HANDS-ON MANAGEMENT As owners of three locations , the couple explains that hands-on leadership is necessary . “ I travel to all three locations ,” says Josh Witt , “ and we pride ourselves on the culture that we created at Power Pac and what we ’ ve created at the other stores . We work hard and we play hard . We have low turnover , and make sure we take care of our employees . A big part is physically being there .”

Josh Witt visits each location two to three times a week to ensure that he and his wife understand their employees and customer base . “ That ’ s a huge part of who we are ,” he continues . “ We ’ re a family run business , we understand that work is important but there are things that come up and we ’ re