20 • September 2024 • Powersports Business

BY MADELYN PEGG ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Father-and-daughter duo Mike Venziano and Misty Rohde own Rich ’ s Yamaha of Lockport , Illinois , and passionately run their dealership alongside other family members . Venziano has worked in the dealership for 40 years and was mentored by its former owner , Richard Rider .

“ Rich isn ’ t related to us , but he ’ s like a father figure to my dad ,” Rohde says . When Venziano was 25 , his father passed away , and Rider took him under his wing .

“ I spent 40 years alongside him , and he retired out ,” Venziano says . “ We kept going , and now what happened between me and Rich is happening between me and Misty .”

“ Misty is fantastic ,” he continues . “ I almost feel bad for myself because she does it so well . She ’ s a very strong woman and does very well . She ’ s leading the pack in the country .”

Rohde joined the dealership in 2009 and is now a part owner . She grew up in Rich ’ s Yamaha , and Venziano remembers when she would play with cabbage patch dolls in the dealership while he made sales . When she was old enough , she started cleaning helmets , and then worked her way through the parts department . She moved to sales and marketing and is now the general manager and part owner . Rohde went to college and took CAD ( Computer Aided Design ), mechanical engineering , and business classes . “ That gave her the background of dirty fingers and how to fix things ,” Venziano says . “ She can stand up against the best parts guy or even the best mechanics out there and tell them what to do . And she ’ s correct .”

FAMILY OPERATED Venziano and Rohde manage three mechanics , four parts people , and one salesperson . Venziano ’ s sons , Trevor and Brandon Venziano , work at the dealership , along with his stepson , Lester Rutherford . Venziano ’ s other daughter is a nurse , and while she does not work at the dealership , she informs them of grammatical errors on the dealership ’ s social media posts . “ So , she ’ s still involved ,” Rohde laughs .

Being part of a family business is nothing new to Venziano . “ When I was a child , my parents had a trucking company ,” he says . “ We needed to work together as a team .” He shares that he and his two younger brothers worked for the family business . “ I feel very fortunate to have [ my kids ] close to me ,” he says . “ I ’ m highly lucky and blessed to have my family around me .”

Pictured left to right is Trevor Venziano , Misty Rohde , Mike Venziano , and Les Rutherford of Rich ’ s Yamaha .

PREPARING FOR EXPANSION And Rohde plans to work with him until he retires . “ My intention is to take over the dealership ,” she says . “ This place isn ’ t going anywhere . It ’ s going to be here for a long time … We ’ re a small dealership . We ’ ve got some inconveniences like we ’ re not incorporated , so we can ’ t make changes to our building and our parking lot , and we have to stick with what we have until we decide to make some really big changes for ourselves . We ’ ll do those when the time is right .”

Venziano explains that they have prepared to expand and already own the land and buildings around the dealership . “ The future is going to bring her a new building ,” he says . “ The city is putting water down through the road and sewers , and that creates some conveniences . Misty will be able to sit in an office and look over everybody … Right now , she ’ s grunting , which is good … I ’ m no reflection of her anymore , she ’ s passed me up .”

“ I was 23 years old when I decided to donate my life to Rich ’ s Yamaha ,” she laughs . “ Now I ’ m 36 .” Rohde is the mother of an 11−month-old son , George , and she has a girl on the way . “ I want it just like my dad has it ,” she says . “ I ’ ve got my own two little guys who will be taking over for me one day . That ’ s what I hope . That same bond I have with my dad , I want my kids to have with me .”

Rohde says that she is very fortunate because George ’ s babysitter lives in the apartment complex owned by Venziano , just a few hundred feet from the dealership , so she is able to see him throughout the workday . SALES AND FLOORING The owners share that customers are their number one focus . “ We work hard on keeping our customers happy over ourselves … It ’ s a challenge trying to keep everyone happy , but the customer comes first period ,” Venziano says . “ We sell fun here at this store and when a happy customer thanks you and we thank him , it ’ s gratifying . I don ’ t know how else to say it .”

“ You sell them a motorcycle or an ATV and the enjoyment they get out of that , how happy they are to come see you or come back again and tell us their experience , it ’ s a peace of mind that I ’ m giving these people something in life that they really enjoy ,” Rohde says .

And to keep their customers on the road , the sales team began focusing on insurance sales during the summer of 2024 . “ F & I is becoming an integral part of our profit ,” Venziano says , and the team is developing effective techniques for selling gap insurance .

The sales department is also focused on Yamaha e-bikes sales . The dealership took on the e-bikes in the fall of 2023 , and Rhode says sales are going well . “ We have a lot of bicycles paths around us , and it ’ s growing ,” she says . “ There are a lot of places to ride around us .” Venziano , who rides one of the e-bikes on the weekends , says Yamaha offers aggressive incentives for existing customers .

While the dealership ’ s team is focused on F & I sales , e-bike sales , and the final model of Yamaha snowmobile sales , Venziano is mindful about managing flooring costs . “ We are working side by side with them , and they ’ re treating us like we ’ re a Capital One customer with a charge card that ’ s late ,” he says about some OEMs . “ So , paying down your own floor plan becomes a huge savings … We ’ ve been fortunate , we clean up our inventory pretty good .”

Rohde reflects on her father ’ s work ethic and the impact it has had on their family . “ I love working with my dad so much ,” she says . “ He did so much for our family . We never struggled and he was always there for my brothers and everybody . I want him to enjoy his life , so I want to work harder so he can take it easy now .”

With their commitment to customers and each other , the future of Rich ’ s Yamaha is bright as the owners carry on the hard work , passion , and customer care that will take them into the next generation .