When Ken Engelman joined EPG Brand Acceleration in December 2024 as national account manager for the motorcycle group, he wasn’ t exactly a stranger to the industry. Having worked in powersports since 2009— including time with BMW Motorcycle Owners of America and RoadRunner magazine— Engelman had built deep relationships. His return after a brief hiatus was met with hugs and handshakes from industry colleagues at events like the Parts Unlimited / Drag Specialties Louisville show and AIMExpo.

“ That was a great feeling,” Engelman says.“ You always wonder if people will remember you after time away, and to feel at home right away meant a lot.”

SERVING OTHERS That focus on relationships extends beyond powersports. During his time away from the industry, Engelman founded a 501( c)( 3) nonprofit, Community Volunteers United, which matches local volunteers with nonprofits that align with their skills. His work ranged from marketing and advertising support to organizing fundraisers for veteran programs, animal shelters, senior centers, and environmental groups.

One of his best-known initiatives, the“ Please Be Kind” campaign, began during Covid. Using repurposed political lawn signs, Engelman spray-painted a simple threeword message—“ Please Be Kind”— in community sports colors and placed more than 700 signs across Connecticut. The idea was to inspire small moments of kindness without any agenda or branding.

“ It’ s just about making someone smile,” Engelman notes.“ Veterans, first responders, teachers— people reached out to say it meant something to them in that moment.”

VOLUNTEERISM AND POWERSPORTS Engelman sees a clear parallel between community service and growing the powersports industry. Many motorcycle clubs, OEM initiatives, and associations, such as the Motorcycle Industry Council and the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, rely on volunteer support— from promoting safety and e-bike education to trail preservation work with groups like Tread Lightly.

He has even created high school programs that connect students who need service hours with local nonprofits, a model he believes could also help powersports organizations reach and inspire the next generation of riders.

“ There’ s so much opportunity for dealers, OEMs, and industry groups to use volunteerism as a bridge,” Engelman explains.“ It’ s

a way to connect with people who may not ride yet but could fall in love with the sport through community engagement.”

BMW ROOTS Engelman’ s industry ties also extend to product experience. A BMW GS rider since his time with BMW MOA, Engelman was invited to Munich for BMW Boxer Days 2025 to test the R 1300 RT, R 1300 R, and R 12 GS. The event included a full day of off-road riding at BMW’ s Enduro Park north of Munich.

“ I’ m only 5’ 7” and ride big bikes, so I was proud not to drop a bike once,” he laughs.“ Training with friends from RawHyde and other skilled riders over the years really paid off.”

From his marketing work with major OEMs to grassroots community projects, Engelman’ s approach blends business strategy with personal connection.“ Whether it’ s in the motorcycle industry or in a small town, it’ s about creating value for people,” he says.“ When you do that, good things follow— for the individual, the business, and the community.”

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net Lead Effectiveness( ILE) studies. In the auto industry, best practice for responding to an internet lead is within 15 minutes via all channels: phone, email, and text.

“ In powersports, a lot of dealers still check leads once a day, if that,” Cameron says.“ Even moving from once-a-day to twice-a-day responses can increase closing rates.”

The data backs that up. Dealers scoring over 80 on Pied Piper’ s ILE scale sell 50 % more units to the same number of leads compared to those scoring under 40.

“ That’ s not because they have better prices,” Fran explains.“ It’ s because they’ re the first to respond, and they do it professionally.”

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CUSTOMER-CENTRIC SERVICE DEPARTMENT

The service experience is another area where powersports can take a cue from auto retail.

In Pied Piper’ s 2025 service mystery shopping study, 90 % of auto dealers offered a specific appointment time when asked. In powersports? Just 52 %.

“ When you tell a customer,‘ Just bring it in,’ what you’ re really saying is,‘ You might be without your machine for weeks,’” Fran says.“ And in powersports, a week without

a bike in summer is like a month without heat in winter.”

Cameron recommends always offering a specific appointment date— even if it’ s two weeks away. Customers can still drop off early if they want, but they’ ll appreciate having a set expectation.

That level of scheduling also improves shop efficiency.“ In auto, they know what’ s

coming in every day,” Cameron says.“ In powersports, it’ s often chaos.”

AFTER-SALES MINDSET One of the biggest differences in how auto dealers think? Their focus on keeping customers in the service lane years after the sale.

See Pied Piper, Page 5