www. PowersportsBusiness. com
NEWS
Powersports Business • September 2025 • 5
Harley-Davidson names new CEO as Zeitz prepares exit
Harley-Davidson has announced that Artie Starrs will become its next president and CEO, effective October 1, 2025. Starrs, currently the CEO of Topgolf, brings a strong background in brand building, global operations, and franchise development. He will also join Harley-Davidson’ s Board of Directors upon assuming the role.
Starrs succeeds Jochen Zeitz, who has led the company through major transformation efforts, including the execution of The Hardwire strategy, a five-year plan. Zeitz will remain with the company as a senior advisor through February 2026 to support a smooth transition. Board member Troy Alstead will assume the role of chairman of the board, effective October 1.
Alstead is a seasoned executive best known for his long tenure at Starbucks Corporation, where he held multiple senior leadership roles spanning over two decades. His most notable position was chief operating officer( COO), a role he held until stepping down in 2016. At Starbucks, Alstead played a pivotal role in the company’ s global expansion and operational strategy.
Artie Starrs will become Harley- Davidson’ s next president and CEO, effective October 1, 2025. Starrs, currently the CEO of Topgolf, brings a strong background in brand building, global operations, and franchise development. He will also join Harley’ s Board of Directors upon assuming the role.( Photo: Harley-Davidson)
Under Starrs’ leadership, Topgolf grew revenues by over 50 % and expanded its international presence across five countries. Before that, he served as Global CEO of Pizza Hut, overseeing more than 18,000 locations in 110 countries.
“ Artie is an accomplished business leader with a track record of growth and brand stewardship,” says Alstead.“ He understands the unique cultural position of Harley- Davidson and brings the right blend of operational experience and strategic vision to lead the company into its next phase.”
The announcement follows Harley- Davidson’ s recent transaction involving Harley-Davidson Financial Services( HDFS), a move the board described as unlocking“ substantial value” for the
Harley dealers have expressed some skepticism of Starrs’ appointment, but mostly, dealers have been dissatisfied with current CEO Zeitz’ tenure and his latest moves. Zeitz will remain in an advisory role until February 2026.( Photo: Harley- Davidson)
Board member Troy Alstead will assume the role of chairman of the board, effective October 1.( Photo: Harley-Davidson)
company. Details of the HDFS deal have not been disclosed, but the board noted that Harley- Davidson stands to benefit from it for years to come.
Starrs expressed admiration for the brand’ s heritage and community.“ There is no brand that brings the same level of community and rebellious spirit as Harley-Davidson,” he adds.“ I’ m excited by the tremendous potential to both drive growth and enhance the Harley-Davidson experience for all.”
Harley dealers have expressed some skepticism of Starrs’ appointment, but mostly, dealers have been dissatisfied with Zeitz’ tenure and his latest moves, which seemed more focused on the marketing and lifestyle of the brand than working with the dealer network.
INDUSTRY REACTION According to comments in the Wall Street Journal( via Harley-Davidson Names Topgolf Leader as New CEO), dealers expressed skepticism about Starrs due to his background outside of motorcycle or automotive manufacturing.
Teddy Morse, owner of several Harley dealerships quipped:“ Pizza, golf and Harley— let’ s see if that combo works.”
Charlie Cole, owner of eight dealership locations, emphasized the urgent need to restore dealer profitability, stating:“ Dealers can’ t provide premium service without being profitable. Without dealers, the Motor Company has no distribution network.”
While not specifically targeting Starrs, dealers criticized Zeitz’ s emphasis on highmargin, high-end motorcycles, which they say marginalized entry-level customers and pressured margins.
Jeff Binkert, president of House of Harley-Davidson, heralded Zeitz’ s exit, telling Yahoo Finance:“ If you wanted to know the number of Harley dealers who are happy that a new CEO is coming in, the number is all of them.”
Grand opening welcomes Young Powersports Euro to Utah community
Cutting the ribbon at their newest South Weber, Utah location, Young Powersports Euro welcomed the community to its dealership’ s grand opening ceremony on Aug. 1.
“ Seeing people gather at our location today was incredible,” says Jeff Schoetz, general manager of Young Powersports Euro.“ We understand how much of an impact this operation will have on Ogden, and the support today just speaks to the success our future holds.”
The event began with speeches from Schoetz and South Ogden Mayor Russ Porter, the Ogden-Weber Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, and representatives from Ducati and BMW. Following the ribbon-cutting, attendees were given the opportunity to tour the new Ducati, BMW and Triumph dealership.
In addition to the festivities, attendees were invited to help assemble pantry packs— providing meal kits to South Weber-community children in need. The donations were distributed following the event by the Young Automotive Group’ s nonprofit, the Young Caring for Our Young Foundation. that once held Young Subaru, a neighboring facility will soon carry Young Powersports Ogden.
The new dealership houses motorcycles from OEMs BMW, Ducati, and Triumph, as well as parts, gear, and accessories from a variety of other brands. Their inventory includes staple vehicles from each company, such as the Ducati Scrambler, the BMW F 1250 GS Adventure, and the Triumph Bonneville.
In addition to the Euro destination, Young Powersports is currently celebrating the openings of its two Missoula, Montana operations, which share the same facility. The acquisitions established Young’ s presence in a third state, and bring the manufacturer Harley-Davidson into its operation.
Young Powersports currently has 11 powersports dealerships across its network, spanning three states, Utah, Idaho,
Young Powersports Euro general manager Jeff Schoetz cuts the ribbon at the Young Powersports Euro dealership grand opening Aug. 1. and now Montana.( Photo: Oz Marketing)
“ The growth that we’ ve seen across our organization has been truly incredible,” says Jeramie Young, director
Young Powersports Euro serves as the first installment of at Young Powersports.“ Our ambitions are centered on what will become a dealership campus. Located in a building See Young, Page 7
PIED PIPER
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4
“ In auto, once a customer starts going to an independent shop, the odds of getting them back are almost zero,” Fran says.“ So they fight to keep them.”
This is an area powersports dealers often neglect, especially with customers 4 to 6 years into ownership. But the opportunities are there— maintenance, upgrades, accessories, even trade-ins.
“ With a good CRM, you can reach out at the right times with the right offers,” Cameron says.“ If you sold someone a bike four years ago, you should know when they’ re due for tires, when their warranty is ending, or when a new model they might like is launching.”
TECHNOLOGY AND AI The automotive sector is investing heavily in AI for lead management, chatbots,
|
|
|
|
and even service scheduling. While these tools can deliver consistent scripts and |
|
|
upsell prompts, they’ re not perfect.“ AI still struggles when the customer has a unique |
situation,” Fran notes.“ If you don’ t have a smooth handoff to a human, you’ re going to frustrate people.”
Cameron adds:“ The best use right now is for consistency— making sure every lead gets a fast, professional response. But you still need humans to build trust.”
KEY TAKEAWAYS FOR DEALERS
• Build simple, consistent sales processes that anyone can follow.
• Respond to leads quickly— phone, email, and text.
• Treat web leads like walk-ins.
• Offer service customers specific appointment times.
• Use CRM tools to keep after-sales customers engaged.
• Use AI for consistency, but keep humans for relationship-building.“ In powersports, every lead matters,”
Fran says.“ The dealers who nail their processes— visible and invisible— are the ones who will win.”
|