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About North Douglas herald. (Drain Or) 2023-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 2024)
North Douglas Herald Continued from Front Page December 2024 Willamette Valley Motorplex Experience out as a lot attendant washing vehicles in Washington state when I was in high school”. After completing high school, Josh eventually worked his way up into the sales department.. “I did that for many years which ignited my passion for sales. After my time selling I again worked my way up to Finance Manager and spent the next several years handling the paperwork for the dealership and working with the banks”. In 2012, Joshua moved to Idaho, where he started a family and took a position as the General Sales Manager of High Desert Harley-Davidson in Boise, which is now Willamette Valley Harley- Davidson’s sister store. At the beginning of 2023, he got the opportunity to become a partner/owner at the dealership in Eugene. “My family and I moved to the greater Eugene area and became part of the Willamette Valley Motoplex community. I love this dealership and am here from open to close, five days a week. The other two days you can usually find me riding motorcycles with my kids or fishing on a local river.” I was curious about the subtle changes I was seeing there on College Ave over the last couple of years. First the addition of the Indian Dealership and now the introduction of Royal Enfield and, now, the unveiling of the Willamette Valley Motoplex as a one stop motorcycle mall with every rider in mind. I picked up the phone and found myself talking with Josh. I could tell that he was a very busy guy but he took time to chat with me about motorcycles and his background in the industry. I could tell he was a ‘people person’. I told him I would like to hear more, would he mind giving me a little tour and maybe a little interview. Without any advance warning and I didn’t have an appointment, I randomly decided to stop in the other day. I’ve been called brash and unpredictable, ‘sorry Josh’. When I walked in, I could see that he was busy with sales staff and customers so I wandered around looking at the bikes and parts, accessories and apparel. The first thing I noticed was the display with a brand new Harley paired with a Stratocaster guitar, with matching paint. It’s a Limited Edition Lowrider ST Tobacco Fade and a matching Squire Stratocaster in Tobacco Sunburst. That’s some pairing there. Quite an impressive display of all of the above and throughout the store, folks were browsing, picking up items and talking to sales staff. Everywhere the staff were busy and friendly with customers or busy working with other workers around the place. I could tell that there was a culture of customer care and professional work ethic. I casually strolled around taking pictures and soon I saw Josh nod towards me and came to greet me with a big smile and handshake. Josh was surprised to see me but it didn’t slow his smile or demeanor. He told me he only had a minute as things were busy at that moment. As we talked about all the motorcycles and brands he mentioned that one of the directions of focus is the sale of pre-owned motorcycles. They are concentrating on a quality supply of used motorcycles to bring into the market. After a few minutes, I mentioned that being as I was there, maybe I could get a quick interview. With the same focus that I saw with customers and staff, he smiled at me and took me, first, on a quick tour through the service department. Introducing me to various co workers along the way, he called a few over and we snapped a few more pictures. The Interview: What’s your business philosophy and what trends do you see for the future and what are your plans for leading the Willamette Valley Motoplex into that future. Josh- “We are here to serve and contribute to our community. This is a people business first. As a local, family run business, we want to provide an environment where people feel valued. Whether they are a customer, employee, vendor, etc. We go out of our way to provide the best experience possible. We love to see our motorcycling community grow more and more every year. And now offer all Harley- Davidson, Royal Enfield, and Indian Motorcycles.” As to your part, towards the growth of that community, what market (demographic) are you reaching for with Harley-Davidson, Indian Motorcycle and Royal Enfield? Josh - “Current riders, past riders, future riders, as well as non riders. We have a lot to offer beyond Motorcycles including amazing apparel and merchandise. Everyone is welcome, please stop by and say Hi. I always love to meet new people in the community.” Describe your staff and the company culture and how it relates to the customer base that you are developing and serving. Josh - “Our staff is a big family, our moto is “Oregon’s Friendliest Dealership”, and we live by that every day. We are a melting pot that come from Page 5 all walks of life. We are also very family oriented here and often times you’ll see kiddos here picking out their very first Harley-Davidson electric bike or Indian Motorcycle electric bike. Our goal is to help build and nurture our motorcycling community. The more people that discover motorcycling, the more smiles there will be in the world. The fun, freedom, wind therapy, and community is what it’s all about.” I can see that you have folks are needing you and I appreciate taking your time, Josh, are there any last words to leave us with. Josh - “I would encourage anyone to come over and check us out. We are open Tuesday- Sunday and are known as ‘Oregon’s Friendliest Dealership’ for a reason.” And with that he was back in the fray, talking and taking time with a customer, genuinely engaged with them while attending to matters brought to him by other staff members and not missing a beat. I decided to grab a few pictures from the Indian dealership next door and then meandered around to the adjacent building on the south side of the dealership. As I snapped a picture I recalled Josh had just responded to my inquiry about the building Continued on Page 12
