Castle Mountain Sports – White Sulphur Springs, MT – Oct. 13, 2008
CONTACT
Castle Mountain Sports
105 West Main, P.O. Box H
White Sulphur Springs, Mont. 59645
406/547-2330
www.castlemountainsports.com
OWNER
Ron Myre
BUSINESS PROFILE
Although fairly new to the business side of the industry, Ron Myre, owner of Castle Mountain Sports, is a long-time enthusiast. He opened the store two years ago because of his passion for the industry. The family-run dealership carries Arctic Cat snowmobiles, ATVs and accessories. It has done so well, it opened a second Arctic Cat store in Great Falls, Mont., this year. Myre says the White Sulphur store sells an equal amount of ATVs and snowmobiles. He adds they have a strong snowmobile selling season because the dealership is located about 20 miles from a ski resort, and there are a lot of trails to ride close by. Castle Mountain Sports also carries Triton Trailers for sleds and ATVs.
GREATEST CONCERN
The only thing that bothers Myre is the economy, but it hasn’t affected his store considerably. “There hasn’t been a big decrease in sales,” he said. “This year has been challenging a little bit. You can see a small reduction, but it’s not to where you can’t operate. If I was to check sales on units last year vs. this year, they’re going to be awfully close. Everybody is going to have a toy. People work all week; they have to get out on the weekends. You just have to, otherwise you’re going to go crazy.”
WHAT’S HOT
Castle Mountain Sports has experienced a mix in product demand, but Myre says on the snowmobile side, all the mountain chassis do exceptionally well. Being close to large riding areas in the mountains, Myre says people are often looking for those types of sleds.
CUSTOMER BUYING TRENDS
Myre has high expectations for Arctic Cat’s 2009 snowmobiles. “They’re going to be a big hit because they’re 22 pounds lighter than the ’08 models,” he said. “It’s a weight issue for a snowmobiler. They just want the lightest machine possible for handling, and the lighter it is, the more horsepower it’s going to produce.”
PARTS AND SERVICE
The parts department is known for its extensive inventory of parts for older sleds. Myre says they carry new parts for snowmobiles manufactured in the 1990s. “When you start talking about ’92, ’93, ’94 sleds, we have a good selection for those,” he said and added the dealership is also known for its service department. “We have people bring vehicles 250 miles across the state to us. It seems like we get the ones no one else can figure out. We’re well noted for service.” Castle Mountain Sports has two technicians, and Myre says one of them has years of experience, as he’s been around engines all his life. “We’re service-orientated. It boils down to that,” he noted.
PROMOTIONAL HOME RUNS
Castle Mountain Sports relies purely on word-of-mouth as its marketing strategy, which Myre said is “the best advertising you can have.” The new store, Arctic Cat Mountain Sports, however, is a different case. Myre says they needed to advertise to let people know the dealership was open. He adds that the most effective advertising for that dealership has been radio.
WORDS OF ADVICE
“The only thing I could tell any dealer is you need to provide good, courteous service,” Myre said. “You have to treat your customers with respect, and they need to go out the door happy. We treat every customer like they’re our only customer. In this industry, if you don’t have customer service, you don’t have a business.”
— Karin Gelschus
