Marra’s climb continues with new VP role

Former GO AZ GM promoted by YAM

Gina Marra’s rise into the upper echelons of the powersports industry took another step in July when she became vice president of the Powersports Division for YAM Worldwide.

Marra, who was previously general manager at GO AZ Motorcycles in Scottsdale, Ariz., and steered that dealership to the No. 1 spot in the 2013 Powersports Business Power 50, was both surprised and elated that owner Bob Parsons had hand-picked her for not only her new position, but her first job with the growing company.

“I wasn’t aware of the decision he had made until the day he told me, which is always good,” the 35-year-old Marra said. “I’m sure it was something that he had marked for a while.”

Marra’s six years at GO AZ began thanks to a phone call with Parsons, founder of GoDaddy who purchased the store in June 2008. Marra was hired that September as assistant general manager.

“I had a friend who worked over at GoDaddy who was on their legal team. Bob was excited that he had just purchased the dealership, and he came into her office and said ‘Hey, look what I just bought’ He pulled it up on the websitem and my friend said ‘You know what, I have a friend in Michigan who runs dealerships.’ So Bob asked her for my number. He called me that night; I was out here a few days later for an interview, and two weeks later I started. My first day on the job was at the Ducati dealer meeting in 2008 in Indianapolis. It evolved very quickly. Anything that has to do with Bob is very exciting. He always keeps you on your toes. That was a pretty awesome experience.”

Before Marra could cut her first Thanksgiving turkey in Scottsdale, she had been promoted to GM, and in 2009 the dealership moved into its 26,000-square-foot facility, where today it carries BMW, Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, KTM, Triumph, Vespa, Ural and Aprilia. Its three-acre campus includes three separate showrooms, each with its own parts and service department. A demo track and training facility also are recent additions.

“There’s been so much moving, mixing and matching and acquiring different franchises, so we streamlined a lot when we moved into our facility,” she said. “We were finally able to get on our feet and grow. Starting out in a small strip mall with a single-line store and growing into 11 brands over six years has been a lot of for our organization and our team. We had BMW as a single-line store, and we also had Ducati across the strip mall.”

Marra’s growth typically has included some sort of motorcycle element as part of it. Growing up in Macomb, Mich., her dad built a pro-style motocross track in the family’s backyard for her and her twin brother. Marra started riding a Honda 50 as a 5-year-old and eventually raced motocross. After suffering an injury at age 12, “my parents basically said that’s enough. But it was pretty tough to pull back by then. My parents were divorced, so every time I went over to my dad’s I still had my dirt bike, and he allowed me to ride. My mom? Absolutely not.

“When I turned 16 I had a street bike that I jumped on. It’s always been in my blood, and I got into the industry on the business side when I was 19.”

That start on the sales floor at Macomb Powersports eventually led to a stop in the finance department before she became sales manager and finally GM.

In her current position, she oversees the operation of all powersports businesses under the YAM Worldwide umbrella, including GO AZ Motorcycles, Harley-Davidson of Scottsdale, Southern Thunder Harley-Davidson, Blues City Harley-Davidson, Graceland Harley-Davidson, Spooky Fast Customs and the GO AZ Training Facility. Harley-Davidson of Scottsdale will become the largest dealership of its kind when it reopens at its new facility in July 2015.

“There are a lot of exciting things that are going to be going on with that store [Harley-Davidson of Scottsdale] and with our organization overall,” she said.

She’s also pleased to know that the company’s growth will bring opportunities to other staff members. Brian Ruiterman, for example, was named the new GM at GO AZ. He worked alongside Marra during her six years at the dealership.

“We have a very driven team of general managers, and sometimes you can get lost in the day-to-day duties of being a GM and trying to focus so much on the dealership and seeing your store grow,” Marra said. “Being able to coach the other GMs and take a more global view of how we can grow is part of what I’ll be doing.”

Marra’s initial focus has been on building the Spooky Fast brand, which eventually will extend across each of the group’s properties.

“This isn’t something that we want to do just locally. Our vision is to go nationally with building and fabricating parts,” she said. “We have a 30,000-square-foot building here with a state-of-the-art CNC machine, hydro-riveting, powder coating and some of the best talent I’ve seen. We’re really driving on quality and very, very quick turnaround time.”

Spooky Fast employs its own designers and artists, and currently boasts a staff of 17.

“I get goosebumps every time I walk into the building. It’s a beautiful shop, and the opportunity we have to grow is absolutely amazing,” Marra said. “We plan to bring Spooky Fast into our other dealerships and create little showrooms.”

Customer service and innovations, she added, will continue to drive the YAM dealerships.

“What we like to do is be innovative and create experiences like no other,” she said. “The culture in our stores is only going to become enhanced now.”