Texas H-D celebrates ground breaking

Adam Smith’s Texas Harley-Davidson will be one of the largest dealerships in the U.S.

Adam Smith’s Texas Harley-Davidson, a two-time Powersports Business Power 50 dealership, broke ground on one of the largest Harley-Davidson dealerships in the nation last month.

The six-acre Bedford, Texas, site will be home to the new 70,000-plus-square-foot Texas Harley flagship store. The new building will consolidate the current three-building setup, adding more than 20,000-square-feet, and will move the sales floor, service area and administrative offices into one location at the current site. Adam Smith’s Texas Harley-Davidson is already among the top 10 Harley dealerships in the United States in terms of service, finance and sales volume. The flagship store is set to open fall of 2015.

“It’s about time we did this for our customer base, the city of Bedford and our team members. The city of Bedford could not have been easier to work with in terms of getting the deal done,” said Texas Harley owner Adam Smith. “Texas Harley isn’t just a dealership; it’s a destination. Our riders come back every week because we offer the unique Harley-Davidson lifestyle. People visit again and again because of the overall experience, and they become part of the Texas Harley family.”

Texas Harley offers luxury dealer services, a dedicated and knowledgeable sales team of Harley-Davidson experts and Harley-Davidson certified mechanics with years of experience servicing the Harley brand.

In addition to having a state-of-the-art facility, the new two-story site will feature a large outside event space for Texas Harley’s weekly social events, such as live concerts, family-friendly activities and community fundraisers.

“The city of Bedford is proud to be home to one of the largest Harley-Davidson dealerships in the world,” said Bedford mayor Jim Griffin. “Bedford offers a great central location for Texas Harley, and we appreciate this valued community partner. Adam Smith’s Harley-Davidson has been very supportive of our community events, and we look forward to our continued work with them in the future. In addition, the dealership is an important part of our community because of its long-time support of several local charitable organizations.”

“Harley-Davidson Motor Company is very excited about the upcoming groundbreaking for Adam Smith’s Texas Harley-Davidson’s new flagship facility,” said Gary Barnes, Harley-Davidson Motor Co. district manager. “We believe that this new facility will help Adam and his employees fulfill our customers’ dreams of personal freedom by providing trusted, personalized and social experiences to our family of existing riders as well as future riders of our great line of motorcycles, MotorClothes, parts and accessories.”

The groundbreaking event welcomed several city and county officials in addition to Mayor Griffin, including Bedford City Council members Ray Champney and Roger Fisher, State Sen. Kelly Hancock and Bedford police chief Roger Gibson.

In Harley-Davidson fashion, the event was not your typical groundbreaking. It began with a motorcycle procession of VIPs. Guests walked the “orange carpet” and were photographed with Harley props and models decked out in riding gear. Adoptable dogs from the Bedford Animal Shelter were at the event in Harley gear.

Guests also enjoyed a live art demonstration featuring recycled Harley parts that resulted in an original work to be displayed at the new dealership.

A grand finale of 150-foot-high orange and black explosives was used to “break ground,” along with a custom-made shovel topped with Harley handlebars for Smith.

“Texas Harley already offers a full calendar of community, rider education and social events for riders of all levels, and our new larger location will allow us to expand those programs,” said Texas Harley general manager Neil Noble. “Organized group rides take place weekly, including those to local restaurants and far-away destinations, as well as rides for those new to Harley and women-only rides. Our team members know and love the product, and we look forward to making our Texas Harley family even larger.”

Smith has owned Texas Harley-Davidson since 2011 and started working there as a teen. He also owns Texoma Harley-Davidson, another Power 50 dealership.

Bob Moore Construction of Arlington, Texas, will serve as design/build general contractor for the flagship store; Alliance Architects of Richardson, Texas, will serve as architect of record. Design Work Studios of Irvine, California, is the interior design firm; Jordan Parnass Architecture of New York designed the exterior of the building.