Parts Pro
TWIN RIVERS POLARIS
CONTACT
501 Plumas St.
Yuba City, Calif.
530/673-2525
www.twinriverspolaris.com
THE STORE
Located in Yuba City, Calif., Twin Rivers Polaris has been in business for eight years and is a 2002 Polaris National Presidents Award winner. Constructed a new showroom two years ago. Layout includes two buildings — a 5000 sq. ft. showroom and tech area, and 5000 sq. ft. of storage. Carries the full line of Polaris products, parts and accessories and Victory motorcycles.
PARTS MANAGER
“We have four employees including myself,” says owner Bill Fortna. “Everyone is hands on in every department at our dealership. I feel that works better in a dealership our size —we’re not dependant on any one person for a particular area of running the business.”
PARTS MANAGER BACKGROUND
“I find that, when your salesmen have worked on the product they’re selling, and have parts ordering knowledge, they are far more familiar with it,” Fortna says. “We do each have an area of expertise, but we are all capable of sales, repairs, and parts ordering.”
THE JOB
Everyone at the dealership sells and orders parts. Orders are prioritized each day. Fortna says communication is the key. “Before any orders are placed, everyone has a chance to update the order,” he said. Any employee at Twin Rivers can check and adjust product orders throughout the day.
DEALING WITH DISTRIBUTORS
Twin Rivers does business with distributors such as Tucker Rocky and Western Power Sports. “We have many distributors we order from, but we try to focus on one or two so we have a stronger relationship with them. By doing that, they are much more loyal to us and the benefits are much greater.”
THE PURCHASING PROCESS
All parts and accessories that need to be ordered are entered into the Twin Rivers computer system via Powerware software. “I like the Powerware software because that’s what we started with and it has grown with us,” Fortna said. “I looked into purchasing other systems, but the benefits may not justify the cost of the product and the time spent retraining staff.”
LAYOUT
The parts counter divides the showroom from the parts and service department. Parts and service areas are combined, occupy about 2500 sq. ft., and account for about 25% of Twin Rivers’ business. All display product is restocked daily.
The showroom has slat board covering wall space, and accessories are rotated bimonthly. A large display in the center of the showroom holds Victory-branded garments and accessories.
