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Below is our recent interview with David Bottini, Manager of Powersports Product Development at McGraw Powersports:
Q: Could you give us a brief introduction to your company?
A: Sister-companies McGraw Powersports and Western Service Contract were established in 1985 after founder Jack McGraw recognized an untapped market for extended service contracts in the Powersports industry. McGraw Powersports has been active in the Powersports space since the 70’s. Today, McGraw Powersports is writing business in 48 states and is the premiere service contract provider in over 600 dealerships.
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Q: McGraw Powersports is a family-owned and operated business, what are the pros and cons of running a family business from your own experience?
A: We have the same challenges as every other company out there regardless of ownership. From my experience, the benefits of being a family-owned business outweigh the downsides. For instance, the executives and the Board of Directors all have a direct line to the owners and the owners take an active role in the direction of the business. This translates to a much more transparent set of goals and priorities for the business. Everyone has a personal stake in the success of the company.
Q: You’ve recently announced addition of electric vehicle service contract, why did you decide to take this step?
A: We’ve watched a lot of changes in the Powersports industry in the last several years and it’s become a much more competitive space, so the need to differentiate yourself as a company is vital to remaining relevant. Seeing the growth of Electric Vehicle production and sales led us to creating something that has immediate value to the EV market in play and gives us valuable data as the segment grows. Watching how the EV segment has grown in the automotive industry, it made a lot of sense to introduce a Powersports EV service contract to be ahead of the curve.
Q: The International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) is about to happen, can you tell us something about your sponsorship of racer Dante Oliveira?
A: The sponsorship of competition events and racers has been a part of the McGraw Powersports/Western Service Contract DNA since the company started, so the opportunity to sponsor a talented rider like Dante was one we didn’t want to pass up. As a former off-road racer (and one of 3 former motorcycle racers on the McGraw Powersports/Western Service Contract team), I’m excited to see how he does on the world stage. I know I speak for the whole McGraw Powersports/Western Service Contract team in wishing him all the best at the ISDE.
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Q: Where do you see your business in 3 years?
A: I see McGraw Powersports/Western Service Contract continuing to grow in in the Powersports space territorially, as well as entering some new business channels. We recently migrated our operations platform into a web-based system that allows for a much larger scale and diversity of business.
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