The Milwaukee Harley-Davidson dealership has been acquired by St. Charles, Illinois-based Windy City Motorcyle Group for an undisclosed price. The transaction closed on Nov. 23.
Milwaukee Harley-Davidson, located at 11310 W. Silver Spring Road in Milwaukee, reopened on Friday. It had been closed since Oct. 22 while the new owners took inventory and completed the transition.
Chaz Hastings previously owned the dealership. He and the new owners were engaged in a legal battle in Illinois over the past year about the disclosure of all financial information. The suit has now been dropped and all parties are happy with the deal, said Justin Johnson, chief operating officer of Windy City.
As of early September, Milwaukee Harley had 27 employees, but it is now down to eight and has a new general manager, Goran Zadrima. Johnson currently is working to hire another 20 employees in Milwaukee.
Windy City Motorcycle Group has more than 250 employees at six other Harley-Davidson dealerships in the Chicago market. This is its first Wisconsin location, and it plans to add its riding academies and group tours to the market.
“We’re super excited,” Johnson said at the reopening event Friday. “The Windy City Motorcylce Group is just beyond elated to have Milwaukee Harley-Davidson as part of its operation. The all-new Milwaukee Harley-Davidson is going to bring some tremendous stuff to the marketplace. We really focus on exceptional customer experiences and operations, and that’s what we plan to bring here to Milwaukee Harley-Davidson.”
Windy City also is pursuing other dealership acquisitions, and said its economies of scale allow it to run more efficiently.
“I think Harley-Davidson understands that a sophisticated, multi-store dealer/operator has the ability to provide far more superior customer service by being able to invest more heavily in infrastructure, operations, employee training and customer support mechanisms,” Johnson said. “And while the single store operator has certain benefits, it is very tough to remain viable in the modern economy and to provide the level of customer service and experience that our dedicated and loyal customers have grown to demand and deserve.”
