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Monday, June 14, 2004 |
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12:03AM
] [ mccaleb
] [ movin' & shakin' madduxs
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Hog heaven - Couple to open Harley-Davidson dealership
2004-06-12
by Jennifer Hodson
of The Daily Times Staff
Whether heading down U.S. Highway 321 toward Townsend or along U.S. Highway 129 to ride the nauseatingly curvy stretch of road commonly called ``The Dragon'', motorcyclists already frequent Blount County.
But the opening this fall of Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson in Maryville is certain to solidify the county's status as a motorcycle mecca.
The dealership, one of only about five or six Harley-Davidson opens each year, will be much more than just a place that sells bikes. Owners Scott and Monet Maddux hope it will be a gathering place for riders.
To that effect, the husband-and-wife team plan to add a 15,000-square-foot outdoor pavilion that will include a sound stage and performers' ``green room'' for live music shows, fire pits and smokers for cooking up barbecue, a kitchen, extra restrooms, a meeting room for Harley-Davidson Owners Group (HOG) members and a training room for the company's Rider's Edge safety education program.
Behind the pavilion will be several wash bays so travelers can stop in to clean ``road grime'' off their bikes.
The Madduxes said they hope to draw around 3,500 people to their grand opening, tentatively scheduled for Labor Day weekend. But festivities won't stop there.
``We're going to have all kinds of barbecues and all kinds of events,'' Scott Maddux said. ``What the market in Maryville has told us they're interested in is a destination.''
The site will also have a play-area for children.
Scott Maddux said he has taken his son Zager to Harley events in the past, but there was really nothing for children to do.
``He loves motorcycles, but he's 2½,'' he said. ``We really want to build this into something that feels like a family. We want our customers to feel like they're part of our family.''
$3M in renovations
In April, demolition work began at the 47,000-square-foot, 7.2-acre site, where Lowe's was formerly located on West Lamar Alexander Parkway. This week, $3 million worth of renovation began.
J&S Construction of Cookeville is the general contractor.
All of the subcontractors are local, Scott Maddux said, joyfully adding that many of the subcontractors also happen to be Harley-Davidson riders.
The Madduxes, with two young children in tow, moved to Blount County this month from Baxter, outside Cookeville.
``Since we moved here, we meet people every day who are riders,'' Scott Maddux said. ``In this area in particular, there's such a strong rider base.''
The dealership's interior will include a 19,000-square-foot retail showroom that will eventually house 40-60 new and 15-25 pre-owned motorcycles and more than $500,000 in Harley-Davidson brand parts, accessories and general merchandise -- giving the Maryville location one of the largest Harley-Davidson retail spaces in the region.
Weaving along the main showroom floor will be a giant dragon's tail, inspired by the Highway 129 ``Dragon.''
There will also be a customer lounge, a family room, several administrative offices and 18 service bays.
``We really want to build our backbone on service,'' Scott Maddux said. ``We want to hire the best and brightest technical people we can.''
The dealership will employ around 30 people in sales, service, retail and management.
Owning a Harley-Davidson dealership is a lifelong dream for Scott Maddux. His great uncle owned a small Harley-Davidson shop in Cookeville.
``My grandfather rode Harley-Davidsons,'' he said. ``When I was a kid, I was always around Harley-Davidsons.''
His first bike -- which he still owns -- was a 1964 FLH ``Duo Glide.'' Since then, he's added two more to his collection, including the 1999 Road King Classic he routinely rides around town.
When he went to college, he even taped a picture of a Harley to his computer monitor so he could keep his ultimate career goal always in mind.
But becoming a Harley-Davidson dealer is no easy task.
Achieving a dream
``The process of applying for a Harley dealership proved to be a highly competitive one,'' he said. ``Monet and I certainly aren't the only ones whose life dream is to be a part of this company.''
Scott Maddux first applied to become a dealer in 1999 but found he was not qualified at that time.
``I didn't have the money, quite frankly, to do it,'' he said.
According to the company's Web site, the minimum financial requirement for a prospective dealer is a personal net worth of $1 million with at least $600,000 in liquid assets.
At the time, Scott Maddux was running Maddux Communications, a telecommunications construction contractor, with his father.
Founded in 1997, the father-and-son team managed in five years to grow their namesake business from a five-person operation with sales of less than $1 million to a company with 50 employees and annual revenues of around $10 million.
In 2001, Scott Maddux sold the company to publicly traded Quanta Services of Houston, Texas -- a move which secured his parents' financial future and allowed him to finally pursue his dealership dream.
Harley-Davidson's appeal isn't just the bikes, he said. It's also about camaraderie and companionship, which is why rallies, concerts and barbecues will play such a key role in the Madduxes' dealership.
Riding is more fun with others, he said, which is why building a biking community is so important.
A passion for Harley-Davidson ``brings all walks of life together,'' he said. ``The Harley customer base is so diverse, sometimes that's the only thing we have in common.''
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