Dealer Education: Level up in Las Vegas

Change is constant, and staying relevant means evolving with the times. Join AIMExpo 2025, February 5-7, in Las Vegas, where AIMExpo has developed key partnerships with both Garage Composites and Motorcycle & Powersports News to bring industry leaders and peers together for educational sessions that will help your dealership navigate the best past forward for growth and success

Dealer education is one of the biggest draws of AIMExpo. As technology advances and consumer needs change, dealerships need to stay up to date to thrive. The MPN-curated education tracks offer sessions on best practices for everyday operations of dealerships, as well as forward-looking topics such as how AI tools can help shape the future of business. Additional topics will focus on the role workplace culture plays in creating a successful dealership for staff and customers as well as a look into the automotive business model and how it actually compares with powersports.

Dealer Excellence Education Schedule
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 5
9:30 – 10:15 am
4 Essential Pillars of Operations
Building a better dealership by harmonizing sales, service, F&I, and PG&A.
It’s all too easy for individual departments of a dealership to get siloed and focus strictly on how each department’s workflow is organized and performing. However, silos don’t allow the dealership to function well as a whole, and things often begin to get disjointed. Staff will miss customer opportunities if they aren’t properly communicating with other departments.

In this session, learn from dealership department experts on how to bridge those gaps to create better workflow and performance for the dealership as a whole, as well as in your individual departments.
Speakers:

  • Angela Hieronimus, CEO, Live Oak Dealer Service
    • Angela Hieronimus brings over 20 years of expertise in the powersports industry. Renowned for her dynamic leadership and impactful financial products training, Hieronimus excels at driving compliance and profitability. Her mission is to align dealership operations with essential daily changes, facilitating substantial revenue growth and operational excellence.
  • Tom O’Connor, Co-Founder and President, MotoMate123
    • Tom O’Connor is a much sought-after speaker and facilitator, but he is most comfortable working in dealerships with salespeople and sales managers. His advice for handling objections and closing the sale is considered among the most current and effective in the powersports industry. His Sales Excellence Manual has helped hundreds of sales managers better manage people, process, and profitability. As co-founder and president of MotoMate123, he helps dealers dominate the pre-owned market with cutting-edge software.
  • Alex Reyes, Business Manager, Broward Motorsports
    • As a leader at Broward Motorsports, Alex Reyes has consistently driven top results, achieved record-breaking growth, and has been recognized with industry awards. With an innate ability to identify market trends and inspire teams, Reyes has positioned his team at the forefront of the competitive powersports landscape. With over a decade of experience, Reyes has developed a reputation for innovation, integrity, and resilience. His work exemplifies a balanced approach to business, combining data-driven insights with a genuine passion for helping people create lifestyles filled with lasting memories through powersports. Professionally, Reyes is a mentor to his team, a trusted partner to manufacturers, and a visionary committed to advancing the powersports community. At the 2025 AIMExpo, Reyes will share his expertise on navigating the Finance and Insurance process, while adding his take on harmonizing the four pillars in retail powersports. Attendees can expect actionable insights, real-world strategies, and a forward-thinking perspective that reflects Reyes’s commitment to the growth of the industry.
  • Maggie Stevens, Parts Manager, ARS Powersports
    • Maggie Stevens brings over a decade of experience in the powersports world, having built a reputation for practical strategies and big-picture thinking. She co-founded Cotee River Cycles in Pasco, Florida, with her husband, growing it from a modest 800-square-foot service shop into the largest independent dealership in the county in just three years. Her knack for growth and hands-on expertise has earned her recognition as a 2023 and 2024 Spark Award winner. Stevens is a go-to voice in the industry. As a contributing writer for Motorcycle & Powersports News, she breaks down ideas and strategies for dealerships looking to level up. And as a parts manager for ARS Powersports, she knows what it takes to drive results, having led her team to hit $1 million in over-the-counter sales. Stevens’s tips, courses, and tools to grow and give dealerships an edge are available at PowersportsPlaybook.com.
  • Justin Quinn, Product Manager, DX1
    • With over 25 years of experience in the powersports industry, Justin Quinn has developed comprehensive expertise in sales, customer relations, and business operations. He has consistently excelled at driving sales growth and enhancing customer satisfaction. His tenure at a distributor, as well as his time with an OEM, provided valuable insights into the supply chain, further enriching his understanding of the powersports market. Transitioning into consulting, Quinn has successfully guided numerous clients, leveraging his extensive industry knowledge to optimize dealership performance. Currently, he is one of the product managers for DX1, focused on bringing simple solutions to complex dealership problems.

10:15  – 11:00 am
Creating a Cultural Hub
Building a dealership environment your staff and customers won’t want to leave. 
There’s a lot of talk at dealerships about the importance of company culture — but while that’s true, employees rarely see it in action. Without a well-cultivated culture, your dealership doesn’t have anything to keep customers engaged or staff employed. But what is “company culture,” and how do you close the gap between execution and wish lists?

In this session, we hear from experts on how they have helped create culture at their dealerships. Learn what impact culture has on customers and employee engagement and how you can build a better culture, too.
Speakers:

  • David Diaz, General Manager, Irv Seaver Motorcycles 
    • David Diaz is General Manger of Irv Seaver Motorcycles, one of the oldest continuously running dealerships in the country, founded in 1911. Diaz has been in the industry for several decades, 30-plus years of which has been at Irv Seaver, where they focus on the BMW brand. As general manager, Diaz ensures that Irv Seaver Motorcycles keeps its finger on the pulse of the industry and often sets the trend for others to follow.
  • Angela Hieronimus, CEO, Live Oak Dealer Service
    • Angela Hieronimus brings over 20 years of expertise in the powersports industry. Renowned for her dynamic leadership and impactful financial products training, Hieronimus excels at driving compliance and profitability. Her mission is to align dealership operations with essential daily changes, facilitating substantial revenue growth and operational excellence.
THURSDAY, FEB. 6
2:30 – 3:15 pm
Getting More Door Swings
How to bring in more customers when competing in a direct-to-consumer world.
The pandemic proved a double-edged sword for powersports dealers: On the one hand, it provided a huge sales boost and brought in a flood of new customers; on the other, it exacerbated people’s desire for quick, easy ordering with the touch of a button from the comfort of their couches. Now that the tide of pandemic purchases has ebbed, how do you woo customers off their couches and into your store?

In this session, learn ways to use online marketing to your advantage to entice riders old and new into your dealership, as well as how you can create a unique store experience that will have customers wanting to come back again and again — bringing their friends with them.
Speaker:

  • Colin Barnauskas, Owner, Reparto Veloce/Motoplex Arizona
  • James Priestnal, National Account Manager, Automatic Distributors
  • Ross Clifford, Business Head — Americas at Royal Enfield
    • Ross Clifford is a graduate from Solihull College of Technology, U.K., and a postgraduate of Cambridge Business School, U.K. Clifford brings extensive global experience across international sales, brand and product strategy, marketing, commercial operations, business, and network development/management. Prior to joining Royal Enfield, Clifford was President – Off Road Vehicles, HD & Auto Divisions at Nivel Parts and Manufacturing and has acquired significant experience in international leadership roles with Polaris Industries and Triumph Motorcycles.

3:15 – 4:00 pm
Powersports Dealers vs. Automotive Dealers
Who’s winning the race for the modern consumer?
It’s often said that the powersports industry lags 10 years behind the automotive industry in many facets, from vehicle technology to business operations. But this outlook assumes that automotive dealerships have a better business model that powersports dealers should be using. Is that really the case?

In this session, learn how the methods used by automotive dealers and powersports dealers differ, what works and doesn’t work in each model, and what they can learn from each other.
Speakers:

  • Vance Harrison, CEO and Chairman of the Board, Motos America
    • Vance Harrison boasts a rich career spanning over 25 years in the dealership industry. His entrepreneurial journey began with the establishment of Harrison Eurosports in 2009, a multiline powersports dealership in Utah, which he led as president until 2021. In 2019, Harrison further expanded his business portfolio by establishing Harrison Southtowne LLC, a Mitsubishi automotive dealership in Utah, where he served as the chief executive until 2022. Vance consistently ranked as a top-five dealer in annual sales nationwide for BMW, Ducati, and Triumph over a 12-year period. Since September 2021, Vance has been serving as the CEO and Chairman of the Board for Motos America.
  • Michael Maledon, President, Elway Powersports 
    • Elway Powersports owns five powersport dealership locations. Maledon joined the Elway Dealership Group in 2016, following prior leadership roles with one of the nation’s largest privately owned automotive groups and as CEO of a highly successful automotive-related business.
FRIDAY, FEB. 7
9:30 – 10:15 am
Revving Up the Fight Against Fraud
How powersports dealerships can combat rising fraud schemes.
In today’s hyperconnected world, where everyone’s information is online, fraud has become a daily occurrence — and just one more thing to be vigilant about. Lately, more and more dealerships have become the victims of fraud — but what exactly does that mean?

In this session, learn about the types of fraud facing dealerships, consumer data protection, and steps you can take to avoid fraud and be ready to fend off the scammers.

Speakers:

  • Johnathan Aguero, Vice President of Sales and Strategic Partnerships,
    Transax

    • Johnathan Aguero is Vice President of Sales and Strategic Partnerships at Transax, the first digital retailing platform for motorcycle and powersports dealerships. He is determined to build a simpler, more-connected future and believes that making commerce easy and secure benefits everyone.
  • Lou Pedler, Manager of DX1 Product Development, ZiiDMS
    • With over 20 years in the powersports industry, Lou Pedler has held various roles in dealerships, from working in the parts department and service to general manager. He has spent the past 15 years at Dominion Enterprises as manager of DX1 product development, and currently serves as director of product development for ZiiDMS. Pedler knows the risks dealers face from fraud and works to ensure that ZiiDMS has protections in place that help the dealer succeed.
  • Greg Pfleider, CEO, Accelerate2Compliance
    • Greg Pfleider has been A2C’s CEO since 2020. He has a background in the financial sector, where information security compliance is a vital concern. Pfleider’s experience working with investment banks gave him a firsthand view of the burden that satisfying compliance requirements puts on businesses. Pfleider is determined to create a path to compliance suited to the complex realities of today’s information security compliance requirements. 
  • Mark Sheffield, Strategic Advisor, Woods Cycle Country
    • Mark Sheffield is a board member of the National Powersports Dealer Association, currently serving as Strategic Advisor for Woods Cycle Country and Woods Indian Motorcycle. Based in Texas, he has over 30 years of experience in the powersports industry, working with numerous dealerships and organizations, as well as consulting. A passionate advocate for dealerships, he contributes regularly to industry publications and LinkedIn, often promoting fairness between dealerships and OEMs.

10:15 – 11:00 am
Harnessing the Power of AI
Ways dealers can leverage AI to improve overall business operations.
Over the past couple of years, the use of artificial intelligence has risen dramatically in all aspects of our lives. If you haven’t already been using AI in your business, it’s only a matter of time. AI has the potential to dramatically change the powersports industry at a very quick pace — but how?

In this session, we’ll make AI easy to understand. Learn what you can expect to happen with AI in the next few years, examples of how you can use AI right now — at zero cost — and leave with a plan of how to observe and think critically as new tech emerges.
Speakers:

  • Fran O’Hagan, CEO, Pied Piper
    • Pied Piper, based in Monterey, California, helps brands and national retailer groups improve the omnichannel sales & service performance of their retailers. Fran O’Hagan founded Pied Piper in 2003 after first working for auto manufacturers Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Jaguar/Land Rover. His favorite responsibility at the car companies was leading the effort to improve sales, share profitability, and customer loyalty of the dealers. Today, with the team at Pied Piper, O’Hagan continues to focus on improving retailer performance, now for multiple companies across multiple industries. O’Hagan earned his MBA from Villanova University and bachelor’s degree from Penn State University. Since buying his first motorcycle as a teenager, he has also been a very good retail motorcycle customer and enjoys riding motorcycles of all types, including baggers, dirt bikes, and sport bikes.
  • Eric O’Hagan, Director, AI/ML Innovation & Implementation, Pied Piper
    • Eric O’Hagan’s work continues to expand Pied Piper’s embrace of cutting-edge artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies. O’Hagan leads Pied Piper’s ongoing efforts to leverage these technologies, enhancing both new and existing products while improving client experiences and streamlining production processes. Prior to joining Pied Piper, O’Hagan held key roles in AI, ML, and digital retailing with Porsche Cars North America, Tesla Inc., and Lucid Motors. He attended Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business and pursued studies in AI and ML at MIT’s Schwarzman College of Computing.