I

n the words of a Tejas Motorsports em-

ployee, coming to work feels like a party
in a box. We want our customers to im-
mediately feel energy when they open
the front door, said Steve Ertle, co-
owner of the Highlands, Texas-
based business. My people
understand that when that
front door opens, I want
the party to hit my
customers right in
the face.
Located ap-
proximately 25 miles
east of Houston, Tejas
first opened its doors in
1976. It wasnt until 1997, how-
ever, that Ertle and his business
partner, Bob Binns, took ownership of
the business.
Originally from Colorado, Binns initially
ventured to the Houston area to get into
the Jiffy Lube business. Ertle followed
shortly after, wanting to be near Baylor Col-
lege of Medicine for his daughter, who has
cystic fibrosis. We were looking for a deal-
ership in Houston, and this happened to be
the only one in the area, so thats what we
ended up with, he said. It was an under-
performing destination location. We didnt
really think outside of the box at the time
[about location], so we just thought, This is
where we live, this is what we want to
do.
Since the pair took ownership of
the business, Tejas no longer
displays the sub-par
characteristics of its for-
mer self. Ertles 20-
group
membership al-
lows him to visit
numerous dealer-
ships across the U.S.,
which gives him ideas as to
how he should run (or not run)
his business. I see lots of places
that have no energy, and this is noth-
ing like that, he said. We want every-
one to feel like theyre family. We treat
[customers] like how we would treat your
grandmother or mom or dad.
To achieve that vibe, Tejas strives to
make itself feel less like a dealership and
more like a hangout by serving up freshly
baked cookies and brewed coffee to cus-
tomers on a daily basis. But while cus-
tomers enjoy a relaxed and fun shopping
experience, Ertles staff is working hard be-
hind the scenes. Were a training organiza-
tion. We believe you have to train every
day and twice on Saturday, so we work re-
ally hard to train our product knowledge
and process. Our parts and accessories de-
partment is run like a sales department. We
understand the value of a customer, and we
let our staff know how much money we
spend to make the door swing and to get
the phone to ring. They understand that
each one of those is an opportunity for us
and if we dont make that opportunity turn
into a sale, then we havent really done our
job that day.
As Houston is a relatively flat city, its not
surprising that powersports enthusiasts
want to explore some more exciting terrain.
Thats why Tejas partnered with Down
South Offroad Park, a nearby ATV park, for
additional marketing opportunities. We
participate pretty heavily with it to promote
it, said Ertle, who says the partnership has
resulted in an increase in sales of side-by-
sides. Weve had several poker runs there,
and on really large weekends, theyll have a
big concert venue that well sponsor. We
do as much as we can there.
Since television and radio broadcasting
Work Feels Like A Party In A
At Tejas Motorsports
34 August 2013 | Motorcycle & Powersports News
Dealership
DESTINATION
By Gina Kuzmick
MotorcyclePowersportsNews.com 35
is expensive, Tejas primarily relies on
grassroots tactics to market its busi-
ness. In addition to its sponsorship of
the ATV park, the dealership hosts a
quarterly customer appreciation
night, which features live music, free
food and opportunities for customers
to win door prizes. Tejas also hosts its
annual Ride for Life, a large charity
event that benefits the Cystic Fibrosis
Foundation. We really want to keep
a fence around our herd, so we kind
of tailor our events to what the needs
might be or what the season is or
whats happening in our immediate
area, he said. In the Houston area,
there are so many bike nights, which
were hugely popular for a while but
just recently tailed off. I think its be-
cause theyve gotten so watered
down.
The future looks bright for Tejas Motor-
sports. The dealership recently started selling
California Sidecar trikes, a powersports seg-
ment that promises a wider customer base. In
addition, the dealerships annual Ride for Life
charity ride will take place in October, drawing
about 300 to 500 participants. As long as its
contagious enthusiasm persists, the party wont
ever stop at Tejas. t