When you think of Tupelo, Mississippi, what comes to mind? For some, it could be that it’s the birthplace of the king of rock and roll, Elvis Presley. In his heyday, he rode his fair share of motorcycles. What Elvis missed out on, however, is the powersports culture in Tupelo, and 4 Seasons Equipment Company is helping that culture thrive.
Located in Northeast Mississippi, Tupelo is just over three hours away from the state capital in Jackson. The city has plenty of powersports shops to choose from, but 4 Seasons Equipment Co. has a team of experienced workers, making it a must visit dealership.
“Our employees are all long-term,” says Matt Persbacker, powersports sales manager at 4 Seasons Equipment Co. “We don’t have a lot of turnover at all. The owners are great folks to work for, and we all enjoy working for them.”
4 Seasons Equipment Co. has been in Tupelo for around 35 years. The company has a second location in Oxford, which has been open for six years. Persbacker has been with the company since 2011. A mutual friend helped him get a position at 4 Seasons after he moved to Mississippi, where his role expanded from a salesman to parts and sales manager in 2016.
“Being from New York, I started out with three wheelers and snowmobiles,” Persbacker told us. “When I migrated south, I got into motorcycles and ATVs.”
As a state where geography can be vastly different, Mississippi is arguably a powersports playground. From beaches and bayous in the south along the Gulf of Mexico to the Holly Springs National Forest in the north, Mississippi can be a fun place for many powersports adventures.
The company sells Kawasaki and Yamaha off-road vehicles, as well as Yanmar UTVs.
It even sells golf carts from EZ-GO. Persbacker says his best-selling powersport vehicle is the Kawasaki Mule, adding, “They just offer a fantastic line of equipment.”
As popular as the Kawasaki Mules are for 4 Seasons, the units the dealership sells are not sold in-store. It’s actually the only powersports vehicle that 4 Seasons doesn’t have directly in its stores. Persbacker assures, however, that every other powersport vehicle the company carries can be found at one of its locations when it’s in stock.
4 Seasons Equipment Co. used to sell motorcycles as a part of its business, but today, that is not the case. In particular, Japanese motorcycles became a pretty big challenge for the company, so they did away with selling them about seven years ago.
“The Japanese motorcycle market in Mississippi in general is stagnant, to be nice about it,” Persbacker says. “If it’s not American-made in the state of Mississippi in the motorcycle industry, [people] don’t want to talk to anybody about them.”
Persbacker points to a few factors that play a role in why Japanese motorcycle sales do not doing well in Mississippi. One factor to consider is the presence of military members in the state.
“The state of Mississippi is very, very populated with military, and Harley-Davidson has always done a lot for the military, so that plays a lot into that scenario,” explains Persbacker.
To overcome this, 4 Seasons has delved deeper into the Kawasaki line of powersports equipment and vehicles. The company picked this up in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, business was slowing down for 4 Seasons Equipment Co. Persbacker says adding the Kawasaki line changed everything.
“That has filled a huge, huge void where the motorcycle market used to be in 2006 to 2010,” he says. “When we got the Kawasaki line in the midst of COVID, I mean, it really jumpstarted our business.”
Another challenge that 4 Seasons is currently facing is what Persbacker calls a “funny” time in the market. He claims business for his powersports equipment is slightly down for a few reasons.
“I think it’s maybe due to finance rates being sky high, and it’s an election year,” he explains. “I think people are kind of holding back a little bit until they see what happens.”
Aside from vehicle sales, a big portion of business for 4 Seasons comes from its service department. The company has a lot of experienced employees, as mentioned, and the service department is where employee experience really shines through.
“We have over 130 years of experience in our shop out of 10 employees,” Persbacker points out. “That’s what brings our customers back. We know it is. They don’t have comebacks, which always helps.”
4 Seasons Equipment Co. does lots of jobs in its service department, including warranty work on products the company sells, as well as preventative and regularly scheduled maintenance for powersports vehicles. What matters most to the service department is customer satisfaction, which has helped the company’s business thrive.
“We don’t service stuff that comes from other places unless it’s a brand we’re familiar with,” adds Persbacker. “Whatever our customers buy from us, they bring it here.”
In line with the growing EV side of powersports over the last several years, 4 Seasons does sell electric golf carts. As the powersports sales manager, Persbacker was not optimistic about EVs at the start. However, lithium-ion technology has changed his mind.
“When somebody came in asking about an electric vehicle, I really, really questioned their intent with an electric vehicle because with the lead acid technology, it was not ideal for most people,” he says. “Now, with lithium-ion technology or lithium battery technology, it’s changed my outlook on it and it gives me and our sales team a lot better outlook on trying to sell that stuff.”
4 Seasons Equipment Co. isn’t selling electric powersports equipment just yet. Persbacker is still apprehensive since mud, water and electricity don’t make the friendliest of combinations for powersports enthusiasts. Even still, he sees EV as an additional revenue stream for business at 4 Seasons Equipment Co.
“I think that will probably change over the next couple of years, and if so, that will definitely help improve our sales,” he says.
4 Seasons Equipment Co.
5005 Cliff Gookin Blvd
Tupelo, MS 38801
https://www.4seasonsequipmentcompany.com
(662) 844-0308
OEMs: Kawasaki, Yamaha, EZ-Go, Yanmar
Number of employees: 30
