Business profile: Calibrated for fun and family

Seating arrangements matter.

The staff at Mac’s Cycle in Clarkston watches that play out multiple times each week when couples are shopping for off-road vehicles.

Husbands and wives who recreate together almost always pick side-by-sides over four-wheelers, said Adam Myklebust, an owner of Mac’s Cycle.

On a side-by-side, they can sit next to each other. Many models have room for more than one passenger. In contrast, on a four-wheeler, one person rides in the front and the other in the back.

Mac’s Cycle’s ability to meet the region’s high demand for side-by-sides is a reason for the continuing success of the power sports business, which was founded during World War II.

The business recently completed an important transition as it marked its 85th anniversary. Adam Myklebust, his wife, Kacy Myklebust, along with Jenna Kelley and her husband, Cory Kelley, bought the share of the business that previously belonged to Steve Wessels Sr. and his wife, Gail Wessels.

Steve and Gail Wessels acquired Mac’s Cycle in 2010 with their son, Steve Wessels Jr., who died in a Snake River boating accident in 2019.

Steve Wessels Jr. was married to Jenna Kelley when the accident happened. Kacy Myklebust is the daughter of Steve and Gail Wessels.

The Myklebusts and Kelleys plan to retain what has made Mac’s Cycle popular over the years as it evolves with young outdoor recreation thrill seekers.

The business sells new and previously owned side-by-sides, all-terrain vehicles, motorcycles and snowmobiles made by BMW, Ski-Doo, Kawasaki, Honda, Can-Am, Suzuki and CFMOTO.

I recently spoke with Adam Myklebust, Jenna Kelley and Cory Kelley about the business. The following is an edited version of the highlights of our conversation:

Elaine Williams: With the new ownership team, what is everyone’s role in the business?

Jenna Kelley: I’m the business manager. I do a lot of reports and see what we’re doing great at and what we can work on. Then I communicate that with the staff. My late husband Steve and (Steve Wessels Sr.) purchased Mac’s Cycle in 2010 and I started here in 2013. The family ran the business together successfully until the time of Steve Jr.’s accident. It was a hard decision on what we were going to do after that. I decided that he just really loved this place and I wanted to keep it going for him. About three years after Steve passed, Cory and I got married. Now he’s part of the family, too.

Cory Kelley: I have been an owner of Mac’s Cycle since 2022. Before that I worked at Rogers Motors in Lewiston where I was in service and operations, the same department I oversee here. It’s essentially the back of the house. Your sales side sells the first machine. But how you take care of that customer through any problems the machine has, any accessories they may need, any knowledge they just need, that’s what sells the second, third and fourth machine down the road. Dialing that process in is really important to the longevity of the business.

Adam Myklebust: I’m the general manager. I started working for my father-in-law as a parts associate in 2011, checking in the freight, stocking the shelves and selling parts to customers. My wife, Kacy, is a surgical nurse at Lewis & Clark Outpatient Surgery, so she doesn’t have day-to-day responsibilities at Mac’s Cycle.

EW: Family and motorsports are important to all of you. What more can you share about that?

AM: We are motorsports enthusiasts ourselves and enjoy getting out on the products we sell. That’s why we love working in this industry and why Steve Sr. and Steve Jr. wanted to get into this business in the first place. Steve Jr.’s legacy is a big deal to us. Like Jenna mentioned, Junior’s love for this business is a really big part of why we all decided to keep it going after he passed. We all miss him dearly and wish he was still here running the business with us. We also still feel his presence here and it’s part of how we connect with his memory. Mac’s Cycle represents a lot more to us than just side-by-side sales. It’s a part of our family history.

EW: Shifting gears a little bit, you talked about the popularity of side-by-sides. Could you expand on what drives those sales?

JK: We have a niche in customizing side-by-sides. One of our big things is adding all of the accessories and making them individualized to each customer. They’re kind of like cars now. There’s different light bars, windshields, roofs, stereos, GPS systems, full cab enclosures and tires. We can do lifts to make the cab higher to have more ground clearance.

CK: It’s the ability to go with multiple people and keep the elements off you.

JK: I’m more apt to go riding with Cory if I’m going to be comfortable sitting next to him, rather than hanging off the back of a machine. I can’t see in front of him. It’s just the fun for the whole family because you actually get to experience it all together, rather than him driving and me being crouched down behind him on a four-wheeler. It’s getting everybody involved, including your friends.

A lot of them have beds so you can throw in all your camping gear. You can go hunting with them. You can move things around with you.

EW: Selling side-by-sides for recreation is just one part of the business. What other needs do you fill for customers?

AM: Mac’s Cycle is well-rounded in being able to provide for all powersports needs. We can equip anyone for outdoor fun and/or work, whether they’re brand new to a sport or have been doing it for 50 years. We love connecting with people who are into dirt biking, street and dual sport riding, snowmobiling and snow biking, and all-terrain vehicle and side-by-side riding. We also support the large farming and ranching community in our area. They depend on our ATVs and side-by-sides to be capable and reliable so that they can get their very important work done. Our experienced service staff helps to keep all of our customer’s machines running smoothly so they can continue to work and recreate the way they want to.

EW: What are some of your most fun sales?

JK: We like helping moms and dads when they’re purchasing their children’s first motorcycle or four-wheeler. Those are probably some of our lowest profit deals, but they’re the most rewarding for us because they’re so excited. They get their helmet and they get their shoulder pads. They feel like a transformer. They just get so excited about it. Just getting them out riding and having a good time, they turn into lifetime customers.

EW: Just as you value the families who are your customers, you care about the families of your employees. One way that’s expressed is through prioritizing employee retention. What makes that important?

JK: People like to come somewhere they know whoever they’re asking questions are going to know what they’re talking about. Our master technician, Ivan Torchillo, has been here almost 30 years. We have people come from all across the country to have him work on their stuff because he’s a BMW master certified technician. They ride their motorcycles from Canada and over east and have our store as a destination. Tom Jones, our sales manager, and Jesse Cobley, our lead sales person, have been here for more than 20 years. The knowledge and skills of our employees brings a customer base to us that we wouldn’t have otherwise, if we didn’t have these employees who really know what they’re doing.

EW: Moving forward, serving families who have frequented Mac’s Cycle for multiple generations, as well as attracting new customers, will be a key part of your strategy. How will you achieve that balance?

JK: We have a lot of customers who are very nostalgic about Mac’s Cycle. The first time they ever bought their motorcycle was from here. They remember walking by the windows and drooling over a motorcycle they wanted for years.

CK: We still have customers who come in and say they knew Allan “Mac” McClain, a founder of the business.

JK: We want to make sure we keep in touch with what this business means for those customers and reach out to a younger customer base at the same time. Without those customers that were here back then, we wouldn’t be where we are now. We want to make sure that group and new customers feel at home when they walk through our doors.

Williams may be contacted at ewilliam@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2261.