Action Power jets into new ownership

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This article was published 03/02/2022 (1507 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After almost 30 years in operation, a Brandon business owner has handed over the keys for both his store and a cornucopia of toys inside.

Brad Gradidge officially turned over operations of powersports dealer Action Power (1630 First St. North) to Curt Amey on Tuesday.

Feb. 1 marked 29 years and 10 months to the day since the business opened on April 1, 1992.

“It’s a good but bittersweet situation,” Gradidge told the Sun Wednesday. “I started out when I was 16 years old, putting motorcycles together and working for other people.”

Powersports were originally just a job for Gradidge, but he came to love them as a hobby and turned it into a living.

While his time as owner has come to an end, Gradidge said he will keep an eye on things over the next few months to make sure customers who ordered goods when he was in charge are taken care of and to ensure a smooth transition.

With his newfound free time, the industry veteran said he plans on travelling with his wife, Linda, and spending time with his grandkids.

Some of his favourite parts about running the business over the last three decades has been attending industry conventions, shows and product announcements, and he sees himself continuing to make appearances.

Of course, he’ll also spend time continuing to enjoy his powersports equipment, especially with his grandkids becoming old enough to take part in the hobby.

“One of the things the family wanted to know was, did I keep some stuff for myself? And yes, I did,” Gradidge said with a smile.

His other favourite part of running the business has been the people he has met — his customers and his staff. Gradidge said he has had customers stick with him for years, and it has gotten to the point where children of his customers have become patrons themselves.

Over the years, Gradidge said the internet has changed shopping, so his customers aren’t just coming from around Westman but as far away as Edmonton and Toronto, with people seeing what he has for sale and then ordering it to be picked up in person or shipped to their homes.

Some of the staff have been there with him just as long as the customers, with one worker accumulating 25 years. With Amey’s takeover, it’s becoming a bit of a family business with his sons, Drew and Adam, joining the team.

Amey’s entry into the industry marks at least a temporary end to his retirement. He worked as a sales representative for hunting and fishing manufacturers for 24 years before retiring in 2019.

“COVID-19 hit in 2020, I was bored and decided it was time to go back to work,” Amey said. “I always had a passion for [motorsports].”

He heard from a friend that Gradidge was looking to sell and having been a customer of Action Power in the past, decided to make a deal.

Before taking full control this week, he spent the two previous weeks learning the ropes and said he has learned a lot already.

“You don’t really understand owning the stuff and using it part-time what the real potential is in a lot of cases,” he said.

“Learning the product is the biggest thing.”

One of the first possible changes the new owner will make is renovating the main storefront in order to qualify as a concept store for Bombardier Recreational Products. In time, the store might be more thoroughly upgraded or replaced with a new building.

In five or six years, Amey said, he’ll consider retiring again and the store might just find its way into the hands of one of his sons.

» cslark@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @ColinSlark