Published October 2005

Sound Harley-Davidson:
North-county motorcycle dealership
to include training course

Illustration courtesy of Sound Harley-Davidson This new Sound Harley-Davidson dealership is under construction south of the I-5 Smokey Point interchange and due to open next summer. The design reflects the styling of the motorcycle manufacturer’s Milwaukee factory.

By John Wolcott
SCBJ Editor

A new destination for Western Washington motorcycle riders is being built in north Marysville, adjacent to I-5 and a short distance south of the Smokey Point interchange.

Sound Harley-Davidson will not only be the first new Harley-Davidson dealership in the Puget Sound area to open in the past 20 years but also the first in Washington state to include a café and snack bar, a bike-washing facility and an on-site, 1-acre Riders Edge Motorcycle Training course.

A Wi-Fi hot-spot at the facility will be available for those visiting the dealership as well as those riding by on I-5 who want to check their e-mail or check news on their favorite Web sites.

Former Microsoft executive Scott Smernis and his wife, Marianne, both of Kirkland, are president and vice president, respectively, of Sound Harley-Davidson. Dwane Cannady has been named as general manager.

Due to open next summer with 23 employees, the 30,000-square-foot facility is designed after Harley-Davidson’s Milwaukee factory, including a water tower wearing the company’s famous logo. The building will include a 10,000-square-foot showroom, 14,000-square-foot service department and warehouse, with 5,000 square feet of space on the second floor for offices.

“This has all the attributes of a business I wanted to run,” said Scott Smernis, whose 20 years in the computer software industry included 10 years with Microsoft.

A self-described “passionate” Harley rider, and owner of a 2003 Heritage Softail, Smernis said he competed with more than 20 other applicants for the dealership, taking his business plan to the Milwaukee headquarters for an interview as part of the company’s qualifying process.

“Harley decides where they want dealerships, doing all their own market analysis, checking demographics, income levels and growth. They decided they wanted to put a store in Marysville. We’re obviously very excited about being here and about the growth in this area,” he said.

After he was awarded the Snohomish County dealership last year, he and his wife spent 10 months seeking the site they thought was right for the business. As for working with the city of Marysville, Smernis said “horror stories about dealing with cities” didn’t materialize.

“Mayor Dennis Kendall and Mary Swenson (the city’s chief administrative officer) and everyone else I dealt with at the city were very welcoming and offered their assistance,” he said.

Not only the north Snohomish County growth impressed Smernis but also his site’s location.

“This area is close to phenomenal riding destinations, including Whidbey Island, the Skagit Valley and the Cascade Loop, to name a few,” he said.

Opus Northwest LLC of Bellevue has the construction contract and is the project architect, with financing by the Bellevue branch of Wells Fargo Bank.

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