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Monday March 7, 11:58 am ET
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 7, 2005--MBA Holdings Inc. (OTCBB: MBAH) CEO Gaylen Brotherson has just returned from a series of meetings with a long list of motorcycle manufacturers held during the first three days of Daytona Bike Week. Fruitful negotiations were made and successfully laid the groundwork for key relationships to be finalized with MBA, its subsidiary, the National Motorcycle Dealers Association (NMDA) and MBA's rapidly maturing rental division, WorldWide Rentals. MBA partner Blue Sky Motorcycle Rentals is in the midst of a highly successful rally week with their fleet of trucked-in bikes completely booked.
WorldWide Rentals is prepping for a March launch date of its new Internet portal which will feature a truly modern browser-based vehicle reservation system. This integrated front-end Web application is fully supported by a centralized database-driven back-end comparable to those utilized by contemporary Internet travel Web sites. The rental system has been favorably demonstrated to key rental insurance partner Zurich to prove its functionality and validate its compliance with insurance regulatory criteria.
The marketing of WorldWide Rentals has been in full swing prior to overall manufacturer sponsorship announcements. With the consent of key manufacturers, MBA representatives have verbally contacted hundreds of dealer locations nationwide to lay the groundwork for the inclusion of new dealer locations in the WorldWide Rental network. At Daytona, Brotherson built upon the initial manufacturer interest reported from the V-Twin show in Cincinnati and received a verbal commitment from one of the premier American motorcycle manufacturers to sponsor WorldWide Rentals as the rental system for their dealer network. The company feels it is close to making key manufacturer partnership signings, and announcements will be made when these deals are finalized.
Manufacturers met with at Daytona ranged from numerous American manufacturers and growing custom builders as well as several of the largest names among foreign motorcycle manufacturers. A key business proposal gaining traction from these recent talks is MBA's formation of a Pooled Manufacturer Liability Risk Pool. Large and small manufacturers have expressed keen interest in this program which MBA will actively pursue to establish. Administering this program would be a key element to organize industry interests, collectively lower the product liability cost basis for manufacturers and bring the majority of major motorcycle manufacturers into the NMDA fold.
As previously demonstrated through its relationship with Carefree Custom Cycles, the NMDA remains committed to fostering the growth of smaller manufacturers of quality bikes. Numerous custom builders were met with at the Daytona rally to foster these future relationships and formulate plans to grow new sales channels for these up-and-coming bike manufacturers. A continuing opportunity to grow these sales channels will be contracting with these custom builders to produce affordable rental bikes. The first to be announced of these new member partnerships is Covington's Custom Cycles, well-known for their extraordinary motorcycles prominently displayed during their participation in the Discovery Channel's Biker Build Off series.
The NMDA continues to develop its Auction program which will include its participation in Kruse Auction's premier annual event held this spring in Auburn, Ind. Very important to the NMDA is the new auction sales partnership with Manheim Auctions, the worldwide industry leader in wholesale vehicle auctions with 115 auction facilities and 35,000 employees worldwide. The NMDA is preparing its initial motorcycle auction activities with Manheim while exploring the potential for the sale of warranties through their high-volume sales channels, starting with Arizona Bike Week in April 2005.
Warranties continue to perform well for MBA in the current fiscal quarter while plans to expand sales are being executed. Negotiations are presently underway to provide warranties on all new vehicles produced by a well-known motor home manufacturer. Key to the future growth and profitability of MBA warranty sales is its ability to underwrite its own warranties. Negotiations have commenced to acquire an insurer entity that will establish MBA as the primary underwriter of its own warranties. This would give MBA a highly competitive edge in marketing its warranty programs and in striking key cross-promotional deals with nationally recognized companies. The company estimates the cost of acquisition would be effectively recovered due to the immediate increase in MBA's profit margins for each warranty sold. MBA believes this acquisition should be one of the primary strategies for growing shareholder equity within a very reasonable time frame.
The NMDA is presently expanding its executive staff to facilitate company growth. Beginning today, the NMDA welcomes Matt Murphy as its new executive sales and marketing manager. Murphy brings a strong background in motorcycle sales and rentals and will be responsible for NMDA daily operations and the formulation and execution of marketing strategies. Working with Murphy will be MBA employee Ken Simonis who has been promoted to general manager and new hire Ron Labarge, our new sales and marketing coordinator.
"Safe Harbor" statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to business conditions and the amount of growth in the insurance or associated automotive industries and general economy, competitive factors, and other risks detailed from time to time in the company's SEC reports, including but not limited to its annual report on Form 10-K and its quarterly reports on Forms 10-Q. The company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements.
Manheim Auctions
http://www.manheimauctions.com
Covington's Custom Cycles
http://covingtonscyclecity.com
NMDA http://www.nationalmda.com
MBA Holdings
http://www.mbadirect.com
Contact: MBA Holdings Inc., Scottsdale
Gaylen Brotherson, 480-860-2288, Ext. 317
Source: MBA Holdings Inc.