Nevadan at Work: Harley exec passionate about ‘anything that moves’

Nick Rivellini has been dedicated to working in the automotive industry ever since 1982, when he took his father’s burgundy 1976 Cadillac Eldorado in for repair.

The sales manager persuaded him to try selling cars, and within weeks the 19-year-old Rivellini had a job.

“I’ve always had a passion for automobiles and motorcycles, anything that moves,” he said. “It just became very addictive. I liked sales, and I liked being involved in a dealership.”

He worked for a Cadillac dealer in New York for about eight years before he and his wife, Caryn, decided they wanted to move West. They considered Las Vegas and Phoenix as destinations, and Rivellini jumped at an opportunity to work in Las Vegas for the Cashman family’s Cadillac dealership in 1990.

“I liked cars, and I understood cars,” Rivellini said. “I realized then if you wanted to be successful in sales, it’s all about building relationships. And taking care of a customer after the sale is just as important as trying to get that first sale.”

The Rivellinis have been in Las Vegas ever since.

Nick Rivellini worked for both Cashman Cadillac and Cadillac West of Las Vegas, which were both owned by Tim Cashman.

In 1996, Tim Cashman became co-owner of Southern Nevada Harley- Davidson Inc.

About seven years ago, after Cashman had sold his Cadillac dealerships, Rivellini joined him at Harley.

Rivellini is the vice president of operations for the three Las Vegas-area Harley-Davidson locations: at Eastern and Sahara, at the Red Rock location on Rainbow Boulevard, and at Zion Harley-Davidson in Washington, Utah. Rivellini manages the day-to-day operations and directs the strategic planning and operations of each location.

A 50,000-square-foot Harley-Davidson dealership is expected to open on the south end of the Strip in October. Rivellini has helped plan that location. He said the Strip location near McCarran International Airport will be a shop geared for tourists and interested buyers, with a riding academy, and he expects motorcycle rentals to increase.

The dealerships are the only locations authorized to rent current model bikes, he said.

Harley is selling $150 raffle tickets for a Nevada Sesquicentennial-themed 2014 FLHX Street Glide to be delivered during the grand opening. The blue-and- silver bike with a 103-cubic-inch V-twin engine features a Battle Born logo, the Nevada seal, the Nevada flag, a chrome front end, chrome switches, chrome pegs and chrome mirrors and the signature of Gov. Brian Sandoval, who bought his own raffle ticket last month.

Question: Will your role expand to the Strip location?

Answer: We will put a general manager in place in that store. And I’ll go back to an administrative role. I’ll go back to strategic planning for the store.

Question: Do you ride motorcycles?

Answer: I used to. Not anymore. I just don’t have the time. People love the freedom of a motorcycle ride. And that’s really what Harley-Davidson sells. It’s a lifestyle. People from all walks of life are into it.

Question: What’s your favorite bike?

Answer: Road King. I just like the styling of the bike.

Question: What is Harley’s most popular bike?

Answer: For touring: the Street Glide. It’s a beautiful bike. It’s very popular with all age groups and both genders. It has that classic look of a Harley. It’s sleek. ... People are attracted to Harley for many reasons. Harley is like a cult. People are just attracted to it. The brand itself is probably one of the strongest brands out there.

Question: What the difference between selling cars and selling motorcycles?

Answer: Selling a bike is selling a lifestyle. With a car, for the most part, you’re selling need. You really don’t see people go down to a car store to hang out. We’ll have customers that will visit our (Las Vegas) store, then two hours later they’ll be at our other store.

Harley will do events at stores on Saturdays. Barbecues, bike washes, motorcycle runs. We’re always trying to find something to do at the dealership. We could do a barbecue and have a few hundred people show up.

Question: Have custom bikes affected Harley’s business?

Answer: No. Harley-Davidson holds over 55 percent of bike market. We’re a very strong player. There are a lot of good bikes out there. But Harley dominates the market of touring bikes of 650-plus ccs. There’s a lot of people who have custom Harley-Davidsons and spend a lot of money on Harley-Davidsons.

Question: What can we expect from the new dealership on the Strip?

Answer: The latest in shop equipment, service technology, bike wash equipment and displays. Stuff that you’re not going to see at other Harley-Davidson dealerships, you’ll see at ours. The store is state of the art. A true Harley-Davidson fan would love it. The store will definitely have a wow factor when you walk in it.

Contact reporter David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290. Follow @randompoker on Twitter.