With the warmer weather and lawns
turning green, Evan Blakeney and his father Tom are gearing up for a busy
spring season at Xtreme Performance Power Equipment and Motorsports. Xtreme
Performance has everything a professional landscaper and a homeowner could want
to spruce up his or her yard.
Evan opened Xtreme Performance because,
“it’s in our blood.” His grandfather opened two lawn and garden and power
sports locations as Evan was growing up. “I was selling snow blowers when I was
six or seven years old in Maryland,” he said.
Tom and Evan were traveling a lot for
work in the construction industry and decided they wanted to be home more, so
they opened the store on Route 302 in Windham.
“I always liked this area,” Tom said.
“We interviewed landscapers and determined it was an under-served area.” The
company caters to the commercial side of the industry although they also serve residential
customers as well. They know that professional landscapers have different
priorities than residential customers, especially when it comes to service after
the sale.
Xtreme Performance sells Ferris
Commercial Mowers, eXmark, Simplicity residential lawn and garden machines that
are top of the line, Snapper walk behind mowers that are using the same deck
design they were forty years ago and Shindaiwa handheld products.
In the zero-turn mowers, eXmark has been
the fastest growing product in the store. Ferris is the fastest growing
commercial line, Tom said.
“We put a lot of thought into what we
put out for lines,” said Tom. “We want to be the guys who know power equipment.”
Zero-turn mowers are hot in the market,
but they are not right for everyone. Evan and Tom can help determine the right
kind of mower for the job, whether it’s a soccer field or a home on a hill. They
want to be the ones customers turn to for information. Products can be demoed
before buying to make sure it’s the right machine for the job.
With zero-turn machines, “there is no
one that stocks as many sizes, styles and price range as we do,” said Tom. “We
are the zero-turn capital of Windham.”
The Shindaiwa line is a commercial line
of handheld tools like leaf blowers and hedge trimmers that come with a five
year warranty.
“You know you’re getting at least five
years out of that equipment,” said Tom.
Price differences between Xtreme Performance
and a box stores are comparable. Box stores may seem cheaper at the outset, but
when quality is figured in, the machines at Xtreme Performance are priced the
same or less. When it comes to parts, they also have better prices on things
like chainsaw blades or full synthetic oil for chainsaws.
Customers have the choice of three types
of tractors at Xtreme Performance. Lawn tractors, which are great for moving,
hauling a dump cart or snow blowing. The garden tractors can take all of the
other uses, as well as a rototiller. It’s also heavier and can take more
attachments.
A subcompact tractor is a mini farm
tractor with a three point hitch and can take a backhoe. Xtreme Performance
also has a full service department for every brand, even those they don’t sell,
including snowmobiles, ATVs and dirt bikes. The technicians strive for a quick
turn around, but admit that May is challenging because everyone wants to start
mowing. They have free pick- up and delivery within a 10 mile radius of the
store. For business customers they have a loner program and lockers for after-hours
pick up.
“If there’s a way we can help you out,
we will. We don’t want to nickel and dime you,” said Evan. The biggest issue
they see in the service department is not treating engines for ethanol in the
gas, which accounts for 80 percent of repairs on power equipment, said
Evan. Xtreme Performance is the only
authorized service center for Briggs & Stratton engines.
“We’re good. We’re fast. We want to take
care of our customers,” Tom said. Tom’s dad always told him growing up, “If you
don’t want to service your customers, you don’t belong in business.”
For more information, call:
207-892-4141, visit: www.XPMaine.com,
email: info@XPMaine.com
or visit them on Facebook. The best way to see the store is to visit when
they’re open Monday, Tuesday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Wednesdays
and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. They
are closed on Saturdays, but are open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays.
Don’t miss the open house on April 30
from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for instant rebates, giveaways and a BBQ with activities
for kids. No purchase required.
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