Celebrating $40M expansion
February 26, 2014
Yesteryear’s full service makes for long success
February 26, 2014
It started in a 2,000-square-foot building in Thibodaux, and quickly grew into the Houma market to service the needs of motorcycle enthusiasts in the area.
Cycle World of Houma now occupies a 20,000-square-foot building, which encompasses the business offices, service department and the largest selection of parts and accessories for motorcycles in the Tri-parish area.
Glenn Diedrich, owner of Cycle World of Houma, said the family-owned business has sharpened its services and offerings since its humble beginnings in 1967.
More than 47 years ago, Glenn’s father George Diedrich, founded Cycle World.
“He owned a business in Thibodaux and his bookkeeper was a motorcycle rider and had an interest in it,” Diedrich said. “He suggested to my dad that he might want to try it out and he did.”
The first brand the Diedrich family took on was Suzuki motorcycles, and their first shop was called Suzuki Cycle World on St. Mary Street in Thibodaux.
Suzuki bikes and Bolen Lawn Mowers were their main focus for two years until they were approached by Honda to become the brand’s official dealer in the Thibodaux area.
George Diedrich, a businessman with another business located in Thibodaux, saw the opportunity to open a Honda motorcycle dealership in the city of Houma.
At one point, Cycle World had three locations – their original location on St. Mary Street, a store adjacent to another Diedrich family business in Thibodaux and a satellite store on the east side of Houma.
In 1984, the Diedrich family consolidated their three locations into their current location on West Park Avenue in Houma.
Since then, the size of the facility has increased along with showroom capabilities to offer their customers a wide variety of cruisers, street bikes, motocross bikes, all-terrain vehicles, utility vehicles, scooters and Yamaha generators.
“We are a larger than average size dealership,” Diedrich said of his efforts to keep the family business up-to-date.
Cycle World represents brands such as Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha. Over the years, Diedrich said the focus of those brands have changed slightly to meet customer demand.
“The popularity of motorcycles has increased tremendously,” Diedrich said. “The style of bikes has gotten bigger and more powerful.”
Nowadays a popular item on the showroom floor for personal and commercial purposes is side-by-side UTVs.
“For the BP oil spill we provided a lot of side-by-sides for cleanup efforts in Fourchon and Grand Isle,” Diedrich said. “That was a big year for us in assisting with that cleanup.”
In recent years, surveying and electricity companies, as well as hunters have also increased the popularity of UTV’s, he said.
The side-by-side UTV’s are safe for off-road use on any terrain, he said, since the vehicles come equipped with individual seats and seatbelts for each passenger.
Glenn Diedrich said he is proud of his family’s business, mentioning that his daughter Ellen works for him.
For him, it is not just about the bikes, it’s about offering something to customers that will keep them satisfied and coming back for more.
“The business is unique because I’m not a motorcycle rider,” Diedrich said. “I just happen to own the family business.”
The local company’s primary focus remains within the communities of Terrebonne and Lafourche by donating to charities such as the American Cancer Society, March of Dimes and the Good Samaritan Food Banks.
Although the company moved locations several times in its early days, Diedrich said Cycle World has built a strong business at their West Park location servicing as many as 14 parishes in Louisiana.
Moving forward, Cycle World hopes to preserve their mission to build long-term relationships with their customers and offer the best inventory for motorcycle enthusiasts.
Glenn Diedrich poses next to an ATV in Cycle World of Houma’s showroom. Following their movie to the West Park Avenue location in 1984, their showroom has expanded to more than 20,000-square-foot of Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha products.
