When Mark Thompson joined Hawg Halters at Dahlonega near Atlanta , Georgia , in 1999 as Managing Director , he did so in a very different motorcycle parts market environment to the one we see today , and one that was about to evolve out of all recognition …
Mark Thompson , CEO , Hawg Halters Inc .
When Mark Thompson joined Hawg Halters at Dahlonega near Atlanta , Georgia , in 1999 as Managing Director , he did so in a very different motorcycle parts market environment to the one we see today , and one that was about to evolve out of all recognition …
Indeed , it was utterly changed within just five years . However , Mark ’ s timing was exquisite , as he subsequently assumed full control of the company the V-twin parts and accessories market not only grew rapidly ( it doubled in size , and then almost doubled again by the time of “ the great reckoning ” in 2008 ), but it quickly became home to a multi-verse of custom business opportunities , diversifying away from the Chopper mono-culture that it had been . As the company name suggests , it was in the brakes market that HHI initially made its name , a brakes market in which a single , well-known competitor had been so dominant that they had made it nearly impossible for any other serious volume player to emerge . However , Hawg Halter ’ s reputation for “ serious stopping power ” soon got them established , and the foothold gained is one that Mark has proven adept at expanding on . The core competencies that Mark set out to leverage suited the rapid evolution of the market . As Choppers gave way to new business opportunities , not least Baggers , Hawg Halters ’ initial emphasis on brakes became the foundation from which he was able to evolve with the Bagger market as it too evolved . Since then Mark says that HHI has “ challenged the status quo of the marketplace and carved out a
Mark Thompson , CEO of Hawg Halters , built his first bike when he was 15 - a 1941 Flathead basket case , followed by a 1967 Shovelhead chopper . After gaining a Mechanical Engineering Technology degree at Cleveland State University he spent time at Ford ' s engine plant as a Manufacturing Engineer , where he finessed his hands-on skills such as tool and die making . He joined HHI in 1999 as Managing Director and went on to assume full control along with his wife Beth , who manages the front office operations .
leading position of our own in a dynamic , changing motorcycle industry – one where to stand still is to race to the back of the field .” A reputation for stylish and highly technical but very , very reliable parts was earned quite quickly , followed by awards and diversification that captured the direction of the market as custom tourers and new , specialty custom bike builders moved center stage . Baggers , indeed Tourers in general , proved to be one of the very few genuine growth sectors of the market
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