American Motorcycle Dealer AMD 238 May 2019 | Page 64
NEWS Harley-Davidson Names Brand President
BRIEFS
U.S. and Canadian dealers are
submitting entries for an expanded
2019 H-D Battle of the Kings custom
build competition - expected to
attract more than 300 entries from
Harley dealers in over 20 countries.
Previously the BOK has been a largely
'international' contest with Harley
running U.S., Canadian or North
American specific contests some
years. The budget must be no more
than 50% of the list price of the
model, with 50% of the parts used
being Genuine H-D accessories. There
are three style categories, Race, Dirt
and Chop, and any current model can
be used.
The Sturgis Museum Hall of
Fame has announced that one of
the 2019 inductees will be Jill
Parham, who, with her late
husband John, founded J&P
Cycles as a parts mail order
business in 1979. "It is fitting
that Jill is honored in 2019 as it
marks 40 years of her dedication
to motorcycling and motorcycle
riders, as well as the 40th
anniversary of the company she
co-founded."
Caliente H-D of San Antonio, Texas,
has been revealed as one of the six
domestic U.S. Harley dealerships to be
awarded a prestigious Platinum Bar &
Shield Circle of Distinction Award for
2018 as it is the Number One ranked
dealership in the U.S. for its
motorcycle and related product sales
performance, customer service and
satisfaction, and operational
measures.
Polaris continues to be haunted
by Slingshot motorcycle safety
issues with another recall of
certain 2018-2019 models for a
possible fault that would allow
the seat belt buckle or seat back
to detach from the seat. Some
3,305 units are said to be
potentially affected.
Some 116 years after it was
founded, Harley-Davidson has
again tuned its leadership
structure, this time to bring one
central executive to the senior
decision-making table who has
overall responsibility for
coordination of brand
management and development.
Appointed as Harley's first-ever
Brand President, Neil Grimmer
will "evolve the brand to
support the company's strategy
to build the next generation of
Harley-Davidson riders globally.
As the company expands into
new segments and new
geographies and seeks to
inspire diverse, new riders
around the globe, he will be
responsible for all aspects of
the Harley-Davidson brand
including product planning,
marketing, retail, apparel and
communications."
Oh good, another person in
charge of marketing, however,
not one with either motorcycle
industry or wider automotive,
transport or manufacturing
credentials!
Reporting directly to Matt
Levatich, President and Chief
Executive Officer Harley-
Davidson, Inc., "Grimmer brings
over 20 years of experience
building brands and growing
companies. Most recently, he
was founder and CEO of Habit,
the world's first personalized
nutrition life science company.
Grimmer also served in a
leadership role at Campbell
Soup Company and was co-
founder and CEO of Plum
Organics, which was acquired by
Campbell's in 2013."
Grimmer also served as the Vice
President of Strategy and
Innovation at Clif Bar &
Company [organic foods and
drinks] and Senior Designer at
IDEO [an international design
and consulting firm founded in
Palo Alto, California, in 1991].
He earned an MFA in Product
Design from Stanford University
and a BFA from California
College of the Arts. He is
currently a Henry Crown Fellow
at the Aspen Institute.
"Grimmer will bring together
our consumer-facing teams
around the world, who will
together invigorate the Harley-
Davidson consumer experience
and deliver a global brand force
that resonates with new riders
and engages today's riders to
support our growth going
forward."
"Neil's creative instincts,
innovation mindset, deep brand
and consumer experience and
bottom-line orientation is
critically important as we lead
and inspire our teams and
riders," said Matt Levatich. "He
is joining us at a pivotal time,
and his leadership qualities and
affinity for who we are and
what Harley-Davidson is all
about will be a spark that
ignites people to imagine what
is possible for them from
Harley-Davidson.
"As we intensify our efforts,
and with this added leadership
talent, the company will more
fully engage the power of the
brand as a catalyst to help
reach the full potential of our
strategy and meet our long-
term objectives," said Levatich.
"Our leadership team is
positioned to intensify our
'More Roads to Harley-
Davidson' journey. The addition
of Neil Grimmer to our
seasoned group of leaders
enhances our capabilities and
will sharpen our focus on
strategic and long-term growth
opportunities to ensure our
future success. We have a clear
vision, and the leadership team
and organization are aligned
and energized around it."