Remarks by U.S. Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell
Summit on the 21st Century Workforce, June 20, 2001
MCI Center, Washington, DC

SENATOR CAMPBELL: Well, good day! Surprise! You thought all senators ran around in big blue cars and wore suits and spent their time on the golf course with an entourage out at Greenbrier Country Club, didn't you? Well, you probably guessed it by now, I don't do that. I've a little different lifestyle. And by the way, if somebody moves this bike, somebody steals it, don't worry, you are in Washington, D.C., so …

I've had to compromise some of my beliefs since I got elected to U.S. Senate, as you might guess. Our president pro tem, Senator Byrd, is really a stickler on the history of the U.S. Senate. And somehow, he doesn't think leathers qualify under the Senate coat and tie rule that we have. I note with interest there are many labor people in here, and for anybody in the audience who happens to be a Teamster, welcome to Washington, I've been a Teamster since 1953, for you truck drivers out there. (Applause)

And I'd also like to thank Secretary Chao for convening a summit which includes so many top minds in labor and business and government working together to try and make sure we have a better future for our workers as we go into the 21st century. I'm here to introduce a CEO of one of the best companies in the world. You can imagine which one I think is one of the best companies in the world.

From the very, very beginning, in 1903, the same year that the Wright Brothers were defying gravity on Kill Devil Hill, when William Harley and Arthur Davidson built the first motorcycle in their 10 feet by 15 foot shop, Harley-Davidson has been an American success story and has generated such intense brand loyalty that sometimes the Harley Bar and Shield is actually tattooed on the shoulders or the chests of the riders, or some other part of the anatomy.

I don't know of any other product can say that. For you men in the audience, can you imagine having Skippy Peanut Butter on your shoulder? Or Ikea Furniture across your chest? They may be great products, but I don't know of any following of a product in America that does it like the guys that ride the Harley-Davidsons - and the women too, by the way.

After surviving the great depression, Harley-Davidson was called upon to assist in the war effort during World War II. Many of the orders and messages, as well as many of the military policemen, were mounted on those two-wheel steeds, and they were a big help in getting that war won and achieving victory. Harley-Davidson delivered over 90,000 motorcycles for the United States Army during the war period. In fact, my cousin bought one of them army surplus and taught me to ride as a youngster, and many other American veterans came back with surplus Harley-Davidsons and really transformed the American motorcyclists into what we think of as an American biker now. And out of over 100 brands of motorcycles that have been produced hundred years in the United States, Harley-Davidson is the only one that has had an uninterrupted production for all of those years. I think that's somewhat of a record.

As many of you know, they did run some hard times in the 1970s and '80s, and they were brought back through a cooperative agreement with the United States Congress, as you probably remember, through hard work and determination on their own part, too. But in 1983 the U.S. Congress granted tariff relief for five years to Harley-Davidson so they could get back on their feet, but it didn't take them that long. Within four years, they were back on their feet and that comeback has been complete ever since. They had their rightful place as one of the leading manufacturers in the world again, and every since that time have had over 50 percent of the market share in heavyweight bikes year after year.

In 1998 Harley-Davidson opened the new assembly facility in Manaus, Brazil, which is its first manufacturing plant that is not in the United States. Harley-Davidson sold 185,000 motorcycles and had 7,500 employees around the world in 1909(?). In the year 2000, they sold one out of every two heavyweight motorcycles purchases in the United States, and until recently had almost a two-year waiting list for eager purchasers. Increased production, coupled with quality control, has reduced that wait to a few months. So I tell all of you 50-year-old men in the audience whose mother told you when you were 16 you couldn't have one of those, Mom's not here, you can have one. So get in line, and buy one.

It's my honor to introduce Jeff Bleustein, who has been with Harley-Davidson for 25 years and the CEO for the past four years. During his tenure, Harley-Davidson has strengthened its position as a maker of the most widely recognized motorcycle in the world. Jeff rides to work when he can, just as I do, and it's not unusual to see him in his suit riding one of these beautiful electro-glides that Harley-Davidson makes, going to and from work.

He also participates in a lot of rallies and charitable events around the United States. Some of you probably don't know that Harley-Davidson is the largest single contributor to the Jerry's Kids program for muscular dystrophy. Once a year, in November, they raise over a million dollars - usually about a million-two or a million-three, just in one day, for that terrible debilitating disease.

Just a few weeks ago, Harley-Davidson made the final installment of $50,000.00 to complete the design and construction of a memorial plaque which will be placed near the wall on the Mall here in Washington, to commemorate those people who suffered injuries in the Vietnam War but did not die until some time later. We want to remember those as well as the ones that paid the maximum price when they were actually in the war.

But in any event, it's my pleasure to introduce one of the top businessmen in the country, a fellow enthusiast and a good friend, Jeff Bleustein.