100-Year-Old Harley Dealership Is a Family Affair
Daily Slideshow: This legendary Harley dealership in Ohio has been owned by the Neidengard family for over a century.
Century of Sales
Harley-Davidson is a company ripe with history, which is what happens when you've been building iconic machines for 115 years. But in that time frame, sellers of those legendary motorcycles have obviously come and gone. Except for Neidengard’s Harley-Davidson, that is. The Wintersville, Ohio dealership recently celebrated its 100th year in business.
All in the Family
Even more amazingly, Neidengard's hasn't just been in business for a full century, they've also been owned by the same family for each of those 100 years. Thus, it wasn't a surprise that H-D took the time to recognize their efforts.
Recognition
Harley presented owners John and Kim Neidengard with a rendering of the dealership depicting how it looked way back in 1913. A letter included with the certificate also recognized the dealership's enduring success. “The relationships created between dealers and their customers have in large part contributed to our combined success, spanning 114 years,” it says.
More than Business
The small token of appreciation was presented by Joe Marcolina, director of market operations for Harley in the Northeast. "It’s a love of the sport, to have that passion to sustain any business for 100 years,” he told the Herald Star Online. “In their case, I think it’s about more than just the business. It’s about the love of riding and the camaraderie that the customers enjoy and what they give back to the customers."
100 Years, Two Locations
Neidengard's is actually in its second location, however, now operating off Canton Road. It moved there way back in 1978 from its original home on South Third Street in Steubenville, OH.
Loyal Customers, Loyal Employees
As you might imagine, a business that's stuck around this long can attribute its success to loyal customers and loyal employees. According to Neidengard, his longest-tenured employee has 42 years at the dealership. Several more have been there over 30 years.
Keys to Success
Obviously, that attribute is the biggest key to Neidengard's success, as well as Harley-Davidson's. “One of the primary reasons the Harley-Davidson brand has such tremendous customer loyalty is because of the efforts of dealers such as Neidengard’s,” David Cotteleer, H-D vice president and managing director of the U.S. explained.
Few but Proud
These days, it's obviously rare for any company to survive 100 years. Let alone under essentially the same ownership. And there aren't very many Harley dealerships that can tout this fact. But the fact that there are several of them is a testament to the brand's enduring appeal.
100 Years of Memories
For his part, John Neidengard isn't ignorant to how special the history of his business truly is. “It’s quite a goal, quite an honor to have been able to be associated with Harley-Davidson for 100 years, me, my father and my grandfather," he said. "There are a lot of adventures involved there." Now, they just have the next 100 years to look forward to!
For help with service and maintenance of your Harley, check out the how to section of HDForums.com.
