The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum in Pickerington unveiled a new exhibit on Saturday honoring the leadership style that pulled Harley-Davidson back from the brink of collapse in the 1980s, centering on the late CEO and chairman who steered that turnaround, Rich Teerlink. Titled “We Did It Together: A Harley-Davidson Leadership Story,” the exhibit spotlights the people, culture, and management philosophy credited with fueling the motorcycle maker's revival through the 1980s and 1990s.
The exhibit opened alongside the museum's Bike Night on October 17. As reported by The CW Columbus, the new display features photographs and milestone moments from the era, along with four anniversary Electra Glide motorcycles tied to Teerlink.
From $210 Million to $2.45 Billion
Teerlink joined Harley-Davidson in 1981 as chief financial officer, just two months after a team of 13 executives completed an $80 million leveraged buyout to purchase the brand back from parent conglomerate American Machine and Foundry Co., which had owned Harley-Davidson since 1969, according to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. He later rose to chief executive and chairman, and under his financial and executive leadership, the company's annual revenue expanded from $210 million in 1981 to $2.45 billion by the time he retired as chairman in 1999, HD Forums reports.
That turnaround leaned on a cultural shift away from a traditional hierarchical management model. Per The CW Columbus, Harley-Davidson under Teerlink embraced trust, employee participation, shared responsibility, and collective ownership as guiding operational principles. The exhibit highlights five core corporate values Teerlink established during the restructuring — Tell the Truth, Be Fair, Keep Your Promises, Respect the Individual, and Encourage Intellectual Curiosity — which were implemented to guide decisions across all levels of the company, according to the Harley-Davidson Leadership Story Project.
Founding the Harley Owners Group
Teerlink also established the Harley Owners Group, known as H.O.G., in 1983 as a direct way to connect riders with the brand. That community effort eventually grew to more than 1,400 chapters and nearly one million members worldwide, according to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, and he frequently cited it as his proudest corporate achievement.
In 2000, Teerlink co-authored the book “More Than a Motorcycle: The Leadership Journey at Harley-Davidson” with organizational consultant Lee Ozley, documenting the company's shift from a conventional corporate hierarchy to a collaborative leadership model, as reported by the Tampa Bay Times. The book was published by Harvard Business School Press. Teerlink was later inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in October 2015 for his role in rescuing and transforming the company, joining road racing champions and other industry leaders in that class.
Teerlink died in April 2025 at age 88 following a battle with Alzheimer's disease, closing out an 18-year executive legacy at the motorcycle company, per the Milwaukee Business Journal.
A Mural Campaign Opens to the Public
Opening day also marked the kickoff of the “We Did It Together” mural campaign, which The CW Columbus reports is open to members of the Harley-Davidson community. Participants are encouraged to submit photos of themselves, family members, or loved ones connected to the brand, with selected images becoming part of a permanent mural featured in the exhibit. The campaign runs through July 31, 2027, and the completed mural is set to be revealed on October 12, 2027.
Why Pickerington Matters to American Motorcycling
The museum sits on the campus of the American Motorcyclist Association in Pickerington, Ohio, roughly 15 miles east of Columbus. It opened in August 1990 and displays more than 200 historic motorcycles across three main galleries, with rotating exhibitions, according to Ohio Traveler. Beyond leadership stories like Teerlink's, the museum highlights motorcycling history across riding, racing, motorcycle rights and advocacy, industry developments and aftermarket innovations, popular culture, and military service.
Central Ohio functions as an administrative hub for American motorcycle racing because Pickerington hosts both the AMA's national headquarters and its affiliated Hall of Fame museum, a dynamic Hoodline noted in coverage of September's SMX Playoff 1 supercross event at Columbus Crew Stadium. The new Teerlink exhibit adds another layer to that institutional footprint, giving visitors a close look at the leadership philosophy that reshaped one of the industry's most recognizable brands.
