Yesterday was one of those “I’ll always remember where I was when I heard” days.  I was in the mountains of North Carolina with my son and his family, just a bit after 5:00 or so when the text came. “D, did you hear about Bruce…”

To say that the world of Harley Davidson and of biking in general shifted yesterday is an understatement. As much as anyone, Bruce Rossmeyer brought biking to this generation with his passion not only for the business of riding but for the people who ride them.   

A larger than life figure, Bruce was not just the father of Daytona’s Bike Week and Biketoberfest, he was a true visionary. He instinctively knew what we wanted and then set about giving it to us on a platter. Heck, you couldn’t swing a helmet anywhere in Central Florida without hitting a biker that had been touched by the man. 

Like most of us, his love affair with two wheels began in his youth where he bought his first bike, hiding it at his brother’s house so his dad wouldn’t know about it. Unfortunately, his dad saw him riding one day and confronted him whereupon Bruce had a decision to make…home or the bike. He chose home and his passion would wait a couple of decades before buying his first dealership in Daytona.

Already successful in the automobile business, the dealership began as somewhat of a hobby. But as Bruce told me, “my desire to hang out at the dealership quickly spilled over from the weekends into my workweek and it was then I knew it was time to leave the cars behind”.  And the rest, as they say, is history. 

But his legacy reaches beyond the festivals and the 2 story, 109,000 square ft. monument to biking, Destination Daytona,  he built a few years back. To Bruce it was all about the people. I had the privilege of getting to know Bruce over the years after interviewing him for a book I’m writing and during that interview his eyes lit up when talking about the ‘kids’. 

The ‘kids’ spoke to his passion for helping others, specifically Camp Boggy Creek for sick children. Along with the late Paul Newman and General Norman Schwarzkopf, Bruce helped to not only found the camp, but in true Bruce fashion, remained the driving force behind its development raising millions of dollars. 

At the end of our interview he made me promise that in return for his time, I’d participate in his upcoming Ride for the Kids and I did. I along with thousands of bikers met at his dealership for a ride through Old Florida to enjoy bar-b-que, listen to music and tour the facility. 

It was that day Bruce’s gentle touch showed me the true power we bikers possess when coming together for fellowship and a cause. Again, he knew that I’d leave part of my heart at Camp Boggy Creek, which in Bruce’s inimitable way, was the point to the day. 

Ride for the Kids

They say the measure of a man is the legacy he leaves behind and if so, Bruce Rossemeyer is truly the stuff of legend. Within the biking community his name is synonymous with one of the biggest brands on earth – Harley Davidson and within the rest of society; his name is synonymous with caring about and giving to others. Not many people, in or out of biking can make that claim.

Bruce, you were taken from us too soon as there was still much to be done – I guess God needed a wingman. 

Dwain – The BusinessBiker

As always – This is just my opinion, I could be wrong.  So, if you disagree or simply want to pile on, please do so either here on the BLOG or email me directly at Navigator@BikersGuidetoBusiness.Com  I look forward to hearing from you.

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