NFIB

Don Ehlerding Cruises to Success in Fort Wayne
09/06/2002

For Don Ehlerding, motorcycles are more than a hobby. They're a lifelong passion that dates back to his teen years. "I was the local lawnmower/motor scooter repair guy for the kids and farmers who lived near us," says Ehlerding. "We lived on a dairy farm south of Fort Wayne, and when I became of age, my dad and I went to buy a motorcycle in Fort Wayne. We couldn't get waited on, so we returned home and wrote to a motorcycle distributor to find out where their local dealer was and, long story short, we became their local dealer."

That was 1965, and Ehlerding was 15. With help from his parents, Ehlerding ran the dealership while he went to school -- "I even managed to go to college for a while," he says -- until things reached a point where the job could no longer be part-time.

That job now includes managing three dealerships and around 40 employees. It's a sizeable operation, and Ehlerding's family has continued to help him over the years. "My brother joined the company when he graduated from high school," he says, "and I have another brother who for health reasons couldn't keep farming and joined us in the office. And at one point my sister was our operations manager before she passed away from cancer. It's been a family operation." Plenty of Ehlerding's friends have worked with him as well. "Over the years I've employed friends of mine who came to work for me after college while they 'figured out what they wanted to do' -- one is still here."

And so is the motorcycle industry, which is finally getting some respect, says Ehlerding. "Owning a motorcycle has become acceptable, and I suppose to some degree enviable," he says. "For many years that wasn't the case. Today our industry is accepted in just about any circle you travel, from Wall Street to Main Street."

Even, says Ehlerding, the ranks of Indiana's NFIB leadership. "I don't think it's any secret that (state director) Ed Bowman is a motorcycle enthusiast," he says. "He has a Honda Gold Wing." Ed Bowman and Ehlerding met back in the mid-'70s when the state legislature passed enhanced check legislation where businesses could collect treble damages for bad checks. "Ed wanted to publicize that issue around the state and wound up coming to know us. He came up from the Indianapolis office and we did a little press conference at our dealership. That was the beginning of our relationship."

As for his relationship with motorcycles? "It's been an interesting -- and fun -- journey. It hasn't always been the greatest of times, but it's always been fun."

Quick Facts:
Name: Don Ehlerding
Business(es): MotorSports, Inc., Ehlerding MotorSports, River City Harley Davidson, CrossPoint PowerSports -- www.ehlerdingmotorsports
Location: Fort Wayne, Ind.
Founded: 1965
Number of employees: approx. 40


When did you join NFIB?
A long time ago. I probably joined sometime in the '70s.

Which legislative issues top your list at the moment?
We're excited on the state level because we finally have a phase-out of the inventory tax, which has been just a terribly unfair tax Indiana business has paid for years. The phase-out will occur over the next five years.

At the national level -- healthcare. We certainly don't want to copy the Canadians and Europeans with nationalized health care, but at the same time we have to find some way to stop this runaway train. I don't know how to solve it, but we had a 20-some-odd percent increase from 2000 to 2001 in our health care costs as a company, and just a month ago our insurer -- which was an insurance trust -- went bankrupt. We found ourselves being tossed out without coverage, and the premium quotes we're getting now are 25 percent higher than the ones we had. We're considering passing on some of the costs to our employees, which isn't fair, or self-insuring some of the lower risks.

And, of course, I'm always worried about mandates from groups like OSHA and the EPA that really burden small business. We don't want to pollute our environment or harm each other, but we can't have someone looking over our shoulder and generating lots of extra paperwork. That makes everyone less productive and efficient.

Describe your leadership role in NFIB.
I'm a member of the state leadership council and also chair of the Northeast Indiana Area Action Council. I believe we have an obligation to give back to our communities, and this is one way I can help steer our government in the right direction. We as small business people have to become involved; if we don't, we have no right to complain when legislation harms us in some way.

What do you like best about being a small business owner?
There's a satisfaction you can't get any other way. I'd like to say there's a sense of freedom you can't get any other way. In the early years of your business, it seems you can't get too far away from it. But in the later years most small business owners find time to do other things -- I think I'm finally approaching that time, thank you very much.