Vaughn L. Beals Jr. (January 2, 1928 – August 19, 2018) was an American businessman who was a CEO of

Harley-Davidson Harley-Davidson, Inc. (H-D, or simply Harley) is an American motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded in 1903, it is one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression along with i ...

between 1981 and 1989, and chairman from 1981 to 1996. He was inducted to the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2008.

Early life and education

An only child, Beals was born and raised in the

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

area. Although neither of his parents finished high school, Beals was a standout student and his high school guidance counselor encouraged him to apply to

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

instead of his first choice,

Northeastern University Northeastern University (NU or NEU) is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded by the Boston Young Men's Christian Association in 1898 as an all-male instit ...

. Beals earned bachelor's aeronautical engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After his earning his degree, he worked for Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

where he met and married his wife, Eleanore Woods. Subsequently, he returned to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and earned his master's degree in aeronautics. Beals then worked at

North American Aviation North American Aviation (NAA) was a major American aerospace manufacturer that designed and built several notable aircraft and spacecraft. Its products included the T-6 Texan trainer, the P-51 Mustang fighter, the B-25 Mitchell bomber, the F- ...

and

Cummins Cummins Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and distributes engines, electric vehicle components, and power generation products. Cummins also services engines and related equipmen ...

as engineer and executive. He was CEO, chairman, and president of Formac (

Washington Iron Works The Washington Winch sits in the forests of eastern Victoria (Australia), Victoria near Swifts Creek and is also known as the Washington Iron Works Skidder. Its rusting relics are close to Bentley Plain and the Moscow Villa hut which was built ...

) in Seattle, a company that made large engines and logging equipment. In 1975, Beals was recruited by the conglomerate American Machine and Foundry (AMF), where he was hired to oversee engineering of new products for

Harley-Davidson buyout and leadership

At the time Beals was hired, Harley-Davidson was struggling with quality control issues and sales of its motorcycles had decreased significantly, losing market share mostly to Japanese imports. Partly because AMF was unwilling to invest in the company, in 1981, Beals and 12 other investors, including Willie G. Davidson, initiated a highly leveraged $80 million buy out of Harley-Davidson that took the company private at the equivalent of 25 cents per share. After touring several Japanese motorcycle plants, Beals concluded that Harley-Davidson's problems were not foreign imports, but rather the company's own mismanagement. As a result, he initiated the use of just-in-time delivery and other manufacturing reforms, after seeing these practices in use at the Honda Marysville Motorcycle Plant in Ohio. Beals also directed a number of changes in the company's motorcycles designed to make them more comfortable to ride and operate. Beals also directed creation of Harley Owners Group in 1983, today the world's largest factory-sponsored motorcycle club. Following the successful buyout and turn-around of Harley-Davidson, Beals purchased the Holiday Rambler company, a manufacturer of recreational vehicles. The acquisition did not prove profitable, and Beals eventually sold the company for $50 million in 1996.

Retirement and later life

After his retirement from Harley-Davidson, Beals and his wife Eleanore Woods Beals, an alumna, established the Woods-Beals endowed chair at Buffalo State College in 2004. It was the institution's first endowed chair. Beals died at the age of 90 in Gig Harbor, Washington where he and his wife spent their summers. At the time of his death, he was survived by his wife of 67 years, their two daughters, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

References

External links

*, uploaded by AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame {{DEFAULTSORT:Beals, Vaughn 1928 births 2018 deaths MIT School of Engineering alumni Harley-Davidson executives Businesspeople from Massachusetts 20th-century American businesspeople