DEALERSHIP HISTORY

Until January 2006, Essex County Harley-Davidson was known as Steele’s Harley-Davidson of Essex. The following is a profile of Glenn Steele by June Anderson, published in the Essex County HOG Ties, January, 2005..

I stopped into Glenn’s office unexpectedly one evening last month just before the Chapter Christmas party and asked if I could have a minute of his time. An hour later we were still talking and I had discovered that the Steele family has been involved with motorcycles longer that most of you probably realize. Getting to know Glenn has to begin with an understanding of his family’s history.

The next time you walk by Glenn’s office, take a look at the newspaper advertisement on the back wall, and check out the business card for his great grandfather. John Steele owned an Indian motocycle dealership in Paterson and advertised his bikes “for sport and business.” And no, that’s not a typo – they were motocycles without the “r” back then.

Glenn’s grandfather, Orie Steele, was a world champion hill climber for the Indian Company.  Those of you who have been to the Freemansburg Hill Climb will agree he must have been quite a guy.  Orie Steele also owned an Indian dealership in Trenton.  Hard times during the depression put both John and Orie Steele out of business.

In 1955, Glenn’s father, William Steele, along with a brother and an uncle, bought the Carl Bush Harley-Davidson dealership in Bloomfield. At that time they were located across the street from what is now Ricardi Paints. They remained at that site until 1967 when they moved to their current location.

Glenn grew up in Nutley and started working at the dealership on Saturdays when he was10 years old. His first job was unpacking parts and putting them away.  He also worked at the counter and then when he was about 14, started putting motorcycles together. From 1960 to 1993, Steele’s was also a Yamaha dealership, and those bikes came into the shop practically unassembled. It was a tremendous amount of work to put all the pieces together. The Yamaha franchise was sold in 1993.

When they moved to the current site, Glenn worked mainly in the parts department and was also in charge of the “chrome exchange.” Customers would bring in a part to be chromed and receive a replacement chromed part on the spot. The customer’s part would then be sent out to be chromed and ready for the next person needing that part. He also learned the art of building chrome wheels – not an easy task. In 1972, Glenn graduated from Steven’s Institute in Hoboken with an engineering degree and began working full-time at the dealership as Parts Manager. In 1980, when his father retired, Glenn bought the business.

The early 1980’s were hard times for the Harley-Davidson Company. The company was privately owned and deep in debt. The renaissance of the company began in 1984 with the introduction of the evolution engine and the production of a superior product. Then, in 1985, Harley-Davidson went public and with this infusion of capital, the company took off. It also helped that celebrities like Jay Leno appeared with their Harleys and the image of a “biker” began to change. The Harley success story continues to this day.

So what’s in store for Glenn and the dealership in the future? Well, there will be a new building increasing the space to at least 28,000 square feet. Where? Glenn would like to stay at the current site on Bloomfield Avenue. It’s a good location and easy to reach off the Parkway, but that would involve building in stages. Alternatively, it might be possible to move to temporary quarters while the current building is demolished and a new structure built. There is also the possibility of moving to an entirely new location and Glenn is actively looking at properties. Whatever happens, the new facility will include an area for chapter meetings and other H.O.G activities. I suspect that no one will miss those winter meetings in the Service Department!

You may have run into a few other members of Glenn’s family at the dealership.  Glenn’s son Justin and daughter Alana both graduated from college and now work at the dealership. His son Adam has also worked at the dealership in the summer, but now is attending Georgia Tech and working toward a doctorate in physics. Glenn and his wife, Maria, live in Springfield.

A landmark will be reached next year when the dealership will celebrate 50 years of business (1955-2005). In January, Glenn will receive an award for this accomplishment at the winter dealership meeting in Texas. Take the time to congratulate Glenn on the success he has achieved and support your dealership!

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