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

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

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

between 1981 and 1989, and chairman from 1981 to 1996. He was inducted to the

Motorcycle Hall of Fame The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum is an offshoot of the American Motorcyclist Association, recognizing individuals who have contributed to motorcycle sport, motorcycle construction, or motorcycling in general. It also displays motorcycles ...

in 2008.

Early life and education

An only child, Beals was born and raised in the

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

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 land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

instead of his first choice,

Northeastern University Northeastern University (NU) is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Boston. Established in 1898, the university offers undergraduate and graduate programs on its main campus as well as satellite campuses in ...

. Beals earned bachelor's

aeronautical engineering Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: Aeronautics, aeronautical engineering and Astronautics, astronautical engineering. A ...

at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After his earning his degree, he worked for

Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory Calspan Corporation is a science and technology company founded in 1943 as part of the Research Laboratory of the Curtiss-Wright Airplane Division at Buffalo, New York. Calspan consists of four primary operating units: Flight Research, Transportati ...

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

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 that designs, manufactures, and distributes engines, filtration, and power generation products. Cummins also services engines and related equipment, including fuel systems, controls, air ...

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 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 1942 by firetower m ...

) in Seattle, a company that made large engines and logging equipment. In 1975, Beals was recruited by the conglomerate

American Machine and Foundry American Machine and Foundry (known after 1970 as AMF, Inc.) was one of the United States' largest recreational equipment companies, with diversified products as disparate as garden equipment, atomic reactors, and yachts. The company was founde ...

(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 William Godfrey "Willie G." Davidson (born 1933) is an American businessman and motorcycle designer, and the former senior vice president & chief styling officer of Harley-Davidson Motor Company. He was also the head of Harley-Davidson's Willie ...

, 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 The Marysville Motorcycle Plant was a Honda manufacturing facility located eight miles northwest of Marysville, Ohio. The assembly plant opened in 1979 as American Honda Motor Company's first production facility in the United States. It was on the ...

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 The Harley Owners Group (HOG) is a sponsored community marketing club, operated by Harley-Davidson for enthusiasts of that brand's motorcycles. The HOG is "the grandaddy of all community-building efforts," serving to promote not just a consumer ...

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 Holiday Rambler Corporation is an American corporation which primarily manufactures recreational vehicles. It was founded in 1953. In 1961, Holiday Rambler’s introduction of aluminum body framing ushered in a new era of lighter, stronger and mor ...

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 The State University of New York College at Buffalo (colloquially referred to as Buffalo State College, SUNY Buffalo State, Buffalo State, or simply Buff State) is a public college in Buffalo, New York. It is part of the State University of Ne ...

in 2004. It was the institution's first endowed chair. Beals died at the age of 90 in

Gig Harbor, Washington Gig Harbor is the name of both a bay on Puget Sound and a city on its shore in Pierce County, Washington,. The population was 12,029 at the 2020 census. Gig Harbor is one of several cities and towns that claim to be "the gateway to the Olympic ...

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