Many things were looking good for the 105-year-old motorcycle manufacturer; however, President and CEO James Ziemer needed to continue the company’s strong growth as many economists felt the economy was heading into a recession. Harley-Davidson had opened their first dealership in mainland China, and named Beijing FengHuoLun as the first authorized dealer. A Harley-Davidson museum was due to open in 2008 and sought to attract upwards of 350,000 tourists per year. CEO and President Ziemer worked his way up the ranks, starting 38 years ago as a freight elevator operator and most recently serving a 14-year stint at CFO, but now at the driver’s seat, he faced a different set of responsibilities. As noted by one analyst,