A MAJOR change is coming to Harley-Davidson’s main campus as the iconic motorcycle brand continues to face financial challenges.
The American brand shared that it sold 73,000 square feet of its Milwaukee campus.
Harley-Davidson announced a major change to its Milwaukee campus[/caption]
The motorcycle brand has been at the campus for 120 years[/caption]
Central Standard Craft Distillery will open up on the campus next summer[/caption]
Central Standard Craft Distillery will take over the large lot in Wisconsin next summer.
The distillery will have a full distillery production, a tasting room, distillery tours, private events and new job opportunities, according to a press release put out by the company.
The Harley-Davidson company, which has been on the property for 120 years, will continue to operate as usual.
“We started Central Standard Craft Distillery to be a part of Milwaukee and grow with it. This partnership and expansion continue to affirm that mission,” Central Standard’s co-founder and president, Pat McQuillan, said in a press release.
“With this purchase, we’re excited to deepen our roots in the city we love, and to show our commitment and investment in the Milwaukee community.”
In response to the purchase, a Harley-Davidson spokesperson said the company’s investment in the campus will help rejuvenate the area and make it a tourist destination.
The company recently unveiled Davidson Park, a 4.8-acre public park that it hopes will serve as a community hub.
Harley-Davidson announced it also plans to refurbish its wider campus.
“There is no brand more synonymous with Milwaukee than Harley-Davidson – with more than 120 years of continuous operations in the city, we could not be more proud to be investing in Juneau Avenue,” stated Tori Termaat, Chief Human Resources Officer, Harley-Davidson and President of the Harley-Davidson Foundation.
“Building on the great work spearheaded by the Harley-Davidson Foundation to rejuvenate the Juneau campus, we’re looking forward to it entering its next chapter.
“And as we enter our next phase of investment at Juneau Avenue, we’re excited to be welcoming Central Standard to the campus.”
The announcement of the incoming distillery coincides with declining sales across the Harley-Davidson company.
In the first quarter of 2025, Harley-Davidson reported a 21% decline in sales.
The company blames a “volatile macroeconomic environment” for the drop in sales, WPR reported.
“What we are getting back as feedback is that 60 percent of non-owners and roughly half of our existing owners, they feel that the current economic environment is causing them to delay a purchase,” Harley-Davidson Chief Executive Jochen Zeitz said on an earnings call.
In April, board member Jared Dourdeville resigned from the company, citing “cultural depletion,” Fox News reported.
Harley-Davidson’s uncertain future
- May 2020: Jochen Zeitz replaces Matthew Levatich as the company’s CEO
- April 2021: Zeitz implements the “Hardwire” five-year plan, in which the company focused on revamping its core touring line-up and focused on online sales through the HD-1 Marketplace
- April 2021: Harley-Davidson lost millions after it was threatened by a 56% tariff from the EU, which never came to fruition, Reuters reported
- December 2024: In the fourth quarter, the company reported a loss of $117 million, with domestic market share shrinking by 13 percent in the same period
- February 2025: The trade war between Europe and the Trump administration leads Harley-Davidson’s CEO to say the company would “fight aggressively” against any tariffs, Milwaukee Journal reported
- April 1, 2025: Board member Jared Dourdeville wrote a letter announcing he would resign from the board and called for Zeitz to retire, blaming him for the “cultural” depletion of the company
- April 8, 2025: Zeitz announced he planned to step down and will remain the CEO until a replacement is found
Dourdeville said he had “grave concerns over the current state of the company.”
In his resignation, he called for the removal of the company’s CEO, presiding director, and director.
Shortly after Dourdeville’s resignation, Harley-Davidson’s CEO, Jochen Zeitz, announced he planned on retiring after five years at the company.
The company is searching for his replacement.
