MILWAUKEE--Harley-Davidson says president and chief executive officer Jim Ziemer plans to retire next year.
The company says in a news release Ziemer told the board of directors that he intends to retire in 2009, ending his 40-year career with the Milwaukee motorcycle maker.
He says he'll stay on until a new CEO is found. The board has formed a search committee to find a candidate.
Ziemer is a native of Milwaukee and grew up in the neighborhood next to the company's original factory in the city. He started working for Harley in 1969 as a freight elevator operator while attending the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. When he graduated, he joined the company's accounting department. He was named financial chief in 1990 and president and CEO in 2005.
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