Entrepreneur Goes Hog Wild   Ron Ameln Global Products International Capitalizes On Harley-Davidson Brand, Becomes Worldwide Firm St. Louis Small Business Monthly    October 2003    Rebecca Herwick has been riding motorcycles since she was seven years old, and she'll readily admit that her first love is Harley-Davidson motorcycles. So it should come as no surprise that Herwick, a former chemist at Mallinckrodt, turned her back on the corporate world to combine her love of Harley-Davidson motorcycles with her ambition to live the American dream. The result is Global Products International, Inc., a growing St. Peters company with $13 million in annual sales. Global Products is an official licensee for Harley-Davidson. The firm manufactures and distributes Harley-Davidson multimedia apparel, custom products, giftware and novelties around the world. Global Products is one of five office licensees for apparel in the nation, and the company is the only exclusive licensee dealer for decals and emblems. The company provides products to over 750 domestic dealers and to over 350 international dealers, who then sell to the public. Herwick is the first to admit she felt a bit out of place as a chemistry student at McKendree College and later as a chemist at Mallinckrodt. Believe it or not, she was the only chemist driving to work on a Harley-Davidson. "I loved chemistry, and I loved what I did, but I wasn't in an environment with people I socialized with," she said. She found her niche in 1983 when she and a partner began Global Products. At the time, the company was a distribution center for motorcycle-novelty products. "I loved it because I was in an environment where everybody was just like me," said Herwick, who became the firm's lone shareholder, president and chief executive after a reorganization in 1999. The company’s big break came in 1995, when it became an official licensee for Harley-Davidson. As the saying goes, timing is everything. Global Products rode the wave of Harley-Davidson's vast, worldwide popularity. After being close to bankruptcy in the 1970s, Harley-Davidson has become one of the nation's most successful and recognizable brands. The Harley brand is not about a means of transportation. It's about an attitude of freedom, unleashing the rebel inside and living your wild side. Harley sold $232 million worth of Harley-badged goodies last year—41% more than 2001. "We have a very niche market," Herwick said. "We have exclusivity in the decals and emblems and the custom products we produce. The only source for the dealers to get those products is from our company. “I would love to tell you our success was all from my tenacity and brains, but Harley-Davidson, at that time, was going through a remarkable growth. We were in the right place at the right time." The company's products number in the hundreds, everything from shirts, pants and ball caps to magnets, mouse pads and bumper stickers—all bearing the Harley-Davidson logo. "We've followed our original goal—the love of motorcycles. Harley-Davidson is an unbelievable success story. To be a licensee for it and a lover of motorcycles has been a dream come true." Global Products is now diversifying, offering licensed products for other companies. "Our doors are opening up right and left with people asking us to be a licensee," she said. "Several companies asked us to distribute their products for them internationally. We originally wanted to be a global distribution company. Now it is coming to fruition." With distribution centers in Canada and Germany, and with plans of opening another in the Pacific Rim, Global Products can be an ideal partner for a growing company branching out internationally. "Setting up distribution centers isn't easy for someone who has a new product," Herwick said. "We want to be a logistic solution worldwide." COMPANY SPOTLIGHT Born: August 31, 1958, San Antonio, Texas Family: Two sons, James Dean and John David Education: Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, McKendree College Job: President and CEO, Global Products International, Inc. Career: Chemist, Mallinkrodt Hobbies: Motorcycle riding, horse-back riding, fishing, golfing Books Recently Read: “The Heart of the Soul”, by Gary Zukav Heroes/Role Models: Mother and Margaret Thatcher Favorite Quote: “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” Toughest Business Challenge: Managing an international organization’s inventory levels and projections If I Could Have Another Job, I’d Like to Be: a physician

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