Excelsior-Henderson Motorcycle

The Excelsior-Henderson Motorcycle Company was founded by Dan Hanlon in Burnsville, Minnesota as Hanlon Manufacturing Company (HMC) in 1993, and thereafter legally changed its name to the Excelsior-Henderson Motorcycle Manufacturing Company. The company set as its mission to design and manufacture premium quality American-made cruiser and touring motorcycles. The company secured the motorcycle names from the past of Excelsior and Henderson previously owned by Ignatz Schwinn of the Schwinn companies, and proceeded to design and manufacture OEM proprietary motorcycles with design originality of the former Excelsior and Henderson motorcycles.

Mr. Hanlon had earlier started several companies and previously was employed with two Fortune 500 companies. He recruited a management team, which included Tom Rootness as Chief Financial Officer, Al Benz as Vice President of Engineering, Allan Hurd as Vice President of Manufacturing, and John LaVoie as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Mr. Hanlon's brother Dave Hanlon, and his wife Jennie Hanlon, also joined the company. From the time of inception through production, the company secured equity and debt financing of approximately $100 million, which included the new factory and finishing facility. Initially financing came from Mr. Hanlon and his family and friends. As the company grew, public and private debt, and private accredited investors were added to the equity mix, and ultimately the company conducted an IPO (BIGX) during 1997. The stock symbol BIGX was chosen in respect to the former Excelsior motorcycle company that had furnished USA military motorcycles to the World War I effort. The soldiers nicknamed the motorcycles, the "Big X" due to the large x emblazoned on the fuel tank.