Buell Motorcycle Co.

Based in Grand Rapids, Buell Motorcycle Co. is revving up for a new model and company growth with assistance from the MEDC’s Collateral Support program

Founded in Wisconsin in 1983, Buell Motorcycle Co. has been setting the standard for motorcycles for decades. Following financial hardship, Bill Melvin acquired the company and moved it to Michigan, where it was relaunched in 2021. Now based in Grand Rapids, Buell is on a fast track to success thanks to the state’s strong mobility ecosystem and programs that support its growth.

“The reason we moved it to Michigan is we felt very strongly that it's a great, ripe state for having an OEM manufacturing company,” said Bill Melvin, CEO of Buell. “We utilize and leverage the amazing partnerships and groups in Michigan that are engineering, tooling, supply chain, different component manufacturers and different testing facilities. We’re the highest performance two-wheel motorcycle in America, and now here we are in Michigan. We’re utilizing the talent, the people and the programs that are available to help us grow here in the state.”

Since moving to Michigan, Buell has been ramping up production. The company’s new Super Cruiser, announced in 2023 and designed by the renowned American motorcycle racer and designer Roland Sands, is already gaining worldwide attention. Since the introduction of the concept motorcycle, Buell has taken $120,000,000 in pre-orders for the Super Cruiser. With plans to launch in the next year, the Super Cruiser is poised to help the company’s growth and notoriety in the powersports space.

Melvin says he collaborated with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) for a couple of years to learn about programs that would help support the company’s growth plans. Through the MEDC’s Collateral Support program, the company was provided $3,992,000 collateral support on an $8 million working capital line of credit.

“As we were going through which program was the best fit and talking to the MEDC, we found the need for a program that assists us with buying our inventory and working with our accounts receivable as we're starting to sell this product out into the marketplace,” said Melvin. “That's been a significant help for us. We're buying a lot of inventory and ramping up before the production start. The Collateral Support program has been instrumental in helping us prepare for that. We would not have been able to do it without the MEDC.”

The Capital Access team worked with Lake Michigan Credit Union on the loan.

“LMCU was proud to partner with the MEDC to help Buell Motorcycle Company obtain the capital they needed to scale up operations to introduce exciting new models like their Super Cruiser and to begin exporting their American-made motorcycles internationally.  It’s our privilege to support local small businesses and help our communities thrive,” said Michael J. VanWyk, VP of commercial lending at LMCU.

“We needed an intelligent, adept bank to work with, and we had some relationships with people at LMCU,” said Melvin. “They understand our business, the path that we're on and the growth that's in front of us. They were very quick to connect with the MEDC, and we're grateful for that. The team at LMCU has been amazing.”

With the collateral support, Buell is working to launch the new Super Cruiser model and build out an export program to begin selling existing and future models in Canada and overseas. In addition, the company secured a $5 million international trade loan with the Small Business Administration as part of the overall project. Buell plans to add just under 100 jobs in the next two years.

Looking to grow your small business? Learn more about the MEDC’s Capital Access program.