MotorcycleSeatBlog.com

Mustang Employees enjoying themselves at Six Flags New England (click for larger image)

Building the best motorcycle seats in the world can be exhausting, what with all the responsibilities that entails. But that’s just part of the job description here at Mustang Motorcycle Seats. When we work, we work hard.

Ah, but when we play, we squeeze every ounce of satisfaction out of the events that are planned for us down to the finest detail by our company’s “Supervisors of Fun.”

Take our recent company picnic, for example. We didn’t just head out to the nearest city park with a volleyball net and a Weber grill. No, siree. This year’s annual company picnic was held at Six Flags New England, a water park and amusement park located in Agawam, Mass.

We had 165 employees and their family members show up for a sweltering day of riding roller coasters, careening down water slides and then careening down water slides again.

We had our own lunch pavilion where everybody gathered for a meal, compared notes on the morning’s activities and plotted the fun for the rest of the afternoon. Sort of a funfest headquarters is what it was. Six Flags fitted us out with privacy, welcome shade and plenty of (more…)

Tam Nguyen, Mustang Stitcher and Trim Technician

If you look closely at just about any of our motorcycle seats, most likely you’ll see the fine craftsmanship of Tam Nguyen, a seven-year Mustang employee who patiently places those perfectly spaced stitches and conchos onto the covers of our seats and pads. She says she absolutely loves working here, and a bonus is our New England factory’s proximity to her home and two sons. Meet one of our favorite stitchers:

Mustang: What did you do prior to coming to work for Mustang?

Tam Nguyen: I worked for Cains Pickles of South Deerfield, Mass., for three and a half years. While working there, I was a machine operator running labeling machines, packing machines, packaging machines and other duties. We had five lines of manufacturing, and I even worked in inspection.

Mustang: What attracted you to work at Mustang?

TN: It was a long commute from my home in Palmer, Mass., to South Deerfield, so I was eager to get a job closer to home. Mustang was much closer, and I really liked the working schedule of 10-hour days with overtime on Fridays. I also had two friends who were in the sewing department at that time and it was comfortable for me to join a company where I already knew some people.

Mustang: What’s the best part of your job?

TN: I honestly love everything about my job. I get to sew a wide variety of seat covers, put in studs, tie conchos, make buttons from scratch and heat stamp our logo into the material. There’s such a wide variety of tasks and I really (more…)

During the workday, you’ll see Anton Gillylan and Mike Grimes grinding away in the fiberglass shop at Mustang Motorcycle Seats, creating the sturdy base for our company’s high-quality motorcycle seats. Anton’s a fiberglass chop technician and Mike is a fiberglass finish tech.

These two craftsmen are tasked with transforming raw materials into a motorcycle seat that is recognized around the biker community as among the best, and they perform this task day after day under one roof in Mustang’s New England-based manufacturing facility.

But it’s what these two Mustang employees do in their free time that is the topic of this blog post. Anton and Mike have talents that go far beyond the craftsmanship they display when helping build a motorcycle seat. These two bike techs are members of a band that just released its first CD out of its own studio in downtown Springfield, Mass.

The name of their seven-member band is Ryth-Mattik, and both Anton and Mike have been executive producers since the group was formed back in 2001. Anton, whose band name is A.J. or Aye Jitty, plays bass guitar. Mike’s band name is (more…)

Mustang Seats employee Jason Montanari says he’s been watching our product go out the door every day for the past five years. So when the opportunity arose to see our seats on a trio of Harleys, Jason was all over it. Seems he was coming back from a hike at Quabbin Reservoir with his mother when he spotted five Harleys parked off in the distance. Noting that three of the bikes sported Mustang seats, he and Mom moseyed over for a closer view.

Unfortunately, one of the riders spotted Jason and Mom hanging around so close to his coveted ride and he approached the pair with malice written all over his face. Watch this two-minute video to see what happened when Jason tried to explain his interest in the bikes to a very suspicious rider. It’s a pretty nice story, especially when told by this veteran Mustang seat maker.

Mike Bonneville

Mike Bonneville joined our team in October of 1999, starting out in Mustang’s fiberglass finish department. Truth be told, when he got here, this former demolition subcontractor was Mustang’s fiberglass finish department. Meet Mike and read what he’s got to say about his dozen years of helping create comfy motorcycle seats.

Mustang Seats: What did you do prior to coming to work for Mustang?

Mike Bonneville: I was a demolition technician. I ripped the guts out of houses, like doors, cabinets, radiators, appliances, doorjambs  and wire. I removed metals and prepared the houses for the wreckers. I did this for about six years and it was pretty fun working with jackhammers, fork lifts and Bobcats. I started driving a big Kodiak truck — a huge flatbed with 16 gears. I got this job through a friend of mine who would subcontract demolition work. They called me “The Sawzall Man” because I would cut pipe and conduit faster than anybody else.

Mustang: What attracted you to Mustang?

MB: I worked for a company delivering u-clips to Mustang and I noticed that Mustang was building motorcycle seats, which I found fascinating.  I knew an employee who worked at Mustang who became my “in.” I wanted to be around motorcycle parts, so my friend talked with the general manager at the time and I was offered a job as a fiberglass finish technician. At first, I was the only guy in the department; today our team can do four times as many seats per day as in the “old days” – how times have changed– how times have changed!

Mustang: What’s the best part of your job?

MB: I like (more…)

Mustang Employee Dave Staton (right) with Jay Barbieri

Dave Staton literally came in from the cold to work for Mustang and he’s been warming up to the task every since. He’s one of our crew that helps install the quality in our motorcycle seats and he doesn’t mind bragging about it one bit. To Dave, a good reputation is important, and that extends from his own personal life to his livelihood — Mustang Motorcycle Seats.

That being said, meet Dave:

Mustang: What did you do prior to coming to work for Mustang?

Dave Staton: Prior to working for Mustang, I held various management positions in manufacturing and warehousing with Friendly Ice Cream Corp. It was a challenging, minus-20 degrees F environment that required strict adherence to quality control standards. At one point I supervised three shifts for seven days a week and was instrumental in installing a half-million dollar package handling system.

Mustang: What attracted you to Mustang?

DS: Mustang presented me with an opportunity to get out of working in a cold freezer and take on the challenge of modernizing the shipping and receiving operations. After heading the warehouse operation for Mustang for 2.5 years, I was promoted to operations manager. My current position allows me to take the knowledge and skills I developed in the food industry — especially quality control and process management — and apply them to building motorcycle seats.

Mustang: What’s the best part of your job?

DS: The best part of my job is the satisfaction I get from (more…)

Mustang Vice President of Manufacturing, Gary Kendrick

It’s pretty obvious after chatting with Gary Kendrick, a Mustang Motorcycle Seat executive for the past 30 years, that he has a true passion for the design end of the motorcycle industry. And after reading the Q&A below, you might get the idea that he gets a special kick out of road testing his designs!

Mustang Motorcycle Seats: What did you do prior to coming to work for Mustang?

Gary Kendrick: It’s always been motorcycles. When I was 13, I inherited my first bike — a Honda 50cc. Also at age 13 I bought my first welder. By the time I was 18 years old in the early ’70s, I was working in a Ducati, Norton dealership, building turbo car engines and racing at Lime Rock Park in western Connecticut. I started working at Corbin-Gentry when I was 19 and was eventually responsible for full seat design. Then in June of 1981, I began building seat tooling and cover patterns for Mustang Motorcycle Seats.

MMS: What attracted you to Mustang?

GK: It was the diverse challenge of sculpting raw steel, fiberglass, foam and leather into comfortable works of art. Plus, I get to attend all the major motorcycle shows — Daytona, Myrtle Beach, Sturgis — what could be better. Oh yeah, and I get to road test everything I design!

MMS: What’s the best part of your job?

GK: That would be the freedom of getting in there hands-on and bringing ideas to life. Most people will just see a finished seat or a motorcycle accessory. I see my hefty 500-pound, steel-crushing die that formed the base of the seat plus the hand-carved foam that will be duplicated to perfection through our creative molding system. I see the curvaceous cover pattern lines critiquing every stitch, and the knowledge that I played a role in putting them there. And yes, I’ve sewn the first of almost every Mustang seat we’ve created. My job entails all aspects of building, photography and pattern making, so I’ve got no time to be bored. And again, I get to road test all that I design!

MMS: When you’re not working, what do you like to do in your spare time?

GK: Travel, photography, bicycling — I know — borrring!!! But really, I’m always building or thinking about altering anything mechanical for function, longevity or speed. Did I mention yet that I get to road test all that I design?

MMS: What’s your all-time favorite Mustang part or accessory?

GK: I would have to say the (more…)

In touch businesses provide their customers with a blog that not only offers advice, news and features about the company and its products, but also puts a face on the people who work there. Here at Mustang Motorcycle Seats, you tend to find a lot of people who not only ride bikes, but also are passionate about their recreational means of transportation.

Mike Panasci, VP of Mustang Motorcycle Products, Inc.

For most of them, it’s a dream come true — working in an industry chock full of motorcycle parts and accessories. The passion for their pastime is evident in their work. They’re doing what they were born to do and often it’s the customer who benefits.

One of those people who helps make this happen is Mike Panasci, our vice president — a leading personality at Mustang,

Mustang Motorcycle Seats: What did you do prior to coming to work for Mustang?

Mike Panasci: I’ve been in the motorcycle industry now for more than 40 years, starting at a Honda franchise the day I turned 16. A few years later, I switched to a large aftermarket shop in Connecticut during which time I received my college degree in Business.

MMS: What attracted you to Mustang?

MP: Our shop had done business with Mustang for years and developed quite a good relationship with Mustang. After a total of 15 years in retail, it was time to try something else. Since it was close to my home, a position with Mustang seemed like a nice fit.

MMS: What’s the best part of your job?

MP: This will seem like a cliché, but I’ve got a very nice position with a company in the industry that is absolutely my passion. I jump around from department to department (sales, marketing, graphics, production, etc.) and with my hyper personality, it suits me just fine. (more…)

One of the first things you learn about business blogging is that it allows you to put your company’s personality on display. Why would a business like Mustang Motorcycle Seats choose to do something like that? Because unlike businesses in other verticals (think bottle manufacturing, for example), the motorcycle aftermarket parts & accessories industry was spawned by the very same people who ride bikes, and for most of them – in addition to the great products they made – it was their personalities that made them mainstays in the space. In other words, motorcycle people tend to work at motorcycle companies, and we’ve all got a story to tell!

Today we’re pleased to introduce you to Mustang’s leading personality – our founder and president, Al Simmons.

Al Simmons, Founder & President - Mustang Motorcycle Products

Q: What compelled you to start Mustang Motorcycle Products?

A: I was a bored mechanical engineer sitting at a drafting table in the winter of 1971.  There was an ad in the paper for a motorcycle accessory salesman to travel the country and make “$30-50,000 per year.” Well, I got the job and started working for a tattooed visionary named Mike who made motorcycle seats out of a rented house in the Connecticut woods. The business was Corbin-Gentry.

I was put on the road selling seats to dealers in most of the states east of the Mississippi, driving hundreds of thousands of miles in order to do so. After about three years, I was promoted to Sales Manager and traded my van for a real office.

In 1980, things changed at Corbin-Gentry; Mike sold his interest in the company and moved to California. I started my own business, becoming one of their distributors as well as a supplier of die-cast chrome replacement Harley components. (Interesting story that I’ll save for another time, but I partnered for a few years with a fellow who owned a casting company and a World War II fighter plane, a P-51 Mustang.)

In less than a year, supply problems forced me to become a seat manufacturer myself.  I bought a two-person, custom seat operation in Massachusetts, and the rest – some 30 years later – is as they say history.  A lot of hard work, borrowed money, many new employees and good luck led to a full line of “Mustang” seats in time for the 1982 Cincinnati Dealer Show.

Q: What’s the best part of your job?

A: Not to sound corny, but I really enjoy the people. I enjoy the motorcyclists. They are the force behind the growth of Mustang and the success of our seats. I enjoy the dealers.  From Mom & Pop shops to owners of the largest, multiple-location stores, they’re all wonderful to work with.

I also enjoy the competitors. Although we compete for market share, most of us operate independently in design and direction, and it’s rewarding to work within a small fraternity of what could be considered life members.

Finally, last but certainly not least, I enjoy my employees. It is extremely satisfying to be able to provide stimulating careers to Mustang’s family of over a hundred hard-working individuals.

Q: What kind of motorcycle do you ride?

A: I have several Harleys but I spend most of my street riding time on either my Road King or Yamaha V-Star 1300.

Q: What’s your favorite Mustang product?

A: My answer would probably change every year as we design and manufacture new products but, for this year’s riding season, I’d have to say it’s our new Wide Tripper with Driver Backrest.    It’s low and sleek but still gives you a really comfortable ride.

Q: From Mustang’s perspective, what specifically are you most looking forward to over the next 12 to 18 months?

A: Same as what most of us in the industry are probably hoping for — that new motorcycle unit sales rebound to at least half of what they lost.

Q: If you could take a week or so off from work and ride your motorcycle anywhere in the world, where would you go and who would you take with you?

A: That’s easy. I’d like to take a long, leisurely ride up the Pacific Coast Highway with my wife — and I can guarantee you that we both will be riding in comfort!

Thanks, Al, for opening up and sharing some really great information.

Look for another “Meet the Team” post to appear here on our blog within the next month or so. In the meantime, if you have a question of your own for Al, ask it by clicking on the Comment link below!