Local Businessman Receives "Champion Recognition Award”

Date: June 7, 2011
Contact: Ace Crawford, 605-574-3185

KEYSTONE, SD - The National Park Service Midwest Regional Office Director, Michael Reynolds, has announced that Jim Burgess and Black Hills Harley-Davidson are the recipients of a 2011 Midwest Region Partnership Award. Black Hills Harley-Davidson is being recognized under the Midwest Region Champion award category for providing significant philanthropic support to the National Park Service. The Partnership Awards were created to recognize successful community and interagency partnerships that are integral to promoting the National Park Service mission both within and beyond park boundaries.

Burgess and Black Hills Harley-Davidson were nominated by Mount Rushmore National Memorial Superintendent Cheryl Schreier, and were selected from a field of several nominees.

Through the leadership of Jim Burgess, one of the owners of Black Hills Harley-Davidson, Mount Rushmore National Memorial has had the unique opportunity of receiving a Police Edition Harley-Davidson Motorcycle for use under a donation agreement. The value of the donation is estimated at approximately $17,000 for fiscal year 2011. Black Hills Harley-Davidson has donated the motorcycle for multiple years concurrently, and Memorial officials have valued this particular gift at a level in excess of $150,000 in the aggregate.

The motorcycle is used by park Law Enforcement, Security, and Emergency Services (LESES) personnel. The specialized motorcycle provides visitors a safe and enjoyable experience by increasing availability, accessibility, and visibility of LESES services to the public. Given the Memorial’s icon status, the LESES branch requires appropriate equipment to fulfill the agency mission, at all times, but especially during periods of peak visitation. Combining its visibility, versatility, and efficiency, the use of a Harley-Davidson Police Model Motorcycle offers optimum service, reliability, and utility in assisting LESES personnel in the performance of its mission.

Schreier emphasized the importance of partnerships, "Thanks to the wonderful partnership with Jim Burgess and Black Hills Harley-Davidson, the use of the motorcycle has proven to be highly successful in emergency response and traffic control at Mount Rushmore. It is through the generous support of philanthropic donors like Black Hills Harley-Davidson that Mount Rushmore National Memorial is able to safely accommodate the millions of annual visitors," said Schreier.

Burgess and Black Hills Harley-Davidson are proud to be partners with the National Park Service at Mount Rushmore, "We at Black Hills Harley-Davidson recognize that Mount Rushmore is key to western South Dakota’s economic development and has been the cornerstone to our tourism for the last 84 years. We would like to thank Regional Director Reynolds, Superintendent Schreier, the National Park Service, and Mount Rushmore National Memorial, for this tremendous honor."

Additionally, as a result of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, other park units and other government agencies are exploring the utilization of Harley-Davidson law enforcement motorcycles through community partnerships and/or strategic partnering.