Bruce Rossmeyer Killed in Motorcycle Accident in Wyoming.
Harley dealer struck by an RV in Wyoming on the way to Sturgis.
Bruce Rossmeyer
A family friend of Rossmeyer's said he was riding in a group of several motorcyclists when they pulled out to pass a recreational vehicle. Rossmeyer was the last in line and was killed when the RV strayed into his lane and struck his motorcycle.
According to Lt. Shawn Dickerson of the Wyoming Higway Patrol, Rossmeyer was traveling east on Wyoming Highway 28 between Farson and Lander about 11 a.m. with five other motorcyclists when they came up to a pickup pulling a camp trailer and tried to pass. "The pickup slowed and activated his left signal," Dickerson said. "Four of the motorcycles passed to the left... When Mr. Rossmeyer attempted to pass, the truck made its left turn and he hit the driver's side door. The sixth motorcycle swerved to the right and avoided collision."
Rossmeyer, who was not wearing a helmet, was ejected from his bike and came to rest under the rv trailer, Dickerson said.
Dickerson described the road as "straight, dry and flat." He said the "extremely rural road" is an option to Sturgis, but not the primary way to travel there.
After a career in the automobile business, Rossmeyer opened Daytona Harley-Davidson in January of 1994 and he followed that up with New Smyrna Harley-Davidson in 1997, Grand Junction Harley-Davidson in 1997, Ft. Lauderdale Harley-Davidson in 1998, Harley-Davidson of Pompano in 2002, and Aspen Valley Harley Davidson in 2002. In 2006, he opened another South Florida dealership, Sunrise Harley-Davidson, and Southern Thunder Harley-Davidson in Horn Lake, Mississippi.
Rossmeyer also is the developer of Destination Daytona and co-owner of two area auto dealerships in South Florida. His biggest dealership is also a sponsor of the Buell team that currently fields Danny Eslick in the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike class.
Rossmeyer, 66, lived in Ormond Beach. He is survived by his wife, Sandy; five children; and several grandchildren.
Bruce Rossmeyer staked his claim as the world's largest Harley-Davidson dealer, amassing an empire of 15 dealerships and stores across the nation, including his crown jewel, Destination Daytona off Interstate 95.
He made his face and name synonymous with motorcycles on TV commercials and massive highway billboards. Using his blockbuster persona, he promoted Daytona Beach's Bike Week and his favorite charities.
"He was in that moment that he lived for. He was doing what he loved to do," said Richie Supa, a fellow biker and musician who performed at Rossmeyer's charity events. "How ironic it is for him to be on a motorcycle in one of the most beautiful riding territories in the U.S.
"It's sad, but he couldn't have picked a better spot on God's earth to feel that freedom when you ride."
Rossmeyer was traveling with friends on his way to the 69th annual Sturgis motorcycle rally, one of the nation's largest. He had recently left Colorado, where he owns two dealerships.
The Wyoming Highway Patrol said Rossmeyer and five other bikers were headed east on Highway 28 in Sweetwater County when they were trailing a Ford pickup pulling a double-axle camper-style trailer.
The truck driver, Robert L. VanValkenburg, 73, of Rock Springs, Wyo., slowed down and began making a left turn when Rossmeyer tried to pass him, the Highway Patrol said. Rossmeyer, who was not wearing a helmet, struck the driver's-side door. VanValkenburg's turn signals and brake lights were working at the time of the crash, the report said.
In Sturgis, news of his death shocked the many bikers who had arrived at the rally, said Woody Woodruff, owner of Buffalo Chip Campground, a Sturgis landmark.
"His death is going to change the entire motorcycle industry," Woodruff said. "You have movers and shakers, and Bruce was definitely a mover and shaker. He made things happen. You lose someone like that and it creates a big void."
Born in New Brunswick, N.J., Rossmeyer built his first career as an automotive dealer, starting with his own Dodge dealership in New Jersey in 1969.
A longtime motorcycle rider, he opened a Harley-Davidson dealership in Daytona Beach, almost as a hobby. "I thought this would be neat to mess around on weekends and have some fun," Rossmeyer said in a 2007 interview with the Orlando Sentinel.
But that 1994 opening of the Daytona dealership coincided with the dramatic jump in motorcycle sales. During the next decade, Harley-Davidsons and the whole biker culture roared into the mainstream, becoming a billion-dollar business, and Rossmeyer enjoyed the ride.
He continued to expand his Harley empire, opening dealerships in New Smyrna Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Pompano Beach, as well as in Colorado, Massachusetts, Mississippi and the Graceland-themed dealership in Memphis, Tenn.
The crown jewel of his empire was the 109,000-square-foot Destination Daytona in Ormond Beach, a 150-acre resort for bikers with hotels, condos, restaurants and stores anchored by his big-box-size dealership, which ranks as the world's largest Harley dealership. It opened in 2005 as Bike Week hit its peak in Daytona Beach and was attracting a half-million bikers to town.
Rossmeyer never envisioned he would become such a motorcycle magnate and credited his success to hard work, luck, family support and good timing.
He reveled in building a business that he called "Halloween for adults."
"You can dress up, put on your leathers, go act like you're a biker and on Monday morning, go back to Wall Street," he said in a Sentinel interview.
Rossmeyer was a major fundraiser and benefactor for several charities, including Camp Boggy Creek, Boys & Girls Clubs of Volusia/Flagler Counties and of Broward County, and Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Broward.
Daytona Beach police Chief Mike Chitwood said Rossmeyer's dealership supplies his department with a dozen Harley-Davidsons, for a mere $150 a year.
"He always would grab you with that big paw of a hand and say, 'Chief, don't be afraid to call me.' He had the look: 'I'm doing this because I believe in it.'"
"It's a tremendous loss also for this community," Daytona Beach Mayor Glenn Ritchey said. "Bruce was not only a friend. He was a great community leader."
At heart, Rossmeyer was just a teddy bear, his friend Supa said. "He loved to laugh. He was just a very fun guy."
