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Ken Schmidt

Ken Schmidt

Former Director of Communications for Harley-Davidson

The former director of communications for Harley-Davidson Motor Company played an active role in one of the most celebrated turnarounds in corporate history.

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Bio

Full Bio

The former director of communications for Harley-Davidson Motor Company played an active role in one of the most celebrated turnarounds in corporate history. He’s since advised executive leaders of many of the world’s best-known brands, delivered more than one thousand keynote presentations, written two best-selling books and created a popular business podcast.
He’s widely respected as one of the business community’s most outspoken, provocative, and entertaining thought leaders on competition, loyalty, human behavior, workplace culture, brand management, positioning and reputation management — and how each of those topics impacts the others.

The longtime motorcycle enthusiast’s formal association with Harley-Davidson began in 1985. As a specialist in corporate positioning and financial relations, he was asked to work with the struggling company to help restore its image, improve its competitiveness, create demand for its motorcycles and attract investors. Within a few short years, as sales of its motorcycles rocketed upward, Harley-Davidson became one of the most respected, competitively dominant, profitable and frequently reported-on companies in the world.

Today, Schmidt’s focused on his greatest passions, motorcycling, speaking and helping business leaders to improve their competitiveness. In addition to “Make Some Noise: The Unconventional Road To Dominance,” he also ghost-wrote, “100 Years of Harley-Davidson,” the best-selling motorsports book of all time. In 2021, he launched, “Tailgating With Geniuses,” a highly successful business and entertainment podcast.

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Topics

Topics

Fierce Loyalty: Dominating In A Commoditized Market
Thrive Among Thorns: Untapped Growth Opportunities For Financial Services
Building Tattoo-Worthy Customer Relationships

Videos

Videos

Ken Schmidt | Customer Loyalty Speaker | TCC Global Talk
Inspirational Ken Schmidt speaks on Creating an Emotional Connection

Books

MAKE SOME NOISE
MAKE SOME NOISE

News

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Salt Lake Community College

It was a great pleasure to work with PDA Group! The communication was always prompt, friendly and helpful. We loved the speakers and events we booked through Mr. Peter Walker (PDA Group).

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Ferris State University

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