Marine Corps Harley Accessories

Anoop Prakash | Man behind the machine

On a steamy August afternoon in New Delhi, Anoop Prakash, managing director of Harley-Davidson India, allows himself the luxury of a cold glass of Stella Artois beer in the middle of a working day. Prakash, 38, is wearing blue denims and a shirt that has the Harley legend emblazoned across the chest. He’s 15 minutes early for an interview he kindly consented to do at less than 24 hours notice.

Perhaps this promptness comes from his years as an officer in the US Marine Corps, where he was once deployed to Kosovo at a day’s notice. “Check your weapons and gear, take care of your affairs as well as you can and get on to a C-130 to Kosovo,” Prakash recalls. “We had no idea what the briefing was, or how long we would be there. Even though that’s what we are trained for, it was still crazy going through it.”

Clearly, the maker of such formidable and iconic bikes as the Fat Boy and the Iron 883 needed an equally formidable man to push through its ambitious plans for India.

“I’ve always been interested in places of excellence, and the excellence you see in the Marines is second to none,” Prakash says. “So it was a personal challenge. I wanted to see if I could do it. Joining Harley was no different, and bringing Harley to India was no small job. I felt like I could make a difference.”

That bit about excellence is neither an empty boast, nor an exaggeration—Prakash, whose parents emigrated to the US in 1968, went to Stanford University as an undergraduate, and to Harvard Business School for an MBA after his stint with the Marines. He was a consultant with McKinsey & Co., one of the world’s leading management consulting firms, from 2001-03 and worked as deputy chief of staff to the secretary of housing in 2008-09, the final year of the George W. Bush administration, a time when the US government was trying to recover from a spectacular housing crash.

Hot wheels: Prakash says Harley is getting a lot of customer feedback so they can tweak their bikes to make them more relevant to the Indian market.

Roadways, motorcycle ride to honor 'Tony Wojo' | Consider This ...

Community Press Staff Report

BATAVIA – Clermont County officials will hold a ceremony in Union Township at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6, to designate portions of Eastgate Boulevard, Ferguson Drive and Ivy Pointe Boulevard as “Wojo’s Way.”

The name change will be in honor of U.S. Marine Corps SSgt. Mark Anthony Wojciechowski, known to his friends and family as “Tony Wojo,” who died April 30, 2009, while taking part in combat operations in Iraq.

The ceremony will be held at the first traffic round-a-bout that links Eastgate Boulevard to Ferguson Drive. The designation will include an inscribed boulder that says “Wojo’s Way.”

“We are proud to be able to dedicate these roads in honor of a very special young man,” said Clermont County Engineer Pat Manger. “Wojo’s Way pays tribute to the young hero who used to ride his bike to work through the very area where the boulder bearing his name will be displayed.”

Wojciechowski’s mom Teresa Dillinger said her son joined the Marines when he was 17-years-old and attending Glen Este High School and the Live Oaks Career Center.

“Tony loved everything about the Marine Corps,” said Dillinger. “He was brilliant, fun, strong, full of life and a great friend to many at home and across the United States. His dedication to duty equaled his passion for life. He was truly a very well-rounded, well-grounded dedicated son, brother, Marine and friend.”

Dillinger said her son would be honored by the tribute.

The marine’s family is preparing for the second annual motorcycle memorial ride, which will be at Saturday, Sept. 17. Proceeds from the event go to the Remembering Tony “Wojo” Scholarship through the Cincinnati Scholarship Foundation.

The ride also will feature live music by Encore, a live and silent auction, split the pot and cornhole toss.

Last year, 115 motorcycles and 155 riders participated and two scholarships were presented in Tony Wojo’s honor.

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