Ask the Editors: What Ever Happened to US Highland?
Dear ATVC: A while ago you ran a piece on an American quad company that was making custom ATVs and motorcycles for its customers. I can’t recall the name of them right now but was wondering if they were still around?
The company was US Highland and, despite suffering some terrible setbacks, we hear they’re still alive and well in Tulsa, OK.
On Feb. 23, 2010, US Highland opened a brand new 33,000-square-foot facility in OK with goals of building 700 units that initial year and over double that number (1,500) in 2011. The company even announced an agreement with a major OEM to custom build machines.
Then tragedy struck. On July 10, 2010, the company’s founders and CFO, were killed in a plane crash on the way back from a business meeting. An interim COO was appointed three days after the crash. 30 employees maintained their jobs, down from the 200-300 anticipated when the factory was built, while management looked to secure financing.
Shortly thereafter, the facility’s doors were locked, most of the 30 employees let go and it looked like that’s where the story was going to end. Then, by 2011, some funds were secured and a new CEO (John Fitzpatrick III) was brought on board.
As it stands, it appears the company is still offering custom built 450 and 950cc packages on a client by client basis. A lot more information can be foundby exploring their official site here.
