The Harley-Davidson motorcycle company is known for its grand events and family feel, but perhaps the one thing they are infamous for is their apparel. Tee Bettelyoun is one of the Harley-Davidson employees in charge of selling their apparel.
Bettelyoun was born in Gary, Indiana, and was raised in the Portage area, graduating from Portage High School in 1989. She briefly lived in New Mexico but returned to Indiana to live in Michigan City, where she plans to stay. Bettelyoun has worked for the Harley-Davidson company for nine years at different locations. She initially worked at the Valparaiso location before she came to Michigan City.
Bettelyoun is the Motorclothes manager and buyer. She is in charge of the merchandise at the Michigan City location. Her day-to-day work is pretty routine, but she gets the chance to see new people and new events every day.
“When the season is busy, it can be a lot of fun. There is always an event going on that brings people from all over the world. Day-to-day, it's a lot of t-shirt folding and general cleaning to make sure the place looks great for every visitor,” Bettelyoun said.
Meeting new people at the huge events Harley-Davidson hosts is Bettelyoun’s favorite part of the job by far.
“I love meeting people from all over the world,” Bettelyoun said. “I have met people from Ireland, Australia, and England.”
The events at Harley-Davidson range anywhere from cook-off contests to bike and foot races. Bettelyoun gets to experience all of these events and share the Harley-Davidson merchandise with everyone around the world. Her job is extremely important in integrating the Harley-Davidson brand into fashion and into people’s everyday lives. Her role is crucial in spreading the love and family feel of the Harley-Davidson company.
The kind of people who come to these events are always full of excitement and adventure, so Bettelyoun gets to see all their bright happy faces while she is on the job.
“Nobody walks into a Harley shop in a bad mood, so I get to see the best of people all the time,” Bettelyoun said.
One of Bettelyoun’s favorite customers at the shop was an artist named Joel DeGrand, who created a beautiful picture of Bettelyoun on her motorcycle. DeGrand has unfortunately passed away, but left behind this beautiful picture of Bettelyoun to share with the world.
“He is a great example of the types of wonderful people you may encounter in our shop. I wanted to share him and his work with all of you,” Bettelyoun said.
Outside of work, Bettelyoun spends her time reading, playing video games, and attending events such as paint and sips and drag shows. However, the Harley-Davidson life is always her favorite.
Bettelyoun is also currently helping with marketing for a new movie called “Bulls” which is being filmed in Michigan City. She is hoping to be featured as an extra in the movie once it is filmed this spring. She encourages everyone to spread the word and check out the movie as soon as they can.