HORN LAKE CHAMBER HONORS HARLEY- DAVIDSON FRANCHISE

The Commercial Appeal – Chris Van Tyyl

Posted July 28, 2011 at midnight

Larry Witherspoon can't promise that he'll be handing out awards at every Horn Lake Chamber of Commerce event, but the executive director is currently on a little bit of a hot streak.

Less than two weeks after the annual membership banquet at the DeSoto Civic Center, Witherspoon chose Horn Lake's LifeSpace, a mission outreach of CrossRoad Church, as the latest site for the chamber's Coffee Break. It was also where he awarded a Circle of Excellence plaque to Lisa Rossmeyer Wade, owner of the Southern Thunder Harley-Davidson dealership in Southaven.

"It's for people who have gone above and beyond in their profession," Witherspoon said.

The presentation was on the timely side, as Wade recently returned from Anaheim with the Platinum Bar and Shield as recognition for being one of the top six dealerships in the United States. According to Wade, there are 690 dealerships nationally.

"It's based on surveys ... your customer satisfaction, your customer retention and your business practices," she said. "There's about 19 different metrics that they look at and evaluate."

This year was the first time Harley-Davidson offered platinum. Southern Thunder garnered silver and gold status in 2009 and 2010, respectively. The business opened in Horn Lake in February 2006, before moving across the street from the DeSoto Civic Center in March 2010.

"Even though I've moved away," Wade said to her fellow chamber members, "Horn Lake has remained a great friend, both with Larry and (Mayor Nat Baker). They've been a great neighbor to me and I very much do appreciate that."

There have been four previous Circle of Excellence winners: Van Alexander (DeSoto County Schools), P. Carson Culver (M.R. Dye Public Library) and Keith and Penny Russell (Memphis Jellystone Park).

-- Chris Van Tuyl: (901) 333-2018