With all her success, she's Harley working.

• Author: Brown, Kathy
• Position: Motorcycle show management by Brenda Simpson

Brenda Simpson drew thousands of people to her motorcycle show in Concord each of its first two years. It has been named one of the nation's 50 best bike shows by the annual Biker's Atlas. Her new show in Wilmington is scheduled to open in the spring.

Funny thing is, Simpson doesn't ride or own a motorcycle. Late one night in 2003, while watching a motorcycle-building contest on TV, she decided she could stage a motorcycle show. So she formed Liquid Steel Productions in Cornelius and put on one--profitably.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

It's not as improbable as it seems. Simpson already had started two companies. A West Virginia native, she married a soldier who had been her high-school sweet-heart. After he was transferred to Fort Bragg, she studied to become a dental hygienist at Fayetteville Technical Community College. After he left the service, they moved to Charlotte in 1975 so he could go to UNC Charlotte. She took a job cleaning teeth. But she hadn't forgotten about Army life.

"Everywhere we went, getting telephone, electricity and gas hooked up was a major task while meeting moving vans and attending to all the other hassles of getting moved into a new home." In 1984, now divorced, she launched Making Connections Inc. To lure renters, apartment complexes paid her $35 per tenant to get the essential services hooked up, which then often required a visit to each service provider.

In its first year, the company handled more than 1,000 customers. She quickly added an apartment-finding service and later one that helped corporate executives find temporary housing. Clients included Circuit City. Making Connections...