Hampton Roads Harley-Davidson
Honoring a Legend
June marked the one-year anniversary of the passing of Mary McDermott Cox Hughes, the much-loved founder and matriarch of Hampton Roads Harley-Davidson, Inc. Mike Carter, president and CFO, has worked with Mary and HRHD for over 40 years. He and Dave Charette, the company’s director of operations, are working together with Mary’s family and the company’s 65+ employees to ensure the business continues in a way that would make their boss proud. “Every person in HRHD was like a member of Mary’s family,” explains Mike, “whether you’ve been here for a week, a decade, or 25 years.”
Founded in 1978 by Mary and her husband, Chuck Cox, HRHD operates two authorized Harley-Davidson dealerships — one in Yorktown and one in Virginia Beach — as well as a retail store at the Virginia Beach oceanfront. The retail store was the first of its kind for Harley-Davidson and the brainchild of Mary. After Chuck’s unfortunate passing in 1996, Mary was left in charge of all aspects of the company.
“Mary was committed – not just to the company but to all its employees,” adds Dave. “We have a lot of co-workers who have been with us for more than two decades. Continuing to guide them are the HRHD “Ten Commandments” that Mary crafted decades ago and posted around the dealerships. “These core values include: ‘thou shalt not eat in the presence of a shopper/buyer’ and ‘thou shalt not gossip about co-workers or customers in the presence of a shopper/buyer.” Mike adds, “Mary was a firm believer that, for folks to work together, they had to get along.”
Mary McDermott Cox Hughes started Hampton Roads Harley-Davidson in 1978 along with her husband, Chuck Cox.
“I’ve been in the automotive and motorcycle dealership business my whole life and that’s not usually the case,” says Dave. “Often the different departments don’t get along that well. We don’t have that here. Everybody helps everybody. This is a unique company, a result of the culture Mary created.”
Mary’s legacy also extends out into the Hampton Roads community that she loved dearly. She made frequent donations to organizations like the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and she sponsored two graduating classes of An Achievable Dream Academy, providing full college scholarships for 68 area students.
Abbi Talanca leads the retail store at Hampton Roads Harley-Davidson, a dream that Mary knew would be profitable.
The company connected with TowneBank when Mary became friends with Susan Harris, retired president of the Peninsula region. Mary moved her personal accounts to Towne, and the business relationship followed in 2018. “Our commercial banker Kelly Peck is incredible. If you ask her a question and the answer isn’t evident, an hour later you’ll have the answer. You won’t have to wait long,” says Mike.
In closing, Mike shares that Mary’s keen instincts for both business and people meant that she herself rarely got it wrong. “We should make bracelets engraved with WWMD – to remind our colleagues ‘if you can’t figure out how to deal with a situation, just ask yourself: What Would Mary Do?’” Mary was designated as a Legendary Harley Dealer in 2024. An honorary “Rivet” was placed on the Legends Wall in the Motor Company’s Milwaukee headquarters. The employees of HRHD also honored Mary with a memorial brick paver in the newly opened Davidson Park, located at the site of the original H-D factory on Juneau Avenue in Milwaukee. Mary’s legend lives on.
For more information, visit HamptonRoadsHD.com.