By Sarah Knight, Klipsch Communications Manager

Let’s face it. Mondays are usually a drag. After all, who enjoys giving up personal freedom for the sake of financial survival? But for me, Monday, December 3, 2007, will forever remain the coolest day of my professional—and possibly personal—life. It was the day I met the famous Teutul ‘American Chopper’ trio—Paul Sr., Paulie and Mikey.

They were building a custom Klipsch bike for an episode of American Chopper and had just named us their preferred audio supplier for the new OCC headquarters that is currently under construction. My involvement would help publicize the partnership.

The Journey Begins

On that memorable Monday, my alarm went off at 4:30 a.m. and rather than slowly dragging myself out of bed, I jumped up like a kid on Christmas morning. While really excited, I was also very nervous. I only had four hours to spend at Orange County Choppers and if one of my flights got delayed—I had a layover—I would miss my once-of-a-lifetime opportunity. And if I did, in fact, get there as scheduled, how was I going to act upon meeting the Teutuls? I wasn’t sure what my reaction would be; was I going to come across as an overzealous fan or a deer in headlights?

My flight left Indianapolis at 7:05 a.m. and over four hours and 714 miles later, I arrived in Newburgh, New York at possibly the smallest, friendliest airport known to man. Some of you are probably thinking, “Why New York and not Orange County, California?” This is, perhaps, one of the biggest misconceptions. The Teutuls are East Coasters. In fact, on one episode of American Chopper, Paul Sr. got a tattoo on his left arm with the designation OCC New York in order to make the distinction clear.

Klipsch public relations manager/photographer Keith Claytor picked me up from the airport; we then met up with eastern regional sales manager Marc Fisher at the OCC showroom and retail store that’s near the current corporate building in Montgomery. Here we bought souvenirs, checked out a variety of choppers, including the popular Fire Bike that was built in honor of the 9/11 New York firefighters, and discussed talking points as Marc would soon be interviewed on camera.

Marc played a key role in making Klipsch and OCC partnership possible. He laid all the groundwork, initiating the bike build and developing an audio plan for the new headquarters in Newburgh. “When I first contacted them in June, it was perfect timing. They just started building their new facility and needed high-performance speakers. And we had something they wanted,” he said. “But don’t get me wrong, they weren’t looking to partner with just anyone. They knew our name and loved our products.”

The Exciting Arrival

When it was finally time to meet the OCC crew, I had butterflies in my stomach. We pulled into the parking lot and I got chills seeing the sword that hung above the door. I have been an American Chopper fan for years. Being a girl, I never thought I would like the show, but my boyfriend introduced me to it and I have loved it ever since. While I enjoy watching all three Teutuls, Paul Sr. is probably my favorite. Perhaps it’s because he reminds me of my Dad. Growing up, my Dad owned his own auto body shop and shared many of Senior’s personality traits. But I must say, Mikey’s comic relief is really entertaining and Paulie’s talent is bar none—his dimples aren’t bad either.

Once inside, a friendly receptionist greeted us—OCC employs 37 people. We then went upstairs where we waited just outside the shop doors. Camera guys were all over the place. It was like being on a real studio set. Each show is 30 days worth of filming and there’s typically a waiting list for an on-air bike. On average, OCC builds 120 choppers per year, including production bikes.

Then, my first Teutul sighting—it was Mikey. He said, “Hey, what’s up?” to all of us. I then realized there was no reason to be nervous. A few minutes later, Paulie came in and introduced himself. It was very surreal as I felt like I already knew him. It just goes to show you how connected you feel with people on TV.

I asked one of the production guys if I could walk through the shop. He told me, “Sure, but stay out of camera range.” The first thing I noticed was Rick Petko welding with a camera hovering over him. Aside from thinking I could never work under a “microscope,” I thought about how the Klipsch and OCC partnership makes perfect sense. Take building our respective products for example: no detail is ignored and each is designed to enhance the owner’s experience—they make life worth living, creating unique and memorable moments.

As I walked past the glass office, there he was—Paul Sr. We made eye contact and I immediately reverted back to my nervous state. I felt like I got the “Who is this woman in our shop?” look. He walked out and I quickly introduced myself. He did the same and was very friendly. He proceeded to tell me that he had done 90 percent of our bike so far because “Jr. is a lazy a$$.” So even off camera, the rivalry exists. But he was joking.

After engaging in small talk, I learned that Paul Sr. collects old muscle cars—he has a 1967 428 Shelby Mustang, 1969 Camaro 427 and a 1970 396 Nova SS among others—enjoys fishing and riding motorcycles out West for weeks at a time. And by looking at his very muscular stature, it’s obvious that one of his other hobbies is weight lifting. So I asked, “How much do you bench press?” His response, “455 pounds.”

When the chit chat was over, I glanced over to my left and there she was. The whole time I was standing next to the mock-up of the Klipsch bike. Even in the roughest of stages, I knew she was going to be beautiful. Then, it occurred to me. I forgot to ask Senior if he would take a photo with me. If I wanted anything from the trip, it was that—“Dang!”

The Filming

Our next order of business was to visit the new building where OCC’s headquarters will soon be based. Everyone congregated in the parking lot, including Mikey, Paulie and a slew of production people; it looked like the start of a mob hit. I found it interesting that Paulie does not have tinted windows on his Escalade. You would think that he would want to avoid attracting attention. But, in observing the area, it became clear why it wasn’t necessary. Montgomery, and the surrounding area, seems very low key. There aren’t a lot of retail and restaurant chains; folks wear overalls and there are several diners and strip clubs—the area was once very military focused.

Driving up to the new headquarters, I found it amazingly vast. At the time, it was a rough, 92,000-square-foot cement structure. In fact, we put on hard hats before going inside. I even had to walk across a two-by-four plank to access the entryway.

Once inside, filming immediately got underway. At one point, I heard someone yell at Mikey saying, “Watch your mouth, there’s a lady present.” I didn’t even hear what he said. Apparently, he mouthed an obscenity because later on he apologized in a cute, “excuse my French” sort of way. He really acts like he does on TV.

As I ran back and forth to stay behind the cameras, Marc and the OCC team walked around the very cold 35-degree facility and discussed the upcoming audio plans. From the retail area to the shop floor and from the gym to Paul Sr.’s new office, more than 100 Klipsch speakers will bring dynamic sound to the entire building.

“The Klipsch name has always stood for high-performance audio,” said Paul Sr. “Whether it’s their headphones, home theater products or commercial designs, everything I’ve heard from Klipsch sounds fantastic. It was a no-brainer to have them outfit our new headquarters.”

Ending to a Great Day

After the filming wrapped up, we went back to the current shop to take some photos. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take any shots of the bike so we had to get creative with renderings and individual bike parts. We were told the chopper would reflect Klipsch’s true personality by featuring our signature black and copper color scheme, horn and woofer adornments, detailed PWK tributes, as well as Klipsch logos on the air filter and black leather seat. There was even mention of an iPod® dock.

Entering the shop area once again, I saw Paul Sr. working on a bike—he didn’t join us at the new facility. This was my chance to get the picture I so badly wanted. Mikey asked Senior if he would take his photo with me. I heard the gruff reply, “I don’t want to take any pictures.” I don’t know if he was joking or saw the extreme disappointment on my face because the next thing out of his mouth was, “I’ll take my picture with the blonde.” He wrapped his huge, tattooed arm around me, we took a few snapshots and I couldn’t have been happier—so, how about that for a Monday!

*The official Klipsch chopper unveiling took place January 8, 2008, during the Klipsch-hosted Robert Cray concert at the Body English nightclub inside the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel. Watch footage. 

*Watch employee unveiling at Klipsch headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana.

*The American Chopper episode featuring the Klipsch bike aired Thursday, March 13 on TLC.