MILWAUKEE (AP) – Harley-Davidson says president and chief executive Jim Ziemer plans to retire next year.

The company says in a news release Ziemer told the board of directors that he intends to retire in 2009, ending his 40-year career with the Milwaukee motorcycle maker.

He says he’ll stay on until a new CEO is found. The board has formed a search committee to find a candidate.

Ziemer is a native of Milwaukee and grew up in the neighborhood next to the company’s original factory. He started working for Harley in 1969 as a freight elevator operator while attending the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. When he graduated he joined the company’s accounting department. He was named financial chief in 1990 and president and CEO in 2005.