(Bridgeport, WV) Perched on the top floor of an unassuming brick building on the main thoroughfare of town, Samantha Leeson brews her morning coffee while sorting through parts orders on eBay. As a school bus driver for Harrison County Schools, Samantha’s mornings are split between ensuring students arrive safely and managing online sales for her family’s business, Leeson Import Motors, Inc. In between bus routes, Samantha juggles a range of responsibilities from sorting parts orders on eBay to processing invoices—all from her office packed with ATV manufacturer books and mechanical parts.
Every day, Samantha cycles through the steps of selling ATV and motorcycle parts online for the family business. First, the parts are purchased through auctions and wholesalers, and then Samantha photographs each part before carefully editing those photos to optimize them for online viewing. Next, the images are posted alongside product descriptions to the company’s eBay account. From there, she handles every aspect of fulfillment from processing orders, creating invoices, and preparing items to ship. Though there are many moving parts (pun intended), Samantha explains that anyone can do the job: “It doesn’t require a college degree, and you do not need to be an expert. Just take your time and focus on the details.”
This is encouraging news for any gearhead who wants to work for a local dealership or try their hand as an independent online reseller. Not only is the field easy to enter, but it is steadily growing. The global ATV market alone is worth an estimated $2.9 billion to $4.4 billion, and it’s predicted to grow between 3% and 6.5% over the next decade. The motorcycle market is even larger, with a global value of over $105 billion. In 2023, there were approximately 8.8 million registered motorcycles on America’s roads alone. As these vehicles hit the road, they eventually need maintenance, repairs, and maybe the occasional mod just for fun—driving ever-increasing consumer demand for parts.
While Samantha manages the day-to-day operations of the online business today, it all started back in 1965 when her parents opened West Virginia’s first motorcycle dealership. They never could have anticipated the industry’s explosive growth. Although her parents eventually divorced, her mother, Janice, took over the business and became a role model for Samantha. “I never thought you could go to Lowe’s and get them to negotiate a deal until I watched that woman work,” Samantha reminisces. “People always listened to her, and my mom always got what she wanted. She was smooth.”
Though she describes her mother Janice as brilliant, Samantha eventually had the chance to mentor her mother when it was time to integrate technology into the business. “I had to teach her how to use computers. Oh, that was fun,” she laughs. “I would tell my mom that she’d get it eventually, and she’d just get flustered and say, ‘When?!’”
Samantha’s love of family continues to shape her career today as she remains fully committed to being a present mother for her children. Years ago, she earned her CDL but was discouraged when she learned that her first driving job would most likely be out of state. “I don’t want to do that. I have kids!” she explains. Fortunately, her driving instructor, Ed Rollins, suggested an alternative—become a school bus driver, ensuring she’d be home with her family every night. So that’s exactly what she did.
Driving for the school system offers unique benefits. Not only is Samantha free between morning and afternoon runs to work for Leeson Import Motors, but she can also ramp up productivity by working while on field trips. “My online sales job can often be done remotely. When I’m on a trip with my bus, I can get my phone out to check on my inventory. Right now, I have 2,342 active listings that I can access anytime, anywhere.” And she’s not the only driver in her fleet who juggles two jobs. Many private contractors and freelancers choose to drive a school bus to establish a steady base income while enjoying state health benefits and 401k matching up to twelve percent. This is a fantastic solution for workers who would otherwise be unable to secure affordable health insurance or save for retirement. Many school districts even offer free CDL training to address the nationwide driver shortage.
Samantha firmly believes that success in the industry isn’t just about making sales—it’s about nurturing talent and investing in people. At Leeson Import Motors, she’s seen the value of providing opportunities for growth firsthand. The company offers its mechanics the chance to earn certifications through Suzuki and Kawasaki, fully funded by the business. For Samantha, this is more than just about enhancing their employees’ skills. “We want them to grow, whether they stay with us or move on,” she explains. “It’s not just about keeping good people—it’s about contributing to the larger community by giving them the tools to succeed wherever they go.”
That sense of community investment is exactly what the workforce needs today. Programs like West Virginia Women Work’s pre-apprenticeships are critical because they offer women the same opportunities to build essential skills in nontraditional fields, just like Samantha’s career in mechanics. “I like that you teach your students how to change oil, how to change a filter, and different mechanical skills,” Samantha says of the program. “That’s really helpful in the real world where the people who succeed are the ones who try.”
Samantha offers one last piece of advice to mechanically inclined women who want to follow in her footsteps: “To the women out there trying and working hard, you’re going to be successful. Just keep going. Don’t let anyone stand in your way, and don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t do it.”
Interview conducted, transcribed, and written by Marlynda Arnett, Program Innovation Leader for West Virginia Women Work.
