Magazine for the professional tire industry
Issue link: https://mtd.epubxp.com/i/394657
MTD October 2014 News/views TIA names three to Hall of Fame The Tire Industry Association (TIA) has named Harold Coker, Charles Cornell and Juanita Purcell to the TIA Hall of Fame. They will be recog- nized at TIA's Tire Industry Honors Awards ceremony on Nov. 3, 2014. The ceremony takes place one day before the start of the Global Tire Expo — Powered by TIA at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas. Harold Coker, the founder of Coker Tire Co., graduated from Tennessee Tech in 1951 with a degree in chemistry. He began his career in the tire industry with B.F. Goodrich Co. and started Coker Tire Co. in 1958. The company is now the largest supplier for collector car tires in the world. Coker retired from active participation in 2004 but serves as chairman of the board emeritus. In 1985, he served as president of the National Tire Dealers and Retreaders As- sociation (NTDRA) where he led the effort to get NTDRA into the government affairs arena. Coker chaired the committee to establish Money Express, a credit card exclu- sively for tire dealers nationwide. He also ran for Congress in 1988. Charles Cornell, the late founder of Tech International, was working in the rubber industry when he recognized the need for better tire and tube repairs. In 1939, he began Technical Rubber Co. in Johnstown, Ohio. Cornell developed a self-vulcanizing process that repaired tire and tubes in hot or cold applications, revolutionizing the tire repair industry. Cornell's innovation led to a line of tire and tube repair products. Still headquartered in Johnstown, Ohio, Tech has grown to become an international manufacturer and distributor of tire repair, wheel service and industrial rubber products. Cornell died in 1952. Juanita Purcell is executive vice president of Purcell Tire and Rubber Co., which was founded by her father-in-law Robert Purcell in 1935. In 1964, he invited his son Bob and his wife, Juanita, to help him run the company's three locations. In 1970, after the death of Robert Purcell Sr., Bob and Juanita took over the company, which consisted of a retread plant in DeSoto, Mo., and three stores. Today, the company is No. 14 on the MTD 100 with 25 retail outlets, 35 commercial/retail stores, nine commercial stores, fve retread shops and two wholesale outlets. TIA also will recognize recipients of its Ed Wagner Leadership Award. Jim Smith, editor of Tire Review magazine, has 30 years experience in the tire and automotive industries. Mary Sikora is the founder and publisher of Scrap Tire News and is founder and director of the Scrap Tire & Rubber Users Directory. Tom Wright, founder of Wright Tire Service, has 38 years of continued service on the boards of TIA and its predecessors, the National Tire Dealers and Retreaders Association and the Tire Association of North America. SEMA awarded grant The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) has been awarded part of a $2.2 million federal grant which aims to expand exports of automotive aftermarket products into foreign markets including Russia, the United Arab Emirates and China. Research center opens Bridgestone Americas Inc. (BSA) has opened its Biorubber Process Research Center in Mesa, Ariz. Bridgestone says it is the center of its efforts to extract natural rubber from the guayule plant and is a step toward its goal of developing a domestic and commercially viable source for natural rubber. Goodyear uses ash for tires Rice husk waste once headed for landfills is helping the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. produce fuel- efficient tires. Goodyear says it will use ash left over from the burning of rice husks to produce electricity as an environmentally friendly source of silica. Delta adds store Delta World Tire Co. has opened its 16th location. Located in Hattiesburg, Miss., the new 9,600-square-foot facility has 10 bays. The family run business first opened its doors in New Orleans in 1938 and today has stores in Mississippi and Louisiana. Astronaut to speak Captain Mark Kelly, commander of the space shuttle Endeavor's final mission, will be the moti- vational speaker at the Tire Industry Association's 2015 OTR Conference Feb. 18-21 in Tucson, Ariz. Captain Kelly's address is sponsored by BKT Tires. New scrap tire resource Scrap tire management expert Michael Blumenthal has formed a consulting company, Marshay Inc. He retired as a vice president of the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) in July 2014. While at the RMA, he helped create viable end use markets for scrap tires and reduce the nation's stockpiles of tires. bites Charles Cornell Juanita Purcell Harold Coker 10