Magazine for the professional tire industry
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MTD August 2016 News/views Dealer Tire sells Canadian division Dealer Tire LLC has sold the assets of its Canadian division to Groupe Touchette Inc., a Canadian tire distributor, and entered into a long-term technology services agreement with the company. Groupe Touchette will purchase the assets of Dealer Tire Canada ULC and assume the Dealer Tire model, offering dedicated merchandising, marketing, and tire wholesale services for the Canadian car dealer channel. Groupe Touchette and Dealer Tire LLC also have agreed to enter into a long-term technology services agreement whereby the companies will partner to support current Dealer Tire Canada OEM programs with value- added tools and technology to drive sales and support at Canadian- based dealerships. The transaction is scheduled to close on Aug. 31, 2016. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. "We are very excited about our collaborative agreement with Groupe Touchette," says Scott Mueller, chief executive officer of Dealer Tire LLC. "We were thoughtful in choosing a partner that we believed would continue to provide superior service to our OEM and dealer customers while also having a similar culture where our employees would continue to thrive." Bridgestone names new leadership for Americas division Gary Garfield, the executive chairman, CEO, and president of Bridgestone Americas Inc. is retiring at the end of 2016, and the company has named a new leadership team to replace him. Gordon Knapp, the company's chief operating officer, will become Bridgestone Americas' CEO and president on Sept. 1, 2016. William "Bill" Thompson, the current chief financial officer, will succeed Knapp as COO on that same date. Knapp has spent his career, both in the U.S. and internationally, in the consumer products area leading the operations of many of the world's foremost brands. Prior to Bridgestone, Knapp served in leader- ship positions with Kimberly-Clark, Pfizer Inc., and Warner-Lambert Inc. He joined Bridgestone three years ago. Garfield will remain as an advisor to the company and the new leadership team until year-end. Garfield also will retire from his position as executive vice president and executive officer of Bridgestone Americas' parent company, Bridgestone Corp., effective Aug. 31. Eduardo Minardi, executive chairman at Bridgestone Americas' sister company, Bridgestone Europe, Middle East, Africa (BSEMEA), will serve concurrently as chairman of the Bridgestone Americas board of direc- tors. He also currently serves as an executive officer and executive vice president of Bridgestone Corp. as well as on the Bridgestone Americas board of directors. Kumho sponsors tournament Kumho Tire USA Inc. added to its sports sponsorship portfolio with The Basketball Tournament, a month-long contest that culminated with a $2 million championship game Aug. 2 broadcast on ESPN. Network grows in Canada The Automotive Distribution Network continues to expand throughout North America with the recent signing of Toronto, Ontario-based Avenue Motor Works Inc. into membership under the Auto Pride brand. Big O Tires store opens Big O Tires franchisee Mark Rhee has opened his 12th Big O Tires store in Nevada. The Henderson store is the 21st Big O Tires location in the state. Tri-Ace Tire builds plant China-based Tri-Ace Tire Corp. is building a manufacturing plant in Taiwan to accommodate increased and anticipated demand for its tires in the U.S. Its U.S. division, Tri-Ace Tire USA, is based in Tulsa, Okla. Canadian Tire has new CEO The board of directors of Canadian Tire Corp. Ltd. has appointed Stephen Wetmore president and CEO. Wetmore was Canadian Tire's CEO from Jan. 2009 to Dec. 2014. He succeeds Michael Medline. RNR expands in Indiana Chris and Ashley Smith and Aaron Kingsbury opened their first RNR Tire Express and Custom Wheel franchise on June 18, 2016. The store is in Franklin, Ind. Freedom Tire adds coverage Freedom Tire Distributing Inc. has expanded its geographic coverage to San Diego County. The company now serves all metro areas of Southern California daily, and in most areas, is delivering twice a day, including Saturdays. Hunter opens training centers Hunter Engineering Co. is opening regional training centers in Harlingen, Texas; Canastota, N.Y.; and Milford, Neb. Hunter operates 43 training centers across the U.S. bites Garfield began his 25-year Bridgestone career in 1991 in the company's legal depart- ment. He will retire this year. 12