Magazine for the professional tire industry
Issue link: https://mtd.epubxp.com/i/714120
MTD August 2016 News/views Dealers raise funds for vets Tire Pros, a division of American Tire Distributors (ATD), has launched a charitable initiative created to support and mobilize severely wounded veterans of the United States Armed Forces. Funds raised from the "Allies for Independence" campaign will go to provide custom all-terrain mobility devices to veterans. Tire Pros is partnering with The Independence Fund, a nonprofit orga- nization that empowers severely wounded veterans and the caregivers who support them to take control of their lives. Fund raising will take place at participating Tire Pros locations through November 2016, and customers will have multiple ways to give. Each Tire Pros store also has a unique fund raising web page that will enable customers to make hassle-free donations via credit card or electronic check. In addition, some Tire Pros dealers will offer special promotions and giving opportunities unique to their locations. Six Tire Pros dealers in Southern California have created The Independence Ride, a 3-, 8- and 62-mile bicycle ride in November with all donations benefiting the cam- paign. Other dealers are matching customer contributions and hosting fund raising sales at their stores. Tire Pros unveiled its Allies for Independence program at its annual dealer meeting in February. This summer, Tire Pros and the Independence Fund will travel to select stores and major sporting events nationwide to present mobility devices to veterans in need. Modern Tire Dealer wins five medals Modern Tire Dealer won five medals for editorial excellence at the 25th International Automotive Media Competition (IAMC). In addition to a gold medal, MTD's September 2015 story on Tire Dealer of the Year Ricky Benton went one step further when it won the "Best of Magazine Articles — Writing" Division. Written by Senior Editor Joy Kopcha, "It's all Good" chronicles the success of Benton and his tire dealership, Black's Tire Service Inc. Entered in the Magazine Writing/Graphics and Digital Divisions, MTD took home the following International Automotive Media Awards for stories/issues published in 2015: • Gold, Personality Profile, "It's all good," Joy Kopcha. • Silver, Best Single Issue, "Performance Handbook," Bob Ulrich, Mike Mavrigian, Lori Mavrigian, Wayne Williams and Neal Weingart. • Silver, Editorial, "Pirelli's image," Ulrich. • Silver, Digital: Column/Series/Blog, "B.O.B. blogs," Ulrich. • Bronze, Graphics: Cover, March issue, "Four categories for winter buying," Weingart. Bosch marks anniversary Robert Bosch LLC is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its invention of the automotive oxygen sensor and is marking the production of its one billionth oxygen sensor. Today Bosch is the exclusive oxygen sensor of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. NTB adds store TBC Corp. has opened its first NTB Tire & Service Center store in Myrtle Beach, S.C. TireMaster is texting ASA Automotive Systems Inc. has added text messaging capability to its TireMaster and TireMaster Enterprise software. Nokian invests in plant Nokian Tyres plc has invested in a joint venture to build a biomass power plant in Finland with the goal of reducing the environmental impact of its local factory. BestDrive adds outlet BestDrive LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Continental Tire the Americas LLC, has opened a new location in Salt Lake City, Utah. ACDelco has online store As part of its 100th birthday celebration, ACDelco has launched an online store to offer one-stop ACDelco merchandise shopping for enthusiasts and technicians. Continental offers OTR After a 10-year hiatus, Continental Tire the Americas LLC has brought off the road (OTR) sales and product lines to the Americas markets. New ag tire website Tire industry veteran James Tuschner has founded agtiretalk.com as a repository of information for ag tires. "What truly makes Ag Tire Talk unique and sets it apart is that it's immune from promoting specific products due to a vested interest," says Tuschner. Farm tire is honored The TM1060 from Trelleborg AB was named the agricultural tire of the year in Spain. bites Modern Tire Dealer Senior Editor Joy Kopcha won two awards — a gold medal for editorial excellence and best magazine article honors — for her profile of Ricky Ben- ton and his tire dealership, Black's Tire Service Inc. 14