Last week tire dealers from across the country participated in the first session of the inaugural class of Tire Leadership 21 at Northwood University. The class consisted of 21 participants with various backgrounds, from commercial and retreading shops to retail stores.

The two-week educational program was specifically designed to develop the next generation of tire managers and owners. The class was created through a unique collaboration with the Center for Tire & Service Education and Northwood University.

“Having a formalized program for the next generation in and of itself was the biggest reason Belle participated,” said Jarret Kruse, director of strategy at Michigan-based Belle Tire Distributors Inc., and class participant.

Kruse also noted Northwood’s history of aftermarket education as a reason his company sent participants.

Instructors for Tire Leadership 21 are a combination of Northwood’s DeVos Graduate School of Management professors as well as other subject matter experts from the industry. During the first week, April 13-18, participants spent time in an on-campus setting at Northwood’s main campus in Midland, Mich., learning about various topics including leadership, finance, business strategy, fraud, marketing, problem solving and more from faculty.

“I think having all the speakers and presenters with a background in the automotive industry helps,” said Bo Ray, assistant manager at Quality Tire Pros in Chattanooga, Tenn. “Some of the other courses have psychology professors that have no idea about the automotive industry. So, those courses are basically trying to teach you what’s in the books, not real life application.”

The group also spent time together outside the classroom allowing for additional networking and learning.

“Not only the information that you receive from the instructors, but the relationships that you forge with the other classmates is invaluable,” said Mike Kurk, regional sales manager at Brahler Tire in Jacksonville, Ill. “It’s just nice to have a sounding board and to be able to throw around ideas and to see what best practices other dealerships are using.”

At the conclusion of week one, the class was divided into five groups to work on a group project between now and the second session. Each group will explore a topic in detail and present their findings to the class. Topics being researched include a new consumer experience, selling to diverse groups including women, social media practices, online pricing and attracting and retaining talent.

At the end of week one, attendees also had the chance to meet with advisors to discuss their individuals project ideas. Participants of Tire Leadership 21 must, upon competition of the second half, deliver a proposal that will save or make at least $25,000 in revenue for their companies.

“Most classes are just a week and there’s no follow-up. I think it’s good that they’re doing a follow-up because you can actually talk about what you changed and it makes you do something instead of just saying a bunch of stuff and going back and forgetting about it,” said Michael Adams, manager at Trax Tire in Thomasville, Ala.

For the second session, the class will reconvene Sep. 7–12 at the university’s campus in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Corporate sponsorship funding provided by American Tire Distributors, Continental and Marangoni North America helped to offset tuition cost for those in attendance.