Phillips to Leave Triangle Tire to Start Consulting Firm

Triangle Tire announced that Rick Phillips is leaving his position as vice president of sales for Triangle Tire USA to start his own consulting firm. The longtime tire industry sales executive will be president and CEO of Disruptive Concepts Consulting based in San Antonio, Texas. The company is a franchise operation with Sandler Training, a global firm that provides sales, sales management and leadership programs for small- and mid-sized companies, as well as Fortune 500 organizations.

“Rick did a wonderful job in helping Triangle Tire USA establish relationships with key distributors and dealers as we move forward with building our consumer and commercial tire plant in North Carolina,” said Manny Cicero, CEO of Triangle Tire USA. “We wish him all the best with his new venture.”

Cicero said the momentum created over the past two years will continue unabated as the company builds strategic relationships with U.S. distributors and dealers in preparation for domestic production. In December 2017, the company announced that Edgecombe County in North Carolina will be the location for its first manufacturing facility in the United States. The plant represents an investment of nearly $580 million by the tire company and will eventually employ up to 800 people when fully operational.

The new plant will consist of two factories, one for producing passenger tires and the other for commercial truck tires. The passenger tire factory is expected to produce its first tire in mid-2020. Mass production of passenger tires will come in late 2020 or early 2021, with an estimated full capacity of 5 million tires annually. Truck tire production is expected to come six months later, with an estimated full capacity of 1 million tires each year.

Triangle Tire USA is the wholly owned subsidiary of Triangle Tyre Co. Ltd., marketing and selling a complete product portfolio. On the commercial side, the company offers a broad range of medium radial truck tires to the trucking industry. It also has a full range of off-the-road (OTR) radial and bias products, including giant radials for the construction, mining and aggregates industries. On the consumer side, Triangle Tire USA has a comprehensive line-up of passenger and light truck tires, including ultra-high performance (UHP), winter and specialty trailer tires.

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has named Ryan Waldron as president of the company's Americas business unit, reporting to Chief Executive Officer and President Mark Stewart. He succeeds Steven R. McClellan, who retired on April 1.

"At Goodyear, our customers are at the center of everything we do, and in Ryan Waldron, we have a customer-centric, execution-focused business leader with a deep understanding of both the marketplace and all aspects of our business, as well as a proven track record of delivering results," Stewart said. "I am thrilled to announce him as president of Goodyear's Americas business and have enormous confidence that under his leadership, both the company and our customers will reach even greater levels of success."