TIA Has a Solid Plan
Throughout history, humans have turned tragedy into triumph. We mourn and move forward, learning from our missteps and finding better, safer results. The Hindenberg disaster gave us safer air travel and a new industry – airlines. Titanic’s fate gave us safety procedures employed on cruise ships to this day. 9/11 has tightened travel security. Yes,
Fins To The Left…
Sharks, as that nautical wheeler Jimmy Buffet reminds, are everywhere. And so this horror story of lawyers gone wild should be a lesson to all. California is renowned for its misdirected concerns – where else can 14 million people all drive at the same time, yet everyone worry about smoking in bars? – and goofy
Generation Next?
Generationally speaking, we are at a crossroads. And whether we look left, right or straight ahead, the view is rather dim. "The strength of the independent tire dealer is the owner-operator, the guy who unlocks the door every day," Dick Johnson, president and CEO of American Tire Distributors (nee Heafner Tire Group), told me recently.
Trackside Confessions
Francesco Gori shifts nervously in his cane-back seat, carefully surveying the scenes around him. Behind us, 50 or so U.S. dealers take hot laps around Pirelli’s Vizzola proving grounds. In front, testy caterers are tearing down tables and trying to stack chairs, including the two we’re occupying. The man in charge of Pirelli’s world-wide tire
Haydn to Shubert to Slone
Ah, it’s springtime! Flowers blossom. Warm breezes bring welcome relief from winter’s chill. And a young boy’s fancy turns to…singing in the world’s most famous choir. That’s what 11-year-old Ryan Slone is doing right now. Ryan and fellow Cincinnati Boychoir member, Donald Smith, 13, are full-fledged, sailor suit-wearing members of the Vienna Boys Choir –
Good Idea and the Law
As much as I dislike Bill Gates, I will give him credit: He sure knows how to get products registered. Microsoft wants its products on record to prevent piracy and build databases, not for any altruistic safety reason. Afterall, the worst thing a little software separation can cause is computer lock-up. Never heard of a
I Do. I Do.
Birds do it. Bees do it. Tire companies and dealers do it. Let’s do. Let’s fall in love! And now dealer associations are doing it. The most visible tire association nuptial, of course, is that of TANA and ITRA, now officially wed and the band’s ripping through "Daddy’s Little Girl" even as you read this.
One Should Mean One
Hindsight is a strange exercise in revisionist history. It’s always 20/20, even when dimmed vision clouds the reasons why things happened as they did. That’s why I shook my head when so many jumped on the it-shoulda-been-done-long-ago bandwagon after the proposed merger of TANA and ITRA was announced. Sure, it should’ve been done years ago,
Cleaning Day Notes
Well, it’s December and time to clear off the desk. So let’s get right to it:Contributions to The One Fund, the industry relief effort supporting the families of NYC emergency workers killed in the Sept. 11 attacks, has to-date reached just over $36,000. Toyo Tires, Nitto Tires, Tire Treads Inc., TRIB, and ITRA all made
One Way You Can Help
It’s not possible for any of us to return to our "normal" workaday lives. After the events of Sept. 11, the lives of so many will never be the same. Too much has happened to our world. Too much damage. Too much pain. The horrific loss of life, the suffering of innocents, the senselessness of
Mere Coincidences?
You don’t have to be deaf, dumb, blind or even nasally challenged to know there’s something really smelly about the Ford Explorer. Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. (BFS) has taken the brunt of the negative publicity, and suffered significant financial and perception damage, because of concerns that a "high" number of its tires failed on one particular vehicle.
In The Driver’s Ed Seat
Hi. My name is Jimmy, and I’m filling in for Dad this month.He asked me to write his column for him, so this becomes my Father’s Day gift – apparently he didn’t think a card was enough. With all the work he tells me he does, and the baseball coaching and stuff around the house,