A Sit Down with the Auto Care Association’s Bill Hanvey
Bill Hanvey recently took over as president and CEO of the Auto Care Association in December, following the retirement of longtime leader Kathleen Schmatz. Hanvey lets us in on a few of his priorities for the association in 2016 and beyond. Bill, we’ve known each other for a number of years now – first during your time
Take a Page Out of Walmart’s Playbook
Walmart is airing commercials urging customers to get the most fun out of their tax refund. The commercial features a man traveling via car non-stop for work and presumably wearing down his tires. When his tax refund comes, he decides to purchase new tires for his vehicle and take a road trip with his daughter.
Remembering Jim: A Mentor
The day Jim died I was driving home and noticed the flags were at half-mast. I’m not exactly sure why the flags were in that position, but for me it was a sign of mourning and memorial to Jim Smith. A cliché he would have hated, but so true. While I only knew Jim for less
Crafting Tire Registration: Bring Your Ideas to the Table
Now that the president has signed the massive five-year, $325 million surface transportation reauthorization bill, work can begin on fixing more of our badly broken roads and bridges. And tire registration system. Everything needs a starting point, and I suggest this process would best be served if all of the parties – in particular the
Remembering Jim: Dedication to Safety
In life longtime Tire Review Editor Jim Smith was a dedicated advocate of automobile safety – not only how it affected tire dealers, but also the general population. Sometimes Jim’s concerns were shared publicly in his columns or blogs. Other times Jim’s concern wasn’t public; quietly pulling a coworker aside to discuss their bald tires
Remembering Jim: A Publisher’s Perspective
Dear tire industry and Tire Review readers, We are still waiting for word from Jim’s family on final arrangements and will pass the information to you when it is available. We thank you for your messages of support and will be sure to share them with his family. As a tribute to Jim, we will
Remembering Jim: First Impressions
Due to the recent passing of longtime Tire Review Editor Jim Smith, we’d like to take a look back at Jim’s start with the magazine. Jim started working with Tire Review in October 1999. He had just moved back from Nashville after stints with Stumpf Bartels Advertising and Bridgestone Americas. Click here for the column
Remembering Jim: Ed Wagner Leadership Award
Longtime Tire Review Editor Jim Smith devoted his life to the tire and automotive industry and the people who worked in it. After nearly 30 years in the industry, Jim was honored for his dedication to independent tire dealers with the Ed Wagner Leadership Award during the 2014 Tire Industry Honors event in Las Vegas.
Mounting Death Toll From Demounted Tires/Wheels
“Man dead after flying wheel crushes SUV on Hwy. 400” “Lexington man killed by runaway wheel is mourned” I cannot recall a single week in recent years that I’ve not read these and similar headlines from newspaper and radio/TV websites across the U.S. and Canada. And the sad thing is that the ones that make
Titan Trade Injury Claims Just More of the Same
“Rinse and repeat.” Handy instructions on the back of a shampoo bottle. Also short-hand for witnessing the same sad thing over and over. A seemingly infinite loop. Like the movie “Groundhog Day,” only not nearly as funny. Titan International opened 2016 by filing petitions claiming “material injury” from imported OTR tires being “dumped” on the
Year of the Tire Dealer
The long-term survival of independent tire distribution depends on dealers. The best ones are the smart businesspeople that build customer-first cultures, make finding and nurturing good employees a priority, and spend their time on the business and not in the business. We created the Top Shop Award program with a single purpose: leverage the very
Preparing for Success: The Artistry of Formal Business Planning
When creating a piece of art – from a painting to a sculpture – an artist uses planning, skill and intuition. Michelangelo didn’t paint the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling without planning out each fresco carefully. Claude Monet spent time painting the same subjects under different conditions to prefect his skills. Jackson Pollock drew from within to