Tire Factory Inc. and its CEO John Kreidel have parted ways after five years and a recent significant change to the dealer group’s store branding.
Tire Factory CFO Walter Lybeck will serve as is interim CEO until Kreidel’s replacement is brought on. In the meantime, Kreidel has agreed to assist Lybeck as needed for the next three months.
Tire Factory chairman Eric Gill, in a letter to members, said Kreidel is departing on good terms, and that the separation was due to strategy differences. The leadership change came after “an ongoing deliberative process by the board and was not precipitated by any specific action or event,” Gill wrote. “The board wants to recognize John’s significant contributions to Tire Factory over the last five years and thank him for his hard work and substantial effort in establishing a solid foundation for the cooperative’s future.”
The move comes just three months after Portland, Ore.-based Tire Factory officially joined the international Point S retail group. Point S Development, headquartered in Lyon France, represents independent dealer groups in 27 countries representing 3,300 stores.
Tire Factory has 157 member dealers with 200 retail stores.
