Covering the Extraordinary
I’m sitting here staring at a six-inch thick file, jammed with news clips on the Bridgestone/Firestone (BFS) recall. I have read every word and listened to every press conference for four weeks straight now.. And I don’t even know where to begin. I’m sure you’ve followed this incredible saga as it’s twisted and turned, changing
The Great Questions of Life
Sometimes I swear I have the best job in the world. At least in the tire world.I can sit and watch the industry press forward in a seemingly endless cycle of inventing, consolidating, buying, selling, creating, synergizing, negotiating, assimilating, downsizing, upsizing, enhancing and rationalizing.And I never get blamed for anything, never get hit by the
Headbanging Over the Internet
I don’t particularly care for Metallica. But I’ve always been impressed with the band’s co-founder and drummer Lars Ulrich. It’s hard to picture a devout headbanger as being bright, but Lars has proven himself as one of the most intelligent and erudite people in music today. Metallica has been a loud opponent of Napster, a
All This and More – for $300
What if someone came into your shop today and told you they would do all your marketing and promotion, would represent you and your products at numerous trade shows across the continent, would produce dozens of print and video news releases supporting your business, would monitor media coverage of your business in virtually every newspaper
Basketball? No…It’s Tire Retailing
Around the middle of the second half, I realized what I was watching. Sure, on the face of it Michigan State was systematically dismantling Florida in the NCAA finals. But what we were really watching was a perfect metaphor for the state of tire retailing.Fresh-faced, flashy underclassmen versus patient, methodical upperclassmen. Youth vs. experience. Slick
A Quiet End to a Distinguished Career
The last time I had the opportunity to speak with Pat Rooney was during the International Tire Expo last November. It was at a cocktail party in a room teeming with people, loud with animated conversation coming from every direction. He was standing alone. No entourage. No underlings. No posse. To me, that situation was
Bringing You the Best – Brick by Brick
I learned a long time ago that when you ask an honest question you should expect an honest answer. Especially if it’s about something the person you’re speaking with truly values.The whirlwind of dealer and industry meetings over the past few months has given me the opportunity to renew old friendships and meet a lot
It Leaves You with Thesaurus
The New Year rang in rather quietly. No Y2K bug eating through our lives. No unfortunate acts of terrorism. No year-end Wall Street panic. But one issue slipped in the door Jan. 1 that could have a serious impact on your — and your commercial fleet customers’ – business.The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)
Cracking the Corporate Culture Club
Having recently changed jobs — and cities and states ®€” the issue of corporate cultures came to mind. I’ve had some experience with a variety of corporate cultures. Small family-owned companies. Large mega-corporations. North and south. Some great, others simply confounding. There’ve been countless articles about the corporate culture thing — why they are good,