Bridgestone Leadership Shuffle: Vasuta, Harmon Take New Roles
After three years as president of Bridgestone Americas’s GCR Tires & Sales, the company’s commercial tire and service business, John Vasuta returns to Firestone Building Products (FSBP), promoted to Global Sales Leader effective Nov. 1.
BKT Adds Sales Staff
Balkrishna Industries Limited’s U.S. subsidiaries, BKT USA Inc. and BKT Tires Inc., have added three regional sales managers to better serve their customers nationwide. Blaine Koller joins BKT USA as regional sales manager of the Northwest territory. Koller has more than 11 years experience in the tire industry, working in commercial, forestry, agriculture and mining.
Bridgestone Names New Speedco President
Bridgestone Americas has appointed Chris Ripani, former executive director of marketing for Bridgestone Commercial Stores Division, as president of its brand Speedco Inc. Ripani succeeds Scott Damon, who was recently named president of Firestone Industrial Products. In his new role, Ripani will lead and implement the newly formed growth strategy for Speedco, Bridgestone said. Ripani
Two Pennsylvania Tire Thefts Under Investigation
Police are investigating two separate tire thefts in two Pennsylvania counties, which might be connected, according to media reports. Recently, two tire businesses – Deimler’s Tire Service in Carroll Township, Pa., and GCR Tire Center in Mount Joy, Pa., – reported stolen tires. Deimler’s reported $80,000 worth of commercial truck tires stolen, taken from trailers
A New Model
Over the last several months, BKT Tire’s operations in North America have undergone considerable change. Where once BKT Tires USA Inc. in Akron handled all of the India-based tiremaker’s business here, now BKT Tire based in Nashville handles all OTR tire sales and service, and BKT Tires USA Inc. focuses on ag, industrial and ATV
ATG Opens New Indian Plant
Alliance Tire Group kicked off production in its new factory in Dahej, India. The company’s third tire plant will produce off-highway tires for the global marketplace, ATG said. The tiremaker invested nearly $510 million into the factory and the plant features state-of-the-art manufacturing and testing equipment, ATG said. Once the plant is at full capacity,
Two Join Tire Consultants Group
Two industry professionals, Tom Sawyer and John R. Rigney, have joined the Tire Consultants Group business consulting services. Sawyer previously worked as OTR sales and marketing manager at Tire Centers Inc., mine site manager for GCR Tire Co., and technical manager at the Penasquite mine for HSM Tire Co. Sawyer also worked with Eurotire, where
Bridgestone Commercial Solutions Stores Receive Environmental Certification
Bridgestone Commercial Solutions announced that its company-owned operations in Tampa, Fla., received Green Star Certification from Hillsborough County’s Environmental Protection Commission (EPC). Hillsborough County commissioners presented Bridgestone’s area GCR Tire Centers and Truck PM Plus with the award at the joint retail store location on East Adamo Drive. Green Star is an industry-friendly program designed
Oregon School Board President Accused of Stealing $150,000 Worth of Tires
The president of an Oregon school board has been indicted on seven counts of felony theft, alleging he stole more than $150,000 worth of truck tires from a Portland-base tire store. William Anthony "Tony" Moore, Jr., faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and up to $250,000 fine on each felony theft count if
TIA Announces Long-Awaited Spanish Training Program
TIA has released a complete Spanish-language version of its Commercial Tire Service Program. "This is a prime example of TIA working with our members to meet the needs of the tire industry," remarked Larry Brandt, TIA president. "A Spanish translation of CTS was not in the budget for 2011, but some of our tire dealer