n=”right” alt=”dan and dale nothdurft, owners of tires, tires, tires, were on hand during the tire industry honors event to accept tire reviews top shop award. pictured here (left to right) are:babcox media and tire review regional sales manager dean martin; dan nothdurft; dale nothdurft; and kevin keefe, vice president of marketing for hennessy industries.”/>
Also at the meeting, the group welcomed incoming president Mike Berra and new board members Paul Dvorak, American Industrial Tire, Dallas, and Dan Rose, Tire Alliance Groupe, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Michelin representatives – including the tiremaker’s mascot, Bibendum – were on hand at the meeting to award $5,000 in scholarships to three students. To be considered for a Michelin/TIA scholarship, applicants must demonstrate excellence in three categories: academic performance in the classroom, active participation in extracurricular activities at their school and contributions to their local community through leadership in civic organizations. Each scholarship is presented on an annual basis and is renewable for up to four years. Since the program’s inception in 1995, Michelin North America has awarded more than $200,000 worth of scholarships to college students across the country, the tiremaker said.
New Member Benefits
During the Global Tire Expo, TIA announced it has partnered with Fed-erated Insurance to offer members access to affordable and comprehensive workers’ compensation insurance, in addition to access to a selection of limited-benefit medical plans through HM Care Advan-tage, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield.
TIA said the partnership with Federated will help members control their losses and lower their insurance premiums. Federated can assist TIA members with implementing programs such as return-to-work/light-duty, drug- and alcohol-free workplace and enrollment in managed care networks.
The HM Care Advantage partnership, which offers monthly individual premiums as low as $150 (when employer-paid), includes plans designed to help meet basic health care needs by providing fixed-payment amounts for unlimited physician office visits, insured prescription drugs, in-patient hospitalization, surgery, emergency care and diagnostic testing, TIA said.
TIA also unveiled certifiedtireservice.com, a new website that features complete contact information of TIA members in good standing who provide commercial truck tire and wheel service.
Members with current Certified Commercial Tire Service (CTS) technicians linked to a member location will be listed in red, and will have a logo to represent their active participation in the CTS certification program. All members have the opportunity to customize their listing and provide additional information. Locations can be searched by city, state or zip code, and the results also include a map to show the exact address, according to TIA.
Education Sessions
TIA’s daily educational seminars drew large crowds. Scheduled at the same times all three days, the TPMS at 10, Truck Tires at 10, Tires at 2 and Management at 4 sessions offered attendees information-packed opportunities to learn and interact with industry experts. Matthew White, TIA senior ATS and TPMS instructor; Sean MacKinnon, TIA’s director of automotive training and development; and Kevin Rohlwing, TIA senior vice president of training, served as presenters and moderators.
The first TPMS session focused on the need to educate customers about TPMS care, aids to help in technician training and the huge market potential for TPMS service. A panel consisting of Scot Holloway, Bartec USA; Andy Fossberg, OTC/SPX; and Ernald Muca, Ateq, discussed advances in TPMS scan tools at the next gathering, while Karl Wacker of Schrader International and Dr. Jean-Christophe Deniau of Continental/VDO helped to identify ways tire dealers can make TPMS a profit center.
The initial Tires at 2 meeting featured Jack Dubois of OK Tire; Jerry Rosenthal of Tire Hut; and Dan Nothdurft, Dale Nothdurft and Gary Michaels of Tires, Tires, Tires sharing their secrets to being a successful tire dealership. A common theme: get involved in your community’s civic groups and charities, as well as invest your time and attention only to cultivate customers who appreciate value and quality service. Steve Ferrante, principal of Sale Away, challenged his roomful of attendees to consider what successful companies do to maintain strong sales in a weak economy. Among his many suggestions: aim for a consistent, superior customer experience.
During Management at 4 sessions, Jeremiah Wilson, president of Contact Point, presented highlights from his TIA-endorsed program on how to convert phone callers to customers. His cold calls to audience members’ shops demonstrated vividly the skills employees need in order to build customer relationships. Federated Insurance’s Mike Russell reviewed the legal issues and financial losses that could occur if a dealer does not establish clear policies on employee drug and alcohol abuse.
TIA’s commercial tire dealer sessions focused on bead lubes and chamber fires and the industry-standard radial truck tire and disc wheel service manual.
A special TIA Green Forum moderated by Dick Gust, president of Lakin Environmental Industries, offered examples of real-world savings realized from ecologically-sustainable practices.
It was not unusual to see Tire Industry Hall of Fame inductees such as Jerry White and Don Blythe in the front row of these sessions, along with rows of seats occupied by a series of uniformed members from the same dealership. TIA actively sought comments from every audience member to make these sessions even more valuable in the future.
Visit Tire Review’s Facebook page for our exclusive photo albums from this year’s Global Tire Expo/SEMA Show. From press events to hot new products to tire and equipment manufacturers’ booths, get a first-hand look at the show floor!
