Richard Smallwood, the retired president and CEO of Sumitomo Rubber North America Inc., and Mary Sikora, scrap tire recycling advocate and editor and publisher of Scrap Tire News, will be inducted this fall into Tire Industry Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame Award recognizes individuals who have contributed greatly to the growth and development of the tire industry or have demonstrated high standards, ideals and leadership in the management of their businesses and in the tire community and have achieved goals and success that distinguish them from others, TIA said.

“TIA is pleased to honor these exceptional individuals entering the 2023 Tire Industry Hall of Fame,” Jim Pangle, TIA president, said. “They have made tremendous contributions to our industry, and we look forward to recognizing them and hearing their stories this fall during the Tire Industry Honors ceremony.”

2023 Hall of Fame Honorees

Richard Smallwood – president and CEO Sumitomo Rubber North America Inc. (retired)

Richard Smallwood, retired president and CEO of Sumitomo Rubber North America Inc. (SRNA), remains chairman of SRNA, is on the board of Sumitomo Rubber U.S.A. and is an advisor of Sumitomo Rubber Industries of Japan.

Smallwood has spent nearly 35 years in the tire industry, including 22 years at Falken Tire Corp., which later was renamed SRNA. He also served as an executive officer at parent company, Sumitomo Rubber Industries, the first non-Japanese person promoted to that position. At Falken and SRNA, Smallwood focused the company’s lineup on UHP and sport light truck tires and later expanded that to include ultra-high performance, passenger car, SUV, crossover, light truck and medium truck products. He also led SRNA to gain its first original equipment fitments.

Smallwood serves the broader tire industry as an eight-year current board member of the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association and has spoken at conferences worldwide where one of his topics was the evolving autonomous vehicle industry. In addition, he represented the tire industry when he testified before the U.S. Commerce Department on the negative impact of tariffs against imported autos and auto parts, as imported steel was impacted at the time.

Mary Sikora – Publisher, Editor, Owner Scrap Tire News/Recycling

Long before recycling and sustainability became household words, Mary Sikora created a newsletter that began to emphasize the important contribution tire and rubber recycling can make for the economy and the environment by creating new businesses, jobs and products. That newsletter grew into today’s monthly Scrap Tire News.

Twenty-five years ago, Sikora’s passion for tire recycling led her to the then American Retreaders Association where she encouraged leadership to add a tire recycling component to its annual trade show. Through her efforts, tire recycling businesses found a home where they could exhibit, and trade show attendees were able to view the latest methods to process scrap tires into useful products. She added seminars to the program and encouraged legislative attendees to assist the industry in finding solutions for capturing the raw materials designed into tires.