“I want to help make the industry better before I leave this earth, whether it’s doing a tire panel or doing a tire podcast, because this industry has been a big part of my life. I’m very proud of what this industry has given to me, and I want to turn around and repay it.”
That’s the life mission of John Gamauf, retired president of Bridgestone-Firestone North American consumer tire company.
But, many of you know him as Johnny g. Starting out with Firestone as a tire buster in the late 60s, Johnny g rose through the company’s ranks to become one of the most well-known individuals in the tire industry. He was responsible for creating Bridgestone’s Affiliated Dealer Program and helped navigate the company through one of the largest tire recalls in history. He now continues his work in the tire industry, and we’re going to find out what he’s been up to most recently.
In this episode of What’s Treading with Tire Review, we dive into:
- Johnny g’s start in the tire industry and how his “tire buster” beginnings helped him in his career [1:15 video]
- How Johnny g climbed his way up to the corporate ladder with Firestone and the different dealers across the country he’s met along the way [3:43 video]
- How professional baseball player Johnny Antonelli played a role in Johnny g’s interview to become head of Dayton truck brands and advance in the company [4:53 video]
- Where Johnny g was when he found out about the Ford-Firestone recall, his emotions and how he and other company executives responded to it [7:50 video]
- Staying in touch with friends in the tire business and why Johnny g was called on a personal level to work with market research firm GfK on gathering dealer point-of-sale data [11:37 video]
- How Johnny’s g’s latest project, the Johnny g & Friends podcast, came to be, and his collaboration with Tire Review [14:04 video]
- A sneak peek at Johnny g’s podcast guests and his mission-driven reasons for doing it [15:28 video]
- Why Johnny g’s life mission is to contribute to making the tire industry better [17:15 video]
Listen here or subscribe to “What’s Treading with Tire Review” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play and Spreaker.
