TIA Announces 2010 Tire Industry Hall of Fame Inductees
Bowie, MD - The Tire Industry Association (TIA), one of the leading global authorities on tires, today announced the recipients of the 2010 Tire Industry Hall of Fame: Gus Hawkinson, owner of Hawkinson Tire Consulting; Nick Hodel, former CEO of Portland Tire Factory; Russell MacCleery, a retired tire industry veteran; Gary Nash, Director of OTR Sales, Yokohama Tire Corporation; Jerry White, chairman of White Tire Supply; and Don Blythe, former executive director of the Western Canada Tire Dealers Association. The Hall of Fame inductions are a part of TIA's Tire Industry Honors event, which will take place from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. on Monday, November 1, 2010, at Paris Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Gus Hawkinson is the owner of Hawkinson Tire Consulting in Las Vegas. Prior to establishing his consultancy, he was the third-generation owner of Paul E. Hawkinson Co, and is credited with many developments in the retread industry, including being primarily responsible for developing the industry-standard NDT beginning in 1980, with the initial patent issued in 1981.
Nick Hodel has 45 years of experience in the retail tire sector; he was a co-founder of Northwest Tire Factory LLC, and also served as chief executive officer for Portland Tire Factory. He is also a past board member of the Northwest Tire Dealers Association and is a past president of the Tire Association of North America (TANA), a predecessor organization of TIA.
Russell MacCleery has years of experience working for various trade associations. He created the government affairs program for the National Tire Dealers & Retreaders Association (NTDRA), a predecessor organization of TIA.
Gary Nash has over 45 years of experience in the tire industry, with 35 of those years being spent in the OTR tire sector. Currently the Director of OTR Sales for Yokohama Tire Corporation, he has also worked for Goodyear, Purcell Tire and Bridgestone.
Jerry White has over 60 years of experience in the tire industry and is currently the chairman of White Tire Supply. Jerry has served on many boards, including on the board of the NTDRA, and he was a founding board member of the Texas Tire Dealers Association.
Don Blythe is the former executive director of the Western Canada Tire Dealers Association (WCTDA). Don helped guide WCTDA to become one of the most successful tire organizations in the country.
About TIA:
TIA is an international association representing all segments of the tire industry, including those that manufacture, repair, recycle, sell, service or use new or retreaded tires, and also those suppliers or individuals who furnish equipment, material or services to the industry. The Tire Industry Association (TIA) has a history that spans more than 80 years and includes several name changes. Originally known as the National Tire Dealers & Retreaders Association (NTDRA), the organization gave birth over the years to the American Retreaders Association (ARA) and the Tire Association of North America (TANA). ARA changed its name to the International Tire & Rubber Association (ITRA) and merged with TANA in 2002 to form the current Tire Industry Association (TIA), which now represents every interest in the tire industry. For more information, visit www.tireindustry.org, or call 800.876.8372.
