WASHINGTON-National Tire Dealers & Retreaders Association Executive Vice President Philip P. Friedlander Jr. has written state and regional tire dealer associations proposing a series of joint board meetings during 1996. According to a letter mailed by Mr. Friedlander to some 30 state and regional groups Nov. 3, possible topics to be discussed at these meetings could include:
The feasibility of exchanging member services;
How state and regional dealer associations might fit into the widely discussed concept of an international ``tire and rubber industry week'' convention and trade show; and
Whether there is merit to a federation-type structural relationship, in which one dues payment would entitle a dealer to membership in both the state or regional and the national associations.
Mr. Friedlander estimated there are between 1,500 and 2,000 dealers who belong to state and regional groups but not the national association.
Among those seen attending the proposed regional meetings would be the officers, board members and executive directors of the participating groups.
According to Mr. Friedlander's letter, the joint-meeting concept was discussed at the NTDRA's recent board of directors meeting in New Orleans, where it received a ``very favorable response,'' not only from board members but from NTDRA President Paul Bobzin of La Canada Tire Center Inc., La. Canada, Calif.
It was the general feeling among the NTDRA's board and officers that the proposed joint meetings could provide in-depth discussions on ways in which the national and state associations might work cooperatively to the mutual benefit of their respective members, Mr. Friedlander wrote.
``If there is sufficient interest from the leadership of state and regional dealer associations, NTDRA is prepared to move forward on the joint-meeting concept,'' he said.
The letter asks state and regional association officials to respond in writing or by telephone either to Mr. Friedlander or NTDRA General Manager Donald T. Wilson at the association's Washington headquarters.
Contacted by telephone, Mr. Friedlander described the initiative as a good example of mutually beneficial ``strategic alliances'' he believes the NTDRA and other industry groups must forge in the future.
The 42-year veteran of NTDRA's administrative staff has repeatedly stated that such alliances are becoming increasingly necessary in order to assure the maximum benefit from the tire industry's sparse financial resources, which Mr. Friedlander believes are presently being wasted by needless duplication of effort.
An example of the benefits inherent in such co-operation, Mr. Friedlander said, can be seen in the NTDRA's current offer to provide the state and regional groups with copies of its training videos on mounting and demounting passenger, truck and OTR tires for resale at the local level.
Selling the NTDRA training tapes not only will provide state and regional groups with additional operating funds, he said, but also provide access to the training videos for a greater number of users.