QUINCY, Ill.—Former Titan Tire Corp. President Gary Carlson left the company at the end of January to pursue other interests. His departure follows the recently concluded structural reorganization of Titan International Inc., which included elimination of separate tire and wheel corporations, the combination of sales forces and personnel reductions. He had been president since 1997.
Maurice Taylor Jr., Titan president and CEO, said that after Mr. Carlson resigned late last year, he took on a special assignment involving marketing of the company's LSW (low-sidewall) tire/wheel assemblies after Titan signed an agreement with Caterpillar Inc.
"Gary wanted to make sure everything got kicked off right and deliveries were going to the Caterpillar dealers," Mr. Taylor said.
"Gary did a great job, but felt it was time for a change," he added, noting that Mr. Carlson had spent many hours trying to resolve ongoing strikes by the United Steel Workers at Titan plants in Natchez, Miss., and Des Moines, Iowa. "I think that whole situation was very difficult for him....The last time I talked with Gary, he was considering working either for the University of Iowa or in human resources for a private company in the seed business."
Previously, Mr. Carlson had spent more than 23 years in various positions with Bandag Inc.