BOWIE, Md. (Sept. 12, 2012) — The Tire Industry Association (TIA) has named four industry executives to its Hall of Fame and two winners of the Ed Wagner Industry Leadership Award for 2012.
TIA has named Randy Clark (top left); Bruce Halle (top right); Paul Kruder (bottom left); and Pete Veldman to its Hall of Fame.
(Photos courtesy of TIA)
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The TIA Hall of Fame honors the achievements of innovators and leaders in the tire industry, according to TIA. “By honoring the individual accomplishments of manufacturers, dealers, retreaders and suppliers, TIA celebrates the diversity and rich history of the tire industry,” the Bowie-based trade group said.
The four Hall of Fame winners are:
- Randy Clark, former chairman of Dunlop Tire Corp. and current chairman and president of Dunn Tire L.L.C., who helped transform Dunn Tire into one of the largest independent tire dealerships in the U.S.;
Bruce Halle, who opened his first tire store 52 years ago and built Discount Tire/America's Tire into a chain with more than 840 locations in 23 states;
- Paul Kruder, who as founder and president of Akron-based Computerized Information and Management Services Inc. (CIMS) created an easy, efficient method of tire registration; and
- Pete Veldman, founder of Tire Rack in South Bend, Ind., a pioneer in mail-order and online tire retailing, with more than 50 million visitors to its website annuall — more than any other tire company or most auto makers, TIA said.
Reece Hester (left) and Steve Akridge — recipients of TIA's Ed Wagner Industry Leadership Award.
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The Ed Wagner Industry Leadership Award is named in honor of the late Edward J. Wagner, managing director of the former American Retreaders' Association and longtime industry consultant, who passed away in September 2011 at the age of 87.
The 2012 winners of the Wagner Award are:
Steve Akridge, executive director of the Virginia Automotive Association (formerly the Virginia Tire Dealers & Retreaders Association); and Reece Hester, executive director of the North Carolina Tire Dealers Association and a current member of the TIA board of directors.The honorees will be formally inducted during the Tire Industry Honors Program at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas Oct. 29, at the beginning of the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show and the Global Tire Expo-Powered by TIA. The SEMA Show runs Oct. 30 to Nov. 2.