Bridgestone to back Minddrive tour

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (March 26, 2014) — Bridgestone Americas Inc. has renewed its sponsorship and commitment to volunteering for Minddrive.

A Kansas City-based non-profit educational program, Minddrive uses the automobile and “experiential learning techniques” to teach at-risk high school students about math and science.

To help fuel Minddrive's 2014 initiatives, Bridgestone said it will provide $30,000 in funding, as well as volunteers who will give more than 250 hours of their time.

Additionally, Bridgestone's tire engineers serve as mentors for Minddrive's 40 Automotive Design Studio students. The team lends its tire technology expertise to help Kansas City-area students design and build a highly sustainable all-electric vehicle for Minddrive's annual summer driving tour.

 “We are proud to be aligned with Minddrive in helping develop a next-generation, eco-conscious workforce through its hands-on educational experiences,” said Marty Yurjevich, executive director advanced tire engineering and race tire development for Bridgestone Americas.

“As a leading corporate citizen, Bridgestone's focus on helping to educate our neighboring youth is a proud claim for our company and one that helps ensure we are a great place to work.”

Bridgestone's relationship with Minddrive began in 2010, when the company began supplying the all-electric Minddrive vehicle with its Ecopia line of tires. Bridgestone said its partnership with Minddrive has since expanded to include an engineer mentoring program and an annual sponsorship.

“Bridgestone has been a committed supporter of the Minddrive program from the very beginning. From providing tires and engineering expertise, to mentoring and granting access to testing facilities, we owe much of our program's success to Bridgestone,” said Linda Buchner, president of Minddrive.

“We are excited that Bridgestone has pledged another year of support, and we look forward to hitting the road on Ecopia tires again this May.”