BOWIE, Md. (Aug. 28, 2014) — The Tire Industry Association (TIA) has named three well-known tire industry figures to its Hall of Fame and three more as Ed Wagner Leadership Award winners.
The 2014 Hall of Fame winners include:
• Harold Coker, founder and chairman emeritus of Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Coker Tire Co., the largest supplier of collector car tires in the world;
• Charles Cornell, founder of Johnstown, Ohio-based tire and tube repair materials company Tech International; and
• Juanita Purcell, executive vice president of Potosi, Mo.-based Purcell Tire & Rubber Co.
The Ed Wagner Leadership Award was named for the late Edward J. Wagner, longtime managing director of the American Retreaders Association and a lifelong advocate for tire dealers and retreaders. This year's winners are:
• Mary Sikora, founder and publisher of Scrap Tire News;
• Tom Wright, founder of Anoka, Minn.-based Wright Tire Service; and
• Jim Smith, editor of Tire Review;
The Hall of Fame and Ed Wagner Award winners will be honored at the Tire Industry Honors Awards ceremony, scheduled for Nov. 3 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas during the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show. Michelin North America Inc. is sponsor of the event.
Free tickets for the ceremony may be reserved at on TIA's website.