Belle Tire adds to exec team, names prez

ALLEN PARK, Mich. (Sept. 24, 2015) — Family-owned Belle Tire Distributors Inc. has made several changes to its executive leadership team, hiring industry outsider Jack Lawless as CEO and promoting Don Barnes III to president.

Mr. Lawless, 54 and the the former CEO of Michigan modular homebuilder Champion Enterprises Holdings L.L.C., succeeds Steven Craig, who is leaving the company after just three years at the helm.  

Mr. Barnes, 32, has worked at his family's company for 10 years, most recently as president of retail operations, overseeing the day-to-day operations of more than 90 Belle Tire locations in Michigan, northern Ohio and Indiana.

Messrs. Lawless and Barnes will work together with the other members of the leadership team to continue Belle Tire's recent growth curve, which most recently took the dealership into Indiana for the first time, according to Belle Tire's owners, Don Barnes Jr. and Bob Barnes.

A resident of Northville, Mich., Mr. Lawless previously was president and CEO for Troy, Mich.-based Champion Enterprises, where Belle said he doubled the company's U.S. market share in four years.

In a Belle Tire press release, Mr. Lawless said he is “very pleased to be a part of such an iconic brand. I look forward to working with the Barnes family and the entire Belle Tire team to continue its commitment to providing the best auto service and tire buying options in the industry.”

Mr. Barnes III is the third generation working in the family-owned business that began with his grandfather, followed by his father and uncle. Belle said he has worked for the dealership for more than 10 years.

His new role “will allow him to continue his family's tradition of top-shelf customer service, maintaining Belle Tire's place as one of Michigan's outstanding family companies and offering the ‘Lowest Tire Price, Period,'” according to the dealership.

The company, founded in 1922 in Detroit, said he also will continue to oversee the day-to-day operations of Belle's more than 90 locations in Michigan, northern Ohio and Indiana.

“The continued success of Belle Tire is our primary goal, and the addition of Jack to our leadership team will help us forge ahead with our tradition of growth here in the Midwest,” Mr. Barnes III said.

According to the company, in addition to Messrs. Lawless and Barnes III, there are four additional members of the leadership team at the helm of Belle Tire's growth strategy each of whom “bring decades of expertise” in their respective areas.

“We have been working diligently to ensure that we get the right people in place to help keep things moving along progressively here at Belle Tire as they have since 1922,” Don Barnes Jr. said. “Wayne Shotwell, Mike Schulmeister, Jim Peterson and Tom Bowman fit perfectly into the context of our new leadership team with their unique experiences and expertise.”

Mr. Shotwell was recently promoted from vice president of logistics and asset management to chief operating officer. He has been with Belle since 2006 and has led the company's in-store remodeling overhaul since 2012, impacting about 50 locations thus far. He also has played a major role in the logistical aspects of the Indiana expansion, the company said.

Mike Schulmeister was named chief financial officer last spring, joining Belle after several years as vice president controller at Dawn Food Products, a manufacturer and distributor of bakery food products with $2 billion in sales.

Completing the Belle executive team are Jim Peterson and Tom Bowman as vice president of human resources and vice president of the commercial division, respectively.

Belle offers tires and a range of automotive services including auto glass repair and replacement, brakes, alignments batteries, shocks and struts, exhaust repair and oil changes.