Tire Discounters hires exec VP of talent

CINCINNATI (Oct. 2, 2015) — Former Procter & Gamble Co. veteran Sarah Stimson has been named Tire Discounters Inc.'s new executive vice president of talent.

The family-owned and -operated independent tire retailer said Ms. Stimson will be responsible “for attracting, developing and retaining the company's best talent, expanding upon Tire Discounters' nearly 40-year tradition of delivering automotive service excellence.”

Ms. Stimson spent the last two decades working with Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble, where she was the functional leader of more than 1,300 North American-based marketers, responsible for overseeing every facet of talent management including recruiting, staffing, advancement, training, diversity and culture, according to Tire Discounters. During this time, she worked across every P&G sector, touched all the brands and coordinated among all of the company's North American sites.

Prior to joining P&G, she served as assistant vice president of Irving Trust/The Bank of New York, where she led relationship building and financial lending efforts for both middle market as well as large Fortune 100 companies. Ms. Stimson holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and also has a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and history from Duke University.

Tire Discounters noted that it is “following in the footsteps of Fortune 500 companies, like Pure Genius and Google, as it dedicates resources to talent management.”

CEO Paul Brunner said Ms. Stimson's “extensive experience in identifying, attracting and retaining top-tier talent is crucial to our company's success as we continue to rapidly expand our business.”

The dealership employs more than 1,100 people in almost 100 stores in seven major cities across Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee, and said it is “poised for more growth,” with plans to open more stores. In the Greater Nashville, Tenn., area alone, the company said it expects to create nearly 150 jobs by 2016 and another 60 jobs in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Tire Discounters said hiring Ms. Stimson “demonstrates a forward-thinking enhancement” by the dealership when it comes to employee-focused programs, “most notably for those working in stores.”

Jamie Ward, executive vice president of sales and operations, said that for a number of years Tire Discounters has wanted to offer employees increased scheduling flexibility. “We are now rolling out more flexible work schedules for all of our staff, and we are excited Sarah is here to help ensure its success.

“We now have a variety of schedule options, including a five-day workweek, and will remain closed on Sundays.”

As Tire Discounters' expansion continues, the company said it is focused on building on an increasingly diverse employee base. In her new role, Ms. Stimson will report directly to Mr. Brunner and becomes the second woman on the dealership's executive leadership team.

“As a family owned and operated company, we've grown our reputation on quality products and outstanding customer service,” Mr. Brunner said. “Sarah is leading the charge to recruit and retain employees who have a passion for both. Developing a more diverse workforce is important to us.

“While our industry has been male-dominated for decades, it's starting to evolve. It's a priority for us to recruit and retain more women and minorities; we believe our new employee-focused programs that Sarah is helping to create, roll out and enhance will make Tire Discounters the preferred employer within the industry.”

The dealership, which began in 1976 with a single, one bay store on Cincinnati's east side, recently launched customer programs such as free alignment with any new tire purchase, and free lifetime rotation and balancing — even with the purchase of only one tire. It also introduced an internal training program, called “TD University,” that includes an extensive three-week training session for new employees as well as continuous development courses.