FINDLAY, Ohio—Steven E. Buck, 72, former Hercules Tire & Rubber Co. executive, died Oct. 12.
Mr. Buck retired in 2006 after 20 years with Hercules, where he served as tire division vice president and general manager. He began his career with Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. and went on to work for Farmland Industries and fuel distributor Cenex before joining Hercules.
Mr. Buck worked for the Findlay-based company during its acquisition in 2012 by FdG Associates L.L.C., which transformed Hercules from a cooperative to a private tire distributor.
At that time, Craig Anderson, Hercules' then-CEO, told Tire Business that after the acquisition Mr. Buck would remain with Hercules as vice president of sales, tasked with “working on special projects with suppliers and customers on the transition.''
Mr. Anderson noted there were a number of projects in the pipeline at the time of the FdG buyout that need to be implemented and “Steve's great in the field,...knows the dealers around the country and will provide a service for us in increasing our business and transitioning our current business.”
Mr. Buck graduated from the U.S. Army Officers Candidate School and Nebraska State College. He was an officer in several Army National Guard and Army Reserve Units before turning his attention to a career in the tire and rubber industry.
He served on several national and local boards including the former National Tire Dealers & Retreaders Association, predecessor to the Tire Industry Association.
Survivors include his wife Darlene; sons Christopher (Jennifer) and Matthew (Sarah); daughter Stephanie; brother Scott (Shannon) Buck; sister Sue Bordogna; and eight grandchildren.