FINDLAY, Ohio (Oct. 30, 2015) — Cooper Tire & Rubber Co.'s board of directors has named Gary S. Michel a company director, effective immediately.
Mr. Michel, a 30-year veteran of Ingersoll Rand P.L.C. (IR), is president of IR's residential heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) business — a post he has held since 2011. He has full responsibility for the management, operations and performance of the HVAC business, which includes brands such as Trane, American Standard, Ameristar and Nexia Home Intelligence, according to Cooper.
A senior vice president of the company, Michel also serves as a member of the Ingersoll Rand enterprise leadership team and leads the company's Sales Excellence Initiative as well as serving as a co-lead of its enterprise sustainability efforts.
Mr. Michel began his tenure with IR as an application engineer and went on to hold product, sales and business management roles before moving into a series of leadership positions across various geographic and market segments, culminating in his current role, Cooper said.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the University of Phoenix.
Cooper Chairman, CEO and President Roy Armes said Mr. Michel “brings a wealth of experience at the highest levels of a $13 billion global business to our board. His insights and expertise in product development, sales, business leadership and sustainability will be valuable as we continue to pursue Cooper's strategic plan for growth. We look forward to his contributions and welcome Gary to our board of directors.”
The Findlay-based tire maker also announced a quarterly dividend of 10.5 cents per share on its common stock, payable Dec. 29 to stockholders of record at the close of business Dec. 3.
This will mark the 175th consecutive quarterly dividend paid by Cooper Tire, the company said.