GCR promotes Jeffries to COO

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Feb. 19, 2016) — Bridgestone Americas has promoted Larry Jeffries to chief operating officer (COO) for its GCR Tires & Service division.

The COO role for the unit of Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO) was previously held by Mark Clark, who is retiring at the end of February after more than 30 years in the tire industry, the company said.

“Larry's career is filled with hands-on store experience, and we are excited for him to bring this knowledge to GCR,” said John Vasuta, GCR's president. “Over the years he has been involved in many financial and operational excellence projects, and I am confident that his expertise makes him well-suited for this new role.”

Mr. Jeffries joined Bridgestone in 1999, most recently serving as director of technical planning at the Bridgestone Americas Akron Technical Center in Akron. Prior to that he spent 10 years as a regional operations manager at Bridgestone Retail Operations (BSRO). Before that, he held various roles at the BSRO subsidiary Tires Plus, including regional vice president and national director of communications, according to Nashville-based BATO.

He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business with a concentration in management and a Master of Business Administration in strategic management from the University of Phoenix, and also served in the U.S. Coast Guard as a Merchant Marine.

GCR is one of the nation's largest commercial tire and service companies, with a network of more than 200 locations in the U.S. and Eastern Canada that offer service for the continent's trucking, construction, mining, industrial, agricultural and industrial segments.