FRANKLIN, Tenn. (March 16, 2017) — Longtime tire industry sales executive Rick Phillips is joining Triangle Tire USA as vice president of sales, effective April 1.
Triangle USA CEO Manny Cicero called Mr. Phillips a "proven sales leader who has earned widespread respect in the industry.
"When we announced Triangle Tire USA last year," Mr. Cicero said, "we said a primary goal was to establish long-term relationships with key distributors and dealers. Rick will play a central role in making that happen."
Mr. Phillips has almost 40 years of experience in the tire industry, including the last 18 at Yokohama Tire Corp., where he was vice president of sales since February 2015. He joined Yokohama in 1999 as a territory sales manager and held a number of sales management positions, including national sales manager and senior director of commercial business.
Prior to joining Yokohama, Mr. Phillips held several sales positions at Joe Esco Tire Corp., including corporate sales manager.
Triangle Group Co. Ltd. is considered the No. 15 tire maker worldwide, based on 2015 sales of $2.44 billion. Franklin-based Triangle Tire USA, a wholly owned subsidiary of Triangle Tyre, opened its office in that Nashville suburb in 2016.
Triangle also operates a technical center in Akron to help develop consumer and commercial tires specifically for the U.S. market.