SANTA ANA, Calif. — Yokohama Tire Corp. (YTC) has hired tire industry veteran Bruce Besancon as senior director of OTR sales.
Mr. Besancon, who has been vice president of marketing at Alliance Tire Americas (ATA) since early 2014, takes over for longtime YTC OTR Sales Director Tim Easter, who is returning to the field to work more closely with customers, according to Yokohama.
Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. acquired Alliance Tire Group, ATA's parent company, last year.
"He will be a major asset for us because he has nearly 30 years of OTR tire experience — counting the 20-plus with Michelin — and has expertise in several areas, including product development and marketing," Yokohama Chief Operating Officer Jeff Barna said.
Mr. Besancon will report to Mr. Barna and will be responsible for OTR sales.
Before joining Yokohama, Mr. Besancon was instrumental in the development of ATA brands — Alliance, Galaxy and Primex — for the agriculture, construction and forestry segments, according to Yokohama.
Prior to ATA, Mr. Besancon held several OTR positions with Group Michelin, including global product manager, North American marketing director for earthmover products and field engineer.