Tire Business Publisher Zielasko among TIA honorees

BOWIE, Md. — The Tire Industry Association's 2017 Hall of Fame class includes two historical figures — Cabot Corp. founder Godfrey Cabot and Schenuit Tire & Rubber Co. President William Conklin III — and industry veteran Norman Gaither, founder and owner of DSP 20 Group.

In addition, TIA will honor a pair of longtime industry contributors, Atlantic Tire & Service Owner Anthony Blackman and Tire Business Publisher David Zielasko, with its Ed Wagner Leadership Award.

The inductions will take place at TIA's awards ceremony on Oct. 30 at Paris Las Vegas Hotel prior to the start of the 2017 Specialty Equipment Market Association Show. The ceremony, open to all interested parties, will run from 6 to 8 p.m.

The Hall of Fame Award is TIA's highest honor, recognizing individuals who have made a significant impact within the tire, rubber and transportation industries. The Ed Wagner Leadership Award is presented to individuals or companies that demonstrate leadership or innovation in products and services that foster and promote the tire, retreading and/or tire recycling industries.

"We are proud to induct our newest honorees at the 2017 Tire Industry Honors," said Roy Littlefield, TIA's executive vice president. "Each honoree has proven to be a key player in the tire industry by contributing as a leader, influencer, and trailblazer, all of which serves as the foundation and purpose of both awards. On behalf of the TIA staff, our board, and current members, we would like to congratulate each recipient on their outstanding service."

The late Mr. Cabot was an American industrialist and philanthropist and is credited with leading efforts that resulted in key developments in carbon black and its use in tires.

Mr. Cabot founded Godfrey L. Cabot Inc., and its successor, Cabot Corp., in 1882. By 1890, Cabot Corp. had become the fourth largest producer of carbon black in the U.S.

By the time Mr. Cabot retired in the 1950s, his company's directed focus on material science and other research and development efforts had resulted in many innovations in carbon black production and manufacturing processes, including the development of quality measurement tests, pelletized carbon black for improved handling and blended products for specific applications.

For the past 130 years, Cabot Corp. has contributed directly to the growth and development of the tire industry as a supplier with a broad portfolio of products that can increase tread durability, reduce rolling resistance and improve traction across a wide range of tire applications.

He died in 1962.

Mr. Conklin is credited with being a pioneer in development of private brands in the tire industry and was involved in the creation of the industry's Private Brand Group in the early 1980s.

Mr. Conklin began his career in the tire industry in 1950, at the former Lee Tire Co. in Philadelphia. He joined Schenuit Tire in 1960, working first as a manager and then, when the company was sold, as president until 1977 of the Baltimore Division, which was the genesis of the branding concept.

Mr. Conklin was the first chairman of the 27-member Private Brand Group, initiated by the National Tire Dealers & Retreaders Association, and he later started a monthly subscription newsletter addressing the industry and political issues. Revenues from that newsletter helped finance the NTDRA's first two Federal Lobby Days.

He also was active in politics, lobbying extensively on behalf of the NTDRA and Private Brand Group. He played a strong role in the passage of historic legislation that was in large part due to his leadership and ability to engage dealers, TIA said.

Mr. Gaither's Hall of Fame credentials relate primarily to his recognition of the need for independent counseling and coaching of independent tire dealers, the central focus of the company he started in 2007, Dealer Strategic Planning.

That business, now known as DSP Inc., pioneered the 20 Group concept — which brings together 20 independent, non-competing business owners in an open forum — in the tire industry. Mr. Gaither's nomination was supported by testimonials from many dealers who described complete turnarounds in their business fortunes.

Mr. Gaither started in the industry in the 1980s in the auto parts wholesale business, where as his company's controller fixed their accounting and inventory systems. That experience led him to coaching tire dealers and eventually to the founding of DSP.

Mr. Blackman has been serving the Raleigh-Durham, N.C., area for the past 30-plus years, first in the Goodyear company store organization, then in a partnership for 10 years before opening Atlantic Tire in 1998.

Mr. Blackman is being recognized for his extensive support of the local community in the Raleigh and Durham areas, support that has earned him numerous business and community service awards, including the Cary Chamber's Employer of the Year Award and both the Cary Chamber and Morrisville Chamber's Small Business of the Year Award in recent years. He was Tire Business' Humanitarian of the Year last year.

His dealership also has won numerous business awards.

Mr. Zielasko is being honored for his contributions to the industry as an editor, publisher, reporter and conference speaker for the past 31 years with Tire Business and Crain Communications Inc., where he's a vice president.

Among his accomplishments is the creation of the Tire Dealer Humanitarian Award, given annually to an independent tire dealer or retreader who has made significant contributions to the betterment of his or her community through charitable or public service work.

Mr. Zielasko joined Tire Business in 1985 and was named editor in 1987. He became associate publisher in 1995 and publisher in 1998. A year later he was named a Crain vice president. He also is publisher of Rubber & Plastics News and European Rubber Journal, two sister publications of Tire Business.

Throughout his tenure, Mr. Zielasko's mission has been to ensure his team provides timely and accurate information to the industry, through the pages of the print publication, online and at various conferences and trade shows he has helped organize