NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Debra Hamlin said the transition to becoming the next president of the Tire Industry Association (TIA) will be a smooth one.
Hamlin, director of operations at Bridgestone Commercial Dealer Network, was scheduled to take over the presidency for the 2024-25 term on Nov. 4 at TIA's annual membership meeting in Las Vegas prior to the start of the SEMA Show and AAPEX.
She said the president should be the main advocate for the organization's mission and vision.
"Safety and best-in-class training," she said, "continuing our advocacy for tire dealers, especially around right to repair. You know, provide value.
"Anything that we can do to help our members, to hear their voices and then take action, is very important to keep that momentum going."
Hamlin began her career with Bridgestone in 1997 as an environmental project manager in the retail division.
"My primary focus at the time was to remove all the historical legacy underground storage tanks from our retail locations," she said.
She continued in an expanded environmental role, eventually moving to Bridgestone Americas headquarters in Nashville, in 2017, to support the OTR and commercial groups. This led to her current position in operations.
Born in Hartford, Conn., Hamlin spent a large part of her life near Chicago, and has lived in Nashville since 2017.
Hamlin said she was recruited to work with TIA years ago by current TIA CEO Dick Gust, whom she had come to know working on environmental tire initiatives over the years.
Originally, she joined to be a part of the Environmental Advisory Council and focus on scrap-tire management. From there, she found a great organization of passionate people, she said.
"It's just such a tight-knit business. You may see people wear many different hats and work for many different parts of the tire business, sure, but it's a tight community that I really felt a bond to," she said.
She joined the TIA board in 2018, serving on the environmental advisory council and electric vehicle council, as well as both the training and strategic planning committees.
In 2022, the TIA board elected Hamlin secretary, putting her in line to become president.
After participating in so many committees over the years, and then holding board positions, Hamlin said she feels very prepared. The passion of the people working and volunteering at TIA is infectious, she said, and she is excited to become president.
"The mission and the vision of TIA and what it stands for — the safety, advocacy and value for our membership — is something I'm passionate about," Hamlin said.
"There's a lot of passion on the board right now — the executive committee, as well as the staff. There's a lot of energy and invigoration around what we're doing, how we're doing it and where we're going."
The organization, she said, also is advocating to bring new people into the industry and growing membership by "creating an opportunity for young people, for women, for the underprivileged and the underrepresented in the tire industry to come in and feel welcome and feel that support and have those resources available on how to develop within the industry."
Her message to those in the industry is, "If you're not a member, you should be a member." Hamlin said the biggest draw of TIA membership is the collective power.
"There's strength in numbers. From the smallest dealer to the largest, we grow by supporting each other."
Hamlin succeeds Keith Jarman of AME International as president. Russell Devens, director of safety and risk management at McCarthy Tire Service, will become president for the 2025-26 term.
