LAKEVILLE, Ind. — Continental Tire the Americas L.L.C. (CTA) has promoted company and industry veteran Joerg Burfien to president of its Hoosier Racing Tire Corp. subsidiary, succeeding the retiring John DeSalle.
Mr. Burfien has been with Continental in various management positions since joining the company in 1998 in the firm's international trainee program. Most recently he was head of global standards and regulations for Continental's Tire Division worldwide.
Among his positions with Continental were two prior assignment in the U.S., Conti said: head of platform development tires in 2002 and head of CTA's research and development organization from 2006 to 2010. Among his responsibilities during the latter assignment was working with Hoosier.
Jochen Etzel, CEO of CTA and Hoosier Racing Tire, said Mr. Burfien brings the "technical expertise and leadership qualities required to lead Hoosier into their next chapter" as well as a good understanding of the tire market,
"Whether working in product development, R&D or as a key account manager directly with our customers, Joerg's industry knowledge, and passion for technology and racing presents the perfect combination to lead a technical-driven organization such as Hoosier."
Mr. Burfien also brings a passion for racing to his new assignment, Conti said, a relationships that started at a young age in his native Germany and followed him on his assignments to the U.S., where he participated in amateur level racing across the country.
"Having a history with Hoosier and clear understanding of what drives the organization is a great starting point for taking on this new role," Mr. Burfien said. "The Hoosier team has a great spirit and I look forward to working together during this exciting time in our industry as technology continues to take the art of racing tire development to another level."
Mr. DeSalle, who began his career with Hoosier in 1988 developing radial race tire technology, announced his intention to retire in November in order to take on a new challenge as an executive engineer with the University of Notre Dame's iNDustry Labs.
He had been president of Hoosier since 2016.
Lakeville-based Hoosier Tire supplies tires for racing applications throughout the world, with an emphasis on high performance and quality. Conti acquired it in 2016.