LAKEVILLE, Ind. — Hoosier Racing Tire Corp. President John DeSalle is retiring from the Continental Tire the Americas subsidiary and plans to take on a new challenge as an executive engineer with the University of Notre Dame's iNDustry Labs.
Mr. DeSalle, who began his career with Hoosier in 1988 developing radial race tire technology, was promoted to president of Hoosier in 2016 after the Lakeville-based company was acquired by Continental.
Conti said it plans to name a successor in the near future for Mr. DeSalle, who will continue at Hoosier on a part-time basis until his successor is in place.
CTA and Hoosier Tire CEO Jochen Etzel said Conti appreciates "John's dedication to Hoosier and his leadership; without him Hoosier would not be where it is today.
"John's passion for the betterment of the local community is exemplary. The opportunity for him to channel this passion alongside his business and leadership skills in this new role at Notre Dame is a great fit. I look forward to seeing what John will do in this capacity and the positive impact his efforts will bring to the community."
During his 31 years with Hoosier,Mr. DeSalle took on ever-increasing responsibility with the company, Conti said, including managing all of Hoosier's tire engineering, environmental safety and health activities, plant engineering, employee training, test labs and plant scheduling. He was promoted to vice president of engineering and manufacturing in 2010.
"It's been an honor and a privilege to work with such hard-working, dedicated and wonderful people," he said. "I've enjoyed working with everyone on the team and I'm especially proud of our accomplishments over the years."
At Notre Dame, Mr. DeSalle will serve as a translator and bridge builder who will regularly visit companies, articulate industry challenges and identify available resources through the university's Labs for Industry Futures and Transformation (LIFT) Network to help drive regional industry advancement.
Notre Dame's iNDustry Labs connects a network of UND research facilities, experiential learning programs and dedicated expertise to regional industry and educational partners in support of a more prosperous, resilient and skilled region.
Thomas Fuja, interim dean of UND's College of Engineering and faculty director of iNDustry Labs, lauded Mr. DeSalle for his "depth of understanding of the local community and what it means to be operating a business in this environment that will be absolutely vital to making LIFT/iNDustry Labs the success we know it can be."
In recent years Mr. DeSalle served on several non-profit boards in the South Bend, Ind., area that are responsible for local economic development and quality of life topics in the community. In 2015 he was appointed to the Regional Development Authority Board as the representative of Marshall County and in this capacity worked closely with other individuals who share a common goal of making the region a better place to live.
Founded in 1957 by Bob and Joyce Newton, Hoosier Tire supplies tires for most racing applications throughout the world.