TUCSON, Ariz. — Most tire dealers had their start in the industry changing tires — an often thankless and physically strenuous job.
Mason Hess, past president of the Tire Industry Association (TIA) and director of the mining division at Purcell Tire & Service Centers, said he wants to launch a campaign recognizing the importance of the tire technician.
He has created a decal that tire dealers can apply to their trucks and store windows as a tribute to tire technicians and the hard work they do installing and servicing tires.
Hess unveiled the tribute decal at the 2023 Off-the-Road Tire Conference in Tucson, Feb. 22-25. He recently created a link for dealers to request a decal.
The decal reads: "With admiration and gratitude, thank you to all the tire technicians that keep our industry running smoothly, efficiently and safely. Thank you tire techs ... you are the solid foundation the tire industry stands on."
Hess said he wants to publicize the importance of the tire technician.
"We want to start a revolution, if you will, about, 'Let's thank the tire guy.' That tire guy is the foundation of our industry," he said.
The idea was sparked when Purcell Tire was asked to display one of its mining tire crane trucks at the conference, holding Goodyear's 62-inch rim diameter mining tire. Hess said he originally wanted to decorate the truck with a tribute to the U.S. military, but then it morphed into a tribute to the tire technician.
His 15-year-old daughter Ava designed the silhouette image of a technician holding an impact wrench for the decal.
The image of the decal appears on the Purcell Tire "Tribute to the Tire Tech" page on its website, along with the post:
"Over the past few years, a lot of time has been spent talking about how hard it is to hire and keep good young people in the industry. That is a big challenge for tire dealers. This shortage of good people naturally brings to light the appreciation we do have for the many outstanding 'Techs' in our industry.
"Purcell is consistently working on innovative ways to attract younger people to seriously look at tire service and tire technicians as a profession. We believe it is important to understand that you can do well in the tire business. We continuously work to get that message out while actively exploring integration and internships with technical schools."
Tire dealers can receive a decal by emailing [email protected]
