TIA Names Six to Tire Industry Hall of Fame

(Tire Review) The Tire Industry Association (TIA) announced the recipients of the 2010 Tire Industry Hall of Fame: Gus Hawkinson, owner of Hawkinson Tire Consulting; Nick Hodel, former CEO of Portland Tire Factory; Russell MacCleery, a retired tyre industry veteran; Gary Nash, director of OTR Sales for Yokohama Tire Corp.; Jerry White, chairman of White Tire Supply; and Don Blythe, former executive director of the Western Canada Tire Dealers Association. The Hall of Fame inductions will take place as part of TIA’s Tire Industry Honors event, from 18-19:30 on 1 November at Paris Hotel in Las Vegas.

Gus Hawkinson is the owner of Hawkinson Tire Consulting in Las Vegas. Prior to establishing his consultancy, he was the third-generation owner of Paul E. Hawkinson Co., and is credited with many developments in the retread industry, including being primarily responsible for developing the industry-standard NDT beginning in 1980, with the initial patent issued in 1981.

Nick Hodel has 45 years of experience in the retail tyre sector; he was a co-founder of Northwest Tire Factory, and also served as CEO of Portland Tire Factory. He is also a past board member of the Northwest Tire Dealers Association and is a past president of the Tire Association of North America (TANA), a predecessor of TIA.

Russell MacCleery has years of experience working for various trade associations. He created the government affairs program for the National Tire Dealers & Retreaders Association (NTDRA), a predecessor of TIA.

Gary Nash has over 45 years of experience in the tyre industry, with 35 of those years being spent in the OTR tyre sector. Currently the director of OTR sales for Yokohama, he has also worked for Goodyear, Purcell Tire and Bridgestone.

Jerry White has over 60 years of experience in the tyre industry and is currently the chairman of White Tire Supply. Jerry has served on many boards, including on the board of the NTDRA, and was a founding board member of the Texas Tire Dealers Association.

Don Blythe is the former executive director of the Western Canada Tire Dealers Association (WCTDA). Don helped guide WCTDA to become one of the most successful tyre organizations in the country.

The Tire Industry Honors event will also feature award winners and honorees from tire industry publications, such as Tire Review’s Top Shop Award winner and Modern Tire Dealer’s recognition of the outgoing TIA president Wayne Croswell. In addition, the event will see the formal installation of TIA incoming president Mike Berra.

Admission to this event is complimentary to all TIA members and Global Tire Expo attendees, though an RSVP is required. For reservations, visit the “Events” section of www.tireindustry.org, or call 800-876-8372, ext. 104.