The Tire Industry Association (TIA) will have a new president next month, when Dan Nothdurft takes the organization's helm. In this interview, Nothdurft - who is the president of Tires Tires Tires, a four-location, independent tire dealership based in Sioux City, Iowa - previews some of the things that TIA members can expect to see from the association in 2021. This includes the continuation of TIA’s popular training webinars and other efforts.

ATEQ TPMS Tools LC has hired Matthias Froehlich to manage European TPMS sales.

Are you doing everything you can to make 2021 the most successful year in the history of your dealership? Join MTD on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 2 p.m. EDT for an exclusive webinar, “Preparing to Win in 2021," during which tire industry executives and experts will share advice and best practices that you can immediately implement at your business.

Rice Tire has promoted Mark Messenger to vice president of purchasing, replacing Maggie Buckholtz, who is retiring from the Frederick, Md.-based dealership after 43 years of service.

Pietro Berardi is no stranger to the automotive aftermarket, having held senior leadership positions in the Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi alliance and FCA Group. Seven months into his role as CEO of Pirelli Tire North America Inc. (PTNA), Berardi also has become an expert on the North American tire industry. In this MTD exclusive, Berardi - who has been tasked with strengthening Pirelli's presence in North America - discusses the company's product strategy, its participation in the future mobility ecosystem, his take on the market as 2020 winds down and other topics.

Online tire seller SimpleTire LLC is making major investments in its operation - starting with a revamped website that recently went live, according to SimpleTire CEO Andy Chalofsky. In this MTD exclusive, Chalofsky discusses additional enhancements, plus changing tire dealer perceptions of e-commerce, the impact of COVID-19 on consumer buying preferences and other topics.

Nokian Tyres plc has named a new leader for its North American business. Anna Hyvönen, who's been a member of Nokian management since 2016, will replace Mark Earl as senior vice president of North America.

Jim Bull will take over leadership of Big O Tires LLC as vice president and general manager to replace John Kairys as he joins the purchasing team for parent company TBC Corp.

“Young people these days - harrumph!” Ever catch yourself saying - or thinking - this? Even at the age of 46, I sometimes do. (I must be getting old!)

Over the past 27 years, those five little words have represented the best of what the tire industry has to offer. The past honorees of Modern Tire Dealer’s award - the oldest and most prestigious of its kind -  include men and women who have led their businesses to success, and also steered the whole industry into the future. 

The year was 1976. Armed with $5,000 in hard-earned savings and a matching loan from his father, 22-year-old Chip Wood opened his first tire store - a rough and tumble former gas station on the east side of Cincinnati, complete with missing windows and a garage door that was too small to accommodate a car. Nearly 45 years later, Wood's dealership, Tire Discounters, is one of the country's largest tire store chains, a state-of-the-art operation on the cutting edge of tire and auto service retailing. And Wood is MTD's 2020 Tire Dealer of the Year.