SEMA News—February 2018

EVENTS

By George Gabriel

TIA Announces New Programs at Global Tire Expo

The annual Global Tire Expo, Powered by the Tire Industry Association, ran within the 2017 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

The annual Global Tire Expo (GTE), powered by the Tire Industry Association (TIA), ran within the 2017 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. As it does every year, the GTE brought in large crowds as it continued to build on its mission to further its goals of education, industry advocacy and professionalism.

This year, TIA announced a newly elected board president for 2018. David Martin of American Tire Distributors took office on Monday, October 30, 2017, at the association’s annual membership meeting and will serve a one-year term. Martin is a veteran of the tire segment of the automotive aftermarket, having served customers for more than 30 years. His experience includes owning Snap-On Tools and Cornwell Tools dealerships for 16 years.

TIA inducted David Martin of American Tire Distributors as its new 2018 board president. Martin took office on Monday, October 30, 2017, at the association’s annual membership meeting. He will serve a one-year term.

Martin is passionate about education and intends to further that initiative in his newly elected role. The plan is to release new versions of the Automotive Tire Service and Commercial Tire Service programs in 2018.

“Those programs will be perfect for administrative, office and sales personnel who want a deeper understanding of the products they sell and service,” Martin said.

Kevin Rohlwing, TIA senior vice president of training, explained that the programs will be new in the sense that the scope and purpose will be different from TIA’s traditional technician training resources, but the message of promoting tire safety in the shop and on the road will not change.

“We are simply rewriting, re-editing and repackaging our existing training assets to fill the need for technical training outside the shop,” Rohlwing said.

The greater focus of the GTE is to serve the needs of the tire business community. The GTE encompasses all sectors of the tire industry at the SEMA Show, including light duty, medium duty, heavy duty, retreading, recycling and more.

“The Global Tire Expo offers invaluable education sessions, product introductions and business connections to members of both SEMA and TIA,” said SEMA President and CEO Chris Kersting. “It is a perfect complement to what we do at the SEMA Show, and we are pleased to partner with TIA in serving this segment of the industry.”

Ahead of the official GTE opening, Michelin North America and TIA announced the recipients of the Michelin/TIA Scholarship Awards for the academic school year. A total of $6,250 was awarded to three scholars to support the costs of college tuition, books, fees, and room and board. The three recipients were Taylor Kosar of Centreville, Maryland; Julyssa Rocha of Gothenburg, Nebraska; and Mariah Weiss of Durand, Wisconsin.

From left: Kevin Rowling, TIA senior vice president of training; David Martin, board president; John Evankovich, vice president; Roy Littlefield, TIA executive vice president; Roy Littlefield IV, TIA director of government affairs.

The GTE encompasses all sectors of the tire industry at the SEMA Show, including light duty, medium duty, heavy duty, retreading, recycling and more.