The Missouri Tire Industry Association (MTIA) inducted two men into its Hall of Fame for 2014.
Don Isbell went to work for Friend Tire Co. in October 1961 in Monett, Mo. At the time the small wholesale retreader was locally owned by Hubert Friend, Harold Friend and Howard Randall.The business later converted to new tire sales only. Isbell started work in the warehouse, then went on the road as a route driver and later a route supervisor. He later became vice president and took over as president in 1977 when Randall retired. The company’s ownership changed during the years. In 1962 it was sold to Mohawk Rubber of Akron, and after several buyouts in 1988 Yokohama Tire Corp. took ownership.
Keith Shumaker was born in Golden, Mo. on the same property where Shumaker Tire Co. remains in business today. Shumaker and his wife Judy started their auto service business in 1961 with a family loan. Generations of Shumakers grew up working in the business, which expanded into the wholesale market in 1984. Shumaker retired in 2012.
For more information about MTIA, visit www.mtia4u.org.
