Wanted: Tire Industry Leaders of the Future

April 23, 2019

There’s plenty to be said about the institutional knowledge of our industry’s long-time leaders. But more and more, young people are on the front lines pushing the tire industry into the future. Modern Tire Dealer is on the hunt for those young trailblazers.

In the past three years we’ve recognized nearly 100 people who are On the Rise in the tire industry, and we don’t want to quit there. We need your help to meet more of these under-40 leaders.

There are business owners like Jeff Cheek who entered the industry after starting Countryside Tire and Auto Service Inc. in Oak Ridge, Tenn. What does he love about his job? “We initially thought the business was about cars, but have been happy to discover that it is really about people and the community we live in.”

There are others who are members of a multi-generation family legacy in the tire business, including:

Jeremy Burt from Burt Brothers Tire and Service,

Mitch Tate from Tate Boys Tire & Service LLC,

Aaron Telle, the CEO and president of Telle Tire & Auto Service Inc, and

Brian Finkelstein from Max Finkelstein Inc.

All together, there are successful men and women from all across the industry. They work in retail, commercial and wholesale operations. They’re employed by tire manufacturers, tire service equipment makers, financial partners and online tire sellers.

They offer new ideas and fresh outlooks. In short, they’re the future of our industry, and MTD wants to get to know them.

So look around your business for your young leaders. Maybe it’s an employee or coworker. Perhaps it’s a representative of one of your suppliers or wholesale partners. Ask them to nominate themselves for On the Rise. (The form is brief and painless.) Or, if you know of someone MTD needs to meet, send Senior Editor Joy Kopcha an email with the person’s contact info.