Tire Leadership 21 will develop managers

Dec. 3, 2013

Northwood University has introduced Tire Leadership 21, an educational program aimed at developing leadership, management and business skills for the next generation of tire dealer managers and owners.

The program covers a wide range of business, management and leadership topics that are critical to the success of future independent tire dealer managers and owners, according to Brian Cruikshank, program director.

Northwood University collaborated with a group of leading tire dealers to create the program. That group became the Center for Tire & Service Education (CTSE), an independent organization which advises Northwood University on all aspects of Tire Leadership 21’s marketing and content.

“I consider my store managers owners themselves,” says Rich Brahler, a founding member of the CTSE Advisory Board and owner and president of Brahler’s Truckers Supply Inc. based in Jacksonville, Ill. His company has seven commercial locations and one retreading plant in Illinois and Missouri.

“I’ve got great techs and great sales people who developed into good managers but they don’t know the financial side of the business. They don’t know how the decision they make right now will impact them in six months. They don’t how it affects us corporately. They have to see the bigger picture.

"This is my biggest challenge to grow. It’s not bricks and mortar. I’ve invested in trucks, equipment and training, but we do very little to take the young people in my business and make them great managers and great leaders,” says Brahler.

“This program addresses the tire dealer's biggest problem. He wants to grow and he needs people more than anything else,” says Stu Zurcher, a founding member of the CTSE Advisory Board and founder and president of 20-group operator Strategic Alliance Group. 

The program is designed for management-potential, management-track or current management professionals in a tire service environment. There are no formal educational prerequisites.

The program features a pair of one-week, on-campus sessions. The first session will be held April 14-18 at Northwood’s campus in Midland, Mich. Participants will reconvene Sept. 7-12 at Northwood’s campus in West Palm beach, Fla.  Between the sessions, participants will be required to complete an individual project that must deliver $25,000 in annual additional revenue or savings to their employers.

Northwood University is a fully accredited, private, non-profit business university that specializes in managerial and entrepreneurial education. The Tire Leadership 21 program will be managed through Northwood's University of the Aftermarket continuing and executive education unit.

The 2014 Tire Leadership program will be limited to 30 participants on a first-come, first-served basis. The program cost, which includes tuition, meals and class materials, is $5,995.

Discounts are available for tire dealers sending more than one participant to the program. Contact program director Brian Cruickshank ([email protected]) for details. To register for Tire Leadership 21, visit www.universityoftheaftermarket.com or call 1-800-551-2882.