Forty-year-plus tire industry veteran Walt Weller will retire on July 31. Weller is senior vice president of CMA/Double Coin and will serve as a consultant to the company, post-retirement.
Weller has been with CMA/Double Coin for more than 16 years and was instrumental in growing the company's sales staff from single digits to double digits, expanding into Mexico and Central America, developing CMA's business plan for the North American commercial truck tire market, expanding CMA's points of sale to more than 2,000 and "dramatically improving the awareness of the Double Coin brand," according to CMA officials. (The Double Coin brand holds 5.5% of the U.S. replacement medium truck tire market, according to MTD research.)
Prior to joining CMA/Double Coin, Weller held senior management positions in sales, operations and marketing at Bridgestone, Michelin, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and other firms. While at Bridgestone, he spent nearly two years at the tire manufacturer's Tokyo, Japan, headquarters, supporting its transition efforts after the acquisition of Firestone Tire & Rubber Co.
"We want to thank Walt for his leadership and impact within the organization," says Mike Yang, president of CMA.
"A steadfast and strategic leader, Walt has been instrumental in the evolution of CMA's success, overseeing numerous transformational changes to the company. We are grateful to Walt for his dedication and wish him nothing but the best in his next chapter."
"It's been an honor to work in this industry and for CMA, contributing to (its) growth and transformation," says Weller. "I want to offer my sincere thanks to our employees, whose hard work and dedication have allowed us to achieve so much. I also want to thank our customers and colleagues for their ongoing support.
"Serving my last year in a consultancy role is a great way to transition into retirement. I have been blessed to be able to work in an environment that fostered an entrepreneurial spirit and allowed me, along with our team, to implement a strategy that has proven its validity. For that privilege, I owe our president, Mike Yang, a huge debt of gratitude."
Weller's expertise was on full display in a recent episode of The Modern Tire Dealer Show: Why the Truck Tire Market Has Kicked Into Overdrive.
