Dan Brown, executive vice president and president of American Tire Distributors Inc.’s (ATD) Tire Pros franchise program, is retiring on June 30, 2016. Ron Sinclair, ATD’s chief marketing officer, will become president of Tire Pros upon Brown’s retirement.
Brown will serve in a consulting role through the end of 2016 to ensure a seamless transition.
ATD says that among Brown’s many accomplishments, building Tire Pros into a premiere network of independent tire dealers stands out as the major achievement in his legacy. Tire Pros dealer count more than tripled and the franchise established a firm nationwide footprint during his tenure as president, which began in December 2010.
He started his career in the tire industry in 1975 when he joined Heafner Tire in Lincolnton, NC upon graduation from college. After starting as a route salesman he became Heafner’s first marketing manager in 1976, then director of marketing in 1988 and director of marketing and sales in 1990. Brown also served important roles following several Heafner acquisitions, including president of CPW and Winston Tire Co.
Brown assumed the role of ATD’s senior vice president of sales and marketing in 1997 and remained in that position until March 2001. He then served as ATD senior vice president of procurement from March 2001 until March 2008. Brown transitioned to the role of executive vice president of sales where he provided leadership across the ATD field sales team. He held the EVP of sales position until December 2010, when he was named executive vice president and president of Tire Pros.
Brown also served on the Board for the North Carolina Tire Dealers Association, including a year as president.
Leadership responsibility for the Tire Pros franchise program will transition on June 30, 2016, to Sinclair. He has led ATD’s marketing, branding and communications efforts since 2003, and he has been actively involved in Tire Pros since 2009. Prior to joining ATD in 2003, Sinclair served as vice president of Marketing for Bruno’s Supermarkets, a 191 store chain with stores across Alabama, Mississippi and the panhandle of Florida.
