Tire industry veteran William “Bill” Berry, who retired as CEO of American Tire Distributors Inc. (ATD) in January, has a new role at a private equity firm that invests in lower middle market businesses. Berry is now an operating partner at Soundcore Capital Partners LLC in New York City.
In his new position, Berry will provide management and operating expertise to Soundcore’s portfolio companies, with a focus on specialty distribution and business services.
“Bill is a remarkable leader with more than 35 years of experience under his belt,” says Jarrett Turner, managing partner at Soundcore.
“Our ability to provide portfolio company CEOs with guidance from someone who has faced similar challenges on a larger scale is invaluable. Bill is the perfect fit to do this with our team, given his industry expertise and years of experience working with private equity sponsors.”
Berry was most recently CEO of American Tire Distributors (ATD) from 2009 to 2015, during which ATD grew from $1.9 billion in sales to over $5.0 billion in sales, while more than tripling the company’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA).
He began his automotive aftermarket career at Interstate Tire Co. (a predecessor of ATD) in 1984 and helped facilitate the sale of the company to Wingate Capital Partners in 1995. Following mergers that created ATD, Berry was named COO, and eventually CEO.
Prior to Interstate Tire Co., Berry served as a controller and vice president of finance at Dr. Pepper in one of the company’s bottling and distribution operations. He began his career as a certified public accountant after graduating from Virginia Tech with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
“I am honored and excited to join Jarrett, Feliks and the rest of the team at Soundcore,” says Berry. “I’m eager to begin working with Alloy Wheel Repair Specialists, a company that has so much potential for exponential growth, and that is quickly becoming a major player in automotive aftermarket distribution.”
“We look for people who add value to our portfolio companies, as well as our firm,” said Feliks Zarotsky, partner at Soundcore. “Bill has a vision that is aligned with ours, and his track record of success, perspective, skills, and resources will be instrumental in taking the performance of our investments to the next level.”
For more information on Soundcore Capital Partners, visit www.soundcorecap.com.
