Meet the Tire Nerds...
Skip Viola
President and Managing Partner
Skip is a 40-year veteran of the tire industry, most recently Vice President Replenishment of TBC Corporation. Prior to his role at TBC Wholesale, he was VP of Sales Operations of Treadways Corporation, a division of TBC, which is the largest tire distributor (TBC Wholesale, Treadways, Carroll Tire) and retailer (Tire Kingdom, Big O, NTB, Merchant’s Tire & Auto Centers, Midas) in the North American tire market. TBC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation of America (SCOA).
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Richard A. Clarke
Partner and Vice President of Sales and Marketing
With more than 35 years of business development and marketing experience, Rich provides expertise in all aspects of branding, marketing, demographic market segmentation, and digital media. Rich has helped clients like Hankook Tires, Mobil Oil, Hertz Corp, CarMax, Hennessey Industries, Hino Trucks, and Prestone Anti Freeze and more than 100 automotive products elevate their brand and increase awareness.
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Matt
Matthew is an authority on building a successful business from the ground up. He has been involved in three start-ups since 2013, all profitable in the first year. He remains passionately involved in the day-to-day operations of his current retail business and has honed multiple executive disciplines to grow business, including Management, Sales, Strategic Planning, and Advertising. An intuitive business planner, Matt helps businesses thrive in the rapidly and ever-evolving social media landscape — further solidifying his role as an invaluable expert for TCG.
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Larry
Larry has a unique 37-year history in the tire industry that spans leadership roles as a Chemist in Research & Development, Planning of New Innovations and Products, Product Marketing, and Market Intelligence and Business Analysis. Even before embarking on his career with Michelin, he attained a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Missouri and quickly established himself as Laboratory Manager of Langston Laboratory of Kansas City, Vice President of Langston Laboratory of Puerto Rico, and Lab Manager & Development Director of Missouri Chemical (Division of Farmland Industries).
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Bruce
With more than 35 years of experience, Bruce has made his mark at multiple levels within the tire industry, including sales, marketing, merchandising, training, budgeting, procurement, retail store direction, establishing wholesale channel strategies, and both establishment and execution of strategic plans. He is keenly aware of the mechanisms that drive sales. Bruce’s broad experience in tire sales development and marketing will help to propel Tire Consultants Group to a higher level of service to its present and prospective client base.
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Dave
Dave offers a unique perspective of the tire, rubber and automotive service industries gained through a three-decade-plus career as a trade publication editor and publisher and as a marketing and communications executive at the Tire Industry Association. In these roles, Dave attended hundreds of industry meetings, conferences, including state tire dealer and national association conventions, as well as tire and rubber company events and product launches. Along the way, he’s interviewed many top tire and rubber industry executives both domestically as well as in Europe, Central America and Asia. These opportunities have given him a broad understanding of the tire, rubber and automotive service industries and allowed him to become a sought-after industry speaker.
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Peter
Peter’s experience in the automotive vertical market has given him both a deep understanding of and keen insight into the machinations of the aftermarket industry, working with dealers, manufacturers, and distributors at all levels. With nearly four decades in the industry, Peter has concentrated on improving sales, as well as increasing productivity and efficiency of different vertical markets, such as manufacturing, distribution, and retailing. He has honed his skills in a variety of venues, all leading to improved sales, sharper systems development, and smarter business enhancement.
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Christine
For more than two decades, Christine has made significant inroads in the areas of importer security, compliance, and consultation, serving as the integral link between product importers and prospective customers here in the United States. Throughout her career, she has helped offshore companies navigate the sometimes-treacherous waters of conducting business stateside, helping them to understand the risks and mine the rewards of doing business in the American marketplace.
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John
John is a successful entrepreneur and seasoned business professional with an impressive and diverse background, principally in the areas of finance, accounting, and risk management. He has held senior positions with several of the tire industry’s leading tire purveyors. Having passed the CPA exam, John brings unique, in-depth knowledge that spans virtually the entire financial spectrum.
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Art
Art’s career has taken him from large international pharmaceutical concerns and market research firms to respected Original Equipment Manufacturer tire businesses, as well as his own consulting enterprise. With each successive endeavor, Art has helped propel business and boost the bottom line of companies and their clients.
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Marty
Marty enjoys an impressive track-record as a human resources visionary with a myriad of achievements and accomplishments in a career spanning more than 25 years. A multidimensional human resources executive, Marty has been recognized for his leadership and strategic direction, as well as for executive coaching in rapid growth and distressed economic environments. He has consistently delivered positive and sustainable employee relations and organizational effectiveness within multisite wholesale, retail, and service industries.
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Tom
Tom is respected throughout the tire industry for his leadership and insights into the national and international OTR engineering arenas. He is a top-performing tire specialist and management professional with extensive domestic and international tire engineering experience. Tom’s understanding of the domestic marketplace coupled with his firm grasp of the offshore market accord him a keen perspective on current industry efforts and future trends.
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Dennis
Dennis (IDSA) is a seasoned industrial design professional with product-centric conceptual design and product development experience in the tire industry. He has held Senior Industrial Designer positions at BFGoodrich and Bridgestone Firestone. Dennis was also a Sr. Global Industrial Designer for Hankook Tire.
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Michael
Career highlights 40 years of experience in the transportation and supply chain industry. Disciplines include Customer service, Distribution, Finance, Inventory management, Network design, Purchasing, Supply chain, and Transportation. Bio Mike has over forty years’ experience in transportation and supply chain management. His most recent position was Director of Transportation for TBC Corporation which is one […]
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