BOWIE, MD — The Tire Industry Association (TIA) has announced the names of those who will be inducted into the Tire Industry Hall of Fame for 2004. John Lampe, retired chairman, CEO and president of Bridgestone Americas, and Mario Marangoni, chairman, CEO and president of the Marangoni Group were chosen by a selection committee for their achievements and leadership that have helped shaped the tire industry.

John Lampe is the former chairman, CEO and president of Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc. He retired on March 31, after more than a 30-year career with Bridgestone Firestone. Starting as an international trainee, he steadily climbed the corporate ladder by taking on various key management positions to ultimately become the chairman, CEO and president of Bridgestone Firestone.

Lampe took over the top position in October of 2000 when Firestone was facing a public relations crisis resulting from the recall of more than six million tires linked to fatal rollover accidents. Firestone was engulfed in a storm of negative publicity, which was eroding public confidence in its products and bringing on scrutiny from regulators and elected officials. Lampe faced these challenges head on. He met with thousands of dealers and reassured them of the company’s commitment to quality. Firestone did not loose even one dealer. He took responsibility for the situation and formulated a specific plan to improve product quality and customer service, which was called “Making it Right.” He testified before Congress and met with regulators to explain the situation and Firestone’s commitment to safety and the company’s plans to address the concerns raised by the recall. He appeared in national television commercials to explain the “Making it Right” program and rebuild the company’s reputation. It was his vision, and it set the tone for how the company would respond to the crisis.

Well liked, highly credible and trusted by both employees and tire dealers, Lampe provided the steady and sound leadership Bridgestone Firestone needed to regain its position in the highly competitive U.S. tire market. In just his second year as CEO, Bridgestone Firestone overcame huge losses and began positing a profit again. The company built on that foundation and has continued to post profits. He rebuilt employee morale and reorganized the company to pave the way for it’s current success. Lampe’s resolve, humility and determination helped to stabilize and rebuilt a company with more than 50,000 employees and saved the 100 year-old Firestone brand.

Today, Bridgestone Americas Holding Inc. develops, manufacturers and markets a wide range of tires to address the needs of a broad range of customers, including automotive and commercial vehicle equipment manufacturers and those in agricultural, forestry and mining industries. The companies also produce air springs, roofing materials, synthetic rubber, and industrial fibers and textiles. The company, through its subsidiary BFS Retail and Commercial Operations LLC, operates the world’s largest chain of automotive tire and service centers.

Mario Marangoni is the founder, chairman, CEO and president of the Marangoni Group. He began his business in 1950 as a retread company, which pioneered the European retreading and waste tire-to-energy business. He grew the business to become the European and world leader in retreading systems, manufacturing proprietary retreading equipment and European retreading.

Marangoni recognized that the waste we generated as an industry needed to be addressed. He always took an innovative approach, which usually included significant risk to help solve a problem. Under Marangoni’s leadership, the company developed a number of retreading systems.

Along with his many achievements, Marangoni has received several honors, including the American Retreading Association “Leadership Award” and “Cavaliere del Lavoro” by the Italian Republic. “Cavalier del Lavoro” is a major recognition given by the President of Italy to only a few entrepreneurs who have substantially contributed to the economic progress of Italy. He also received an honorary M.B.A. degree from CUOA, the prestigious Italian Business School in Vicenza, Italy, in 2004 where he delivered the graduation speech.

Presently, the company makes and distributes retreading machinery and new and retread tires. The company sells its Ringtread system to other tire retreaders. Marangoni also sells retread tires (for cars and off-road vehicles) and new tire products primarily in Italy and elsewhere in Europe. Other products include tires for industrial machinery such as for fork lifts.

The Hall of Fame Inductions will take place during TIA’s Breakfast with the President, scheduled from 7 to 9 a.m. on Tuesday, November 2, during the Performance Tires and Wheels Show/SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Tickets for the event are $30.

The Special Events Registration form is available online at: www.tireindustry.org.

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