The Tire Industry Association (TIA) has elected five members to its board of directors. Four will serve three-year terms and the fifth will serve a one-year term filling the vacancy created when Mason Hess, of Purcell Tire & Rubber Co., was elected secretary of the board earlier this year.

The new directors will take office on Monday, Nov. 4, during the annual membership meeting at Caesars Palace Las Vegas Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. They will join an additional 13 directors to make up the association’s 18-member board. 

The directors elected to three-year terms are:

T. J. Trum– Pomp’s Tire Service Inc., Kansas City, Kansas

Trum is the general counsel for Pomp’s Tire Service Inc. and chair of the American Commercial Tire Network (ACTN) Human Resources and Safety Committee. He is a licensed legal counsel and certified senior professional in human resources by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM-SCP). He has hybrid tire industry experience in legal, operations, safety and human resources. Trum is committed to the servant leadership model that inspires grassroots ownership up the organizational structure and believes proper engagement, staffing and training will be defining keys to success for industry teams.

Russell Devens– McCarthy Tire Service, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

Devens is the director of safety and risk management for McCarthy Tire Service. He has more than 30 years of experience in safety, law enforcement, security, insurance and risk management. Devens is a Level 400 Commercial Tire Service TIA instructor, a Part 48 Certified and Part 46 instructor with the Mine Safety & Health Administration, 30-hour general industry certified with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a certified commercial vehicle inspector with the U.S. Department of Transportation and holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from King’s College in Wilkes-Barre. He conducts ongoing training, evaluations of workplace safety, emergency response, hazardous materials management and facility security for more than 50 locations in nine states. 

Jim Pangle– Fountain Tire Ltd., South Lethbridge, Canada

Pangle is a consultant for Fountain Tire and a current TIA board member. He became interested in cars and the automotive industry at a young age while taking a mechanical program offered through his school. Pangle got involved in the tire industry in Whitecourt, Alberta, in 1969 and it quickly became a passion and career he wanted to pursue. He worked at Goodyear until the early 1970s and then joined Fountain Tire working on the store side of the business dealing with a wide range of customers from retail, mechanical, farm, commercial and OTR. During this time, he also partnered with Fountain Tire and owned a retread plant that produced more than 40,000 retreads a year. In 2000, Pangle joined the corporate side of Fountain Tire to work on store operations. 

Debra Hamlin– Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, Nashville, Tennessee

Hamlin is the environmental, health, safety and sustainability (EHSS) director for the commercial division of Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations. She provides oversight and leadership for EHSS activities. Previously, Hamlin served as environmental manager for the Bridgestone Retail Operations’ retail network of more than 2,200 company-owned retail stores in the U.S., which include Firestone Complete Auto Care, Wheel Works and Tires Plus. Since joining Bridgestone in 1997, Hamlin has conceptualized, developed and implemented the company’s scrap tire management program in response to a voluntary tire safety recall, a program that was published as part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TREAD Act. She also was instrumental in the development of the Bridgestone Tires4ward program, which works to assure that every tire removed from a vehicle, at their retail locations, is sent to a beneficial end use. Another key element of the Tires4ward program is developing more beneficial end-use markets for scrap tires. Hamlin is part of the board of the Bridgestone Women’s Initiative Network (BWIN) and engaged in developing women in the tire industry.

Elected to a one-year term is:

Dean Schwartz –  Lloyd’s Tire & Auto Care, Santa Cruz, California

Schwartz is the owner of Lloyd’s Tire & Auto Care and has been part of the automotive industry since 1989. In 2001, he became owner of Lloyd’s Tire & Auto Care in Santa Cruz. With his experience and wealth of knowledge, he grew Lloyd’s sales from $2 million to $10 million. Schwartz is an ASE master automotive technician, undercar specialist, service consultant and TIA auto service advanced instructor. He also has been certified in other areas and programs within the industry to make sure he is stays up to date. 

“We are honored to welcome the new members of our 2019-2020 board of directors,” said Roy Littlefield, TIA CEO. “We are confident each new member will help us continue our mission of providing government representation, tire safety and education to all.”