summer06 inroadsPressAgain802.qxp 8/15/2006 2:40 PM Page 1 inRoads Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC O Summer 2006 Executive Be a Community Leader in Safety! page ................................2 Feature Edge There is one thing that all of available to drivers aged 15-21; visit your customers are www.DriversEdge.org to see when and concerned about and that is safety. Drivers where the program is offered. Dealers page........................2,3,8,9 hold their breath as they pass an accident, cross their fingers as their family member pulls out of the driveway, and sigh in relief when missing a near fender bender. You can also reach out to your home Truck & Bus page ............................4,5 Everyone can benefit from learning community by conducting your own Car techniques to be safer on the road. Care Academy, an educational program on As a dealer, you are in a unique position proper car care. BFNT will send interested Consumer page ..........................4,11 to provide drivers with the tools, literally dealers a complete program kit which and figuratively, to keep them safe. We includes all the materials needed for a encourage you to talk to your customers successful Car Care Academy. This fantastic about programs and resources available to grassroots tool provides your customers Motorsport page ................................5 them as a means to continually sharpen with a hands-on experience and really their driving skills. shows your community you care about Bridgestone Firestone North American safety. Reach out to your community Awards page ............................6,7 Tire, LLC (BFNT) has worked with legendary members and provide priceless tips and race car driver Mario Andretti to develop a instruction at no cost to the participants. comprehensive program to educate young Call (800) 792-8807 for more information drivers on tire and driver safety called Know and to receive Enthusiast page ................................8 Your M.A.R.I.O.S. (Mario Andretti's Real your Car Care Information On Safety). The Know Your Academy do- M.A.R.I.O.S. booklets are a great way to it-yourself kit. inform Finally, this past spring, BFNT launched a OE page ................................9 customers new program called Safety Scholars. about safe Students were asked to compose essays on driving and tire maintenance. Hand the driver safety-related topics for a chance to Where’s M.A.R.I.O.S. booklets out at your store, earn a college scholarship or one of the Mario page ..............................10 community events, local schools, etc. and be many other prizes. The response was known as the dealer who cares about tremendous. The idea behind the program promoting safety. To request M.A.R.I.O.S. was to find new and better ways to booklets, please contact Susan Sizemore at communicate safety messages to young Environment page ..............................11 (615) 937-1417 or download a PDF version drivers by asking them for their ideas. Tens of from www.tiresafety.com. thousands of entries were received, and the Driver's Edge, sponsored by Bridgestone, contest winners will be announced this fall. Drive & is another program with a focus on safety. Watch for more Bridgestone Firestone Learn page ..............................12 Taught by professional racecar drivers and programs that can help you be a community performance driving instructors, Driver's leader and set the standard for safety. Edge educates young drivers behind the wheel by offering a “seat of the pants” The sun might be experience, accident avoidance maneuvers shining now but soon it will be snowing in some areas. Now is the in a controlled environment, local law time to order your winter tires, see inside story enforcement interaction and proper car care regarding Bridgestone®-brand Blizzak® tire demonstrations. This free program is accolades, page 7. summer06 inroadsPressAgain802.qxp 8/15/2006 2:40 PM Page 2 2 inRoads Summer2006 A Note from Mark Emkes Executive Edge The sounds relevant to your business, we are always of summer looking for ways to make it better. In this are all around us, but the edition, we're highlighting stories and tools planning for the next intended to increase your business, your seasons continues with bottom line and your presence in your great gusto as we prepare community. Future editions of inRoads will for back to school, the include new features such as “Dealer winter selling season, and an increasingly Spotlight” and “Toolbox” that will focus with competitive and challenging global even greater intensity on your needs. marketplace. As I have said in the past, my door is In this edition of inRoads, we continue always open to you. Please don't hesitate to our tradition of preparing you for the let your sales representative or me know upcoming seasons by providing you the how we can better serve you. And, if you best resources available in the industry and would like to share any of your special sales, ideas you can use in your marketing, marketing or community relations initiatives including highlights of dealer activities as with us, or have an idea for a future edition well as tips you can use with your of inRoads, please don't hesitate to contact customers. This summer issue of inRoads our editor, Susan Sizemore. I cannot also highlights the many safety initiatives underscore enough that we are in business we've undertaken in North America (such as together, working together to provide a our safety outreach to the “driving” positive experience for our customers. community through our Drive & Learn A profound statement by Helen Keller is initiative, the Driver's Edge teen driving fitting for our vast and global network, program, and the M.A.R.I.O.S. safety “Alone we can do so little; together we can campaign), as well as the technological do so much.” advantages we are incorporating into our As always, my best to you, and let's enjoy products. the journey. inRoads is your newsletter...it is a communication vehicle designed for you, to Best regards, help you take your business to the next level. Since we want to make sure that our newsletter is accurate, concise, timely and Mark A. Emkes BizCon10 Gathers Leaders to Dealers Learn, Network and Inspire For 10 years now, the Firestone®-brand truck Bridgestone Firestone Truck & Bus Tire tire Web sites to group has hosted BizCon, the meeting many differentiate dealers consider “the best commercial tire Bridgestone and business conference in the industry.” From Firestone truck tires. sales to leadership, marketing to operations, “Establishing distinct customer service to the future of trucking — and recognizable BizCon seminars assist dealers in their brands is the only way business. to be able to sell April 2006 marked the 10th BizCon, against increasing which was held this year in Washington, competition from D.C. The theme of the meeting was offshore truck tires that “Independent Branding” and marked the sell only on price,” said Singh Ahluwalia, Singh Ahluwalia, president of launch of Bridgestone Firestone North president of Truck & Bus Tires. Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC's Truck & Bus Tires, was one American Tire, LLC's establishment of of the dynamic speakers at BizCon10. distinct Bridgestone®-brand and See related story, page 5. summer06 inroadsPressAgain802.qxp 8/15/2006 2:41 PM Page 3 Summer2006 inRoads 3 Bridgestone Part of History Reenacted, Coast-tto-CCoast News in the News News This June, marked the 50th rolling reminders of the vision Firestone and anniversary of the federal law Eisenhower shared for an America linked Fortune - Bridgestone is that brought America its Interstate Highway coast-to-coast by an interstate highway ranked among the most System, and cities across the nation were system. admired companies in the part of the celebration. Events took place In 1919, Harvey Firestone invited the motor vehicle parts category of along the route with food, fun and festivities. entire U.S. Army convoy to a chicken dinner Fortune magazine's 24th annual Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, as they pushed west on their long journey ranking of America's Most LLC participated in every mile of this epic across America. Lt. Col. Eisenhower was Admired Companies. [March 6] road trip and hosted an event in Akron, there, and, over a family-style dinner at the BASFrefinish.com - “Con- Ohio. Firestone homestead, the two men talked Fuzion,” with its 285/60R18 XL about the modern highway system and what Fuzion™ Xti tires, is called it would take to make that dream a reality. “anything but tranquil” with Recently, the great-grandsons of those customizations from top to two visionaries came together to celebrate bottom, inside and out. 50 years of connected roadways and the [February issue] early contributions made by their ancestors. Merrill Eisenhower Atwater rode with the The Analyst - Newspaper in convoy from San Francisco to Washington, Monrovia, Liberia, reports that D.C., and Andrew Firestone was the launch Edward Hadji, an education Harvey Firestone founded the Firestone master at the San Francisco event and official in the country's Grand Tire & Rubber Company in Akron more than participated in the Akron, Ohio festivities. Bassa County, has lauded a century ago and helped put the world on Firestone Liberia for “its wheels. Firestone launched the Ship By Truck continuous contributions to campaign, encouraging manufacturers, the overall growth and shippers and farmers to rely on trucking as a improvement of the Liberian better alternative to railroads. The custom education system.” The remarks painted Ship by Truck trailers that were part were in response to a donation of the anniversary convoy (pictured here) are of books and other educational materials the company made to non-company run schools in the region.