Midland, MI — On Sunday, April 13, 21 tire dealer professionals, members of the tire media and notable leaders in the tire dealer industry gathered on the campus of Northwood University to officially kick off the inaugural class of “Tire Leadership 21.”Tire Leadership 21 was specifically designed to develop the next generation of tire dealer managers and owners. During the two-week educational program, participants will be exposed to wide range of business, management and leadership topics that are critical to the success of future independent tire-dealer professionals. The program was created through a unique collaboration between the Center for Tire & Service Education (CTSE) and Northwood University, a fully accredited, private, non-profit business university that specializes in managerial and entrepreneurial education.
The program’s structure features a pair of one-week, on-campus sessions (participants attend both sessions). Session I is being held April 13-18 here at Northwood’s campus in Midland, Mich. Participants will reconvene Sept. 7-12 at Northwood’s campus in West Palm Beach, Fla. At the conclusion of Session II, participants will be required to complete an individual project that must deliver $25,000 in annual additional revenue or savings to their employers. Corporate sponsorship funding was provided courtesy of American Tire Distributors, Continental and Marangoni NA.
Academic support of the program comes from Northwood University and its University of the Aftermarket continuing education division. The University of the Aftermarket manages executive and continuing education programs targeted to the motor vehicle aftermarket. Northwood was founded in 1959 and grants bachelor’s (BBA) and master’s (MBA) degrees in a variety of business disciplines, including automotive aftermarket management. Although Tire Leadership 21 is a non-degree, continuing education program, it leverages Northwood’s extensive academic resources, including its world-class faculty and residential campuses.
Faculty for Tire Leadership 21 come from a combination of Northwood’s DeVos Graduate School of Management and subject-matter experts from within the tire and service industries. The program also includes a series of recognized tire industry to serve as guest speakers. For example, American Tire Distributors President Dan Brown served as the opening night speaker.
The program includes on a range of university-level tire dealer focused business, management and leadership subjects:
- Finance
- Accounting
- Business Strategy
- Management
- Corporate Vision
- Leadership
- Operations
- Industry Trends
- Marketing & Social Media
- Team & Corporate Culture
- The Customer Experience
- Critical Thinking
- Problem Resolution
