Quick Chadwick
Director of marketing for Tire Pros | American Tire Distributors Inc. (ATD) | Age: 40
What was your first job in the industry?
I was a regional marketing manager at ATD for Tire Pros in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
What attracted you to the industry?
The stability of the industry and the humility of independent tire dealers.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career?
Managing time, consistently, in a world of endless digital and physical distractions.
Who has had the biggest influence on your career?
Robert Bittner, now the director of store support for Tire Pros. When I started, Bob was the business manager and I was the marketing manager in the same territory. There was a lot of windshield time where Bob, who has 35 years of relevant retail industry experience, educated me on the tire industry.
What is your biggest accomplishment in the industry?
Becoming a director for a $5 billion company at 36.
What do you expect to be doing 20 years from now?
My long-term goal is to be a teacher at either a university or a community college helping youngsters find their inner marketing passion.
What’s the biggest issue facing the industry today?
Inertia. The world and marketing world is changing quickly, whether it’s personalized digital marketing or automation or 3D printing. The tire industry needs to focus less on “what we’ve always done” and more on where things are headed, specifically, how consumers buy and what they expect nowadays. However, it’s vital to remember the past, and draw from the best practices and lessons it teaches.
What’s the one thing you wish someone would have told you before you entered the industry?
Once you get into the tire industry, you never get out. Tire love exists!
How do you encourage others to enter the industry?
By telling the truth. I explain how fascinating the industry is and how tires aren’t just round, black, and rubber. It’s a complex and vital industry to our everyday way of life. Plus, it’s a stable industry and that’s a good thing.
Tell us about your family.
The Chadwicks hail from Beaufort, N.C. and were originally whalers. My family is rooted in faith, a strong work ethic, and conservative values, specifically rooted in the concept of a tight-knit family with dinners together and daily discussions. The greatest gift I received from my parents is a foundation in the church and a relationship with Jesus Christ. I am extremely lucky to have found a wife in Kathryn Berrong of Lilburn, Ga. who shares the same values and vision. We are blessed to have a daughter named after my late mother, Elsie.
What’s your favorite weekend activity?
I have recently gotten interested in birdwatching. I have always loved birds, specifically birds of prey and owls. I find peace in watching them as well as the challenge of trying to identify them and learn their songs. Have you stopped to watch and listen to the birds lately? It can help with stress.
What keeps you up at night?
Prayers. The world is ailing and there are so many people who need love, support, and health. My long prayer list keeps me up at night. Of course, the other thing that keeps me up are the questions, “How can I get better at my job? How can I better serve our elite independent tire dealers?”
Tell us something about yourself others might not know.
I lived in Singapore during my high school years and have traveled extensively to exotic places including Mt. Everest base camp, Nepal; Phuket, Thailand; Christchurch, New Zealand; Bali, Indonesia; and a slew of other places.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Nacho cheese Doritos and salsa. I can’t live without them. Oh, and Taco Bell on Sundays. Did you know you can pre-order on their app and just jump ahead in the to-go line without waiting? I am also fascinated with World War II history, specifically the Axis alliance and how National Socialism “happened.”
Name a talent you wish you had.
I wish I could play a musical instrument. I also wish I was less hyper and calmer. But my energy is a competitive advantage and key differentiator.
What’s your favorite food?
Mexican, specifically beef tacos. A good cheeseburger, well done, of course, is always a favorite. At home, anything pork with yellow rice and black beans.
If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?
Believe it or not, I have thought about this. I would love to commune together with Jesus Christ, Martin Luther King Jr. and my wife. That would be an uplifting dinnertime conversation.
If we took your cell phone away and said it would cost you $1,000 to get it back, how long would you survive until you paid the ransom?
Hallelujah! Please do! You can have it! You know, there was a time when we all functioned well without one.
