Richard Ingram
Account manager | Purcell Tire & Rubber Co. | Marana, Ariz. | Age: 39
What was your first job in the industry?
Tire tech.
What attracted you to the industry?
Opportunity.
What is the biggest challenge you have faced in your career?
Self-teaching myself tire tracking software.
Who has had the biggest influence on your career?
Mason Hess.
What is your biggest accomplishment in the industry?
Becoming an account manager/site supervisor.
Tell us about your current job and responsibilities. How do you spend your workday?
I help change mining tires, tire tracking software, quotes/ordering/delivering tires and supplies, and scheduling tire maintenance work.
What's been the biggest surprise of your current job?
The difficulty of managing employees with the scheduled workload.
Tell us about your family.
I have a wife who transports behavioral health patients while I am away for work which is four hours from my home, (so) I stay out of town during the week. My son just turned 18 years old this year and graduated and started his first full-time job as a lot attendant for a car dealership.
If you could wake up tomorrow with one new skill, what would you choose?
More patience.
In a single word, how would your friends describe you?
Motivated.
If you could switch careers tomorrow, what would you want to do, and why?
General contractor to utilize all my experience I had in construction before starting in the tire and mining industry.
What's the biggest issue facing the tire industry?
Changing the culture to be seen as a skilled profession with safety and performance issues addressed.
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Mechanical engineer.
How do you unwind after a stressful day?
Talk to my wife and son on the phone.
What goal did you set for yourself this year? Are you on track to reach it?
My goal has been to maintain the great relationship I have with mine management on my site which I am on track to reach.
What do you expect to be doing 20 years from now?
Managing an entire region of mining tire shops.
