Debra Hamlin, who starts her year-long term as president of the Tire Industry Association (TIA) this month, is a 27-year veteran of the tire industry, having spent most of her career with Bridgestone Americas Inc., where she currently serves as director of operations for the Bridgestone Commercial Dealer Network.
In this MTD exclusive, Hamlin discusses TIA’s priorities for 2025, her role within the association, benefits of TIA membership and more.
MTD: How will your position and tire industry experience at Bridgestone inform the direction you want the association to take during your term?
Hamlin: TIA already has a mission and a vision, focused on safety through the training resources we have and advocacy through government affairs, so I really feel that my role is to ensure that we, as a board, are aligned with that vision and mission and are prepared to move these forward, as new issues arise in the industry.
MTD: From your perspective, what are some of the most pressing issues facing TIA and in particular, its tire dealer members?
Hamlin: Certainly, the consolidation of the industry has an impact, not only on dealers but also on TIA, in that we see the number of dealers getting smaller, as opposed to having all the different options out there. The economy has had a huge impact with inflation and the costs of goods and the price of services. And then I think the third thing is (employee) recruitment and retention. There continues to be a struggle to find and retain talent. Keeping the tire industry relevant and exciting is something that will be important for us to focus on as an association.
MTD: What efforts are underway to boost TIA membership among tire dealers, including larger ones?
Hamlin: Part of what the board does is we collaborate together with staff to encourage new members to join. We’re always evaluating the top dealers to make sure we're educating (them) on the benefits of membership, (including) the support TIA will give in the event that they need it.
MTD: TIA’s training is considered to be the gold standard for our industry and your predecessors placed a lot of emphasis on continuing to develop TIA’s training programs. Can you bring us up to speed on progress that’s been made over the last 12 months or so?
Hamlin: Over the last 12 months, we’ve (updated) and released ATS (Automotive Tire Service), we’ve translated basic CTS (Commercial Tire Service training) to Spanish — with an anticipated release prior to end of year — and we’re doing a complete update on Basic ETS (Earthmover Tire Service), with an anticipated release in 2025. There’s momentum to get bilingual offerings for our membership, as well as to refresh and renew the content we have.
MTD: What are some of the association’s other priorities?
Hamlin: We’ve launched little training blurbs, so continuing production of those to broaden their reach and scope (will be a priority.) As we branch out our Electric Vehicle Advisory Council, it also ties in nicely with our environmental affairs committee. Right to Repair is certainly something that remains high on our priority list.
MTD: How’s the Electric Vehicle Advisory Council progressing?
Hamlin: The council remains strong and we plan on having another bringing together of members during the Global Tire Expo/SEMA Show to keep all of us informed. The council continues to retain a very strong cadence of meetings and putting together best practices that we can publish on our website to share with our dealers.
MTD: Why is it beneficial for dealers to get involved with TIA? What would you say to a tire dealer who might be considering it?
Hamlin: Certainly, all the things we’ve talked about — the councils, the advocacy and the partnerships, including some of the recent activity around Truckers Against Trafficking. Our training is really best-in-class. Not every tire dealer has the ability to be (active with) government affairs or keep up to date on what's happening with environmental issues. We also have a next-gen council. They’re all value-adds that can help TIA members and dealers.
TIA is such a valuable resource. Being a member can afford you the ability — at any time you're struggling with an issue — to receive support.
As an association, we can promulgate change and bring about things that are beneficial for the industry as a whole and small dealers can get the same benefits as large dealers.
