California Dealers Hall of Fame, TIA, SEMA Highlight CTDA / 1-800EveryRim New Year Luncheon

California Dealers Hall of Fame, TIA, SEMA Highlight CTDA / 1-800EveryRim New Year Luncheon

The California Tire Dealers Association’s CTDA / 1-800EveryRim New Year Luncheon took place on Jan. 26 in Santa Fe Springs, CA.

Featured speakers were Dick Gust, CEO of the Tire Industry Association (TIA), and Carlstar Group’s Steve Swanson, representing the SEMA Wheel & Tire Council (SEMA WTC), who both outlined the various offerings of TIA and WTC, respectively.

(pictured left: Dick Gust - CEO of the Tire Industry Association (TIA), right: Steve Swanson - Carlstar Group Naitional Sales Manager Styled Wheels (SEMA Wheel & Tire Council).

During the festivities, Ken Kevorkian was inducted into the CTDA Hall of Fame. Ken, now retired, was one of the first members of the CTDA, was president in 1993 and 1994, and also served as a director of the National Tire Dealers and Retreaders Association.  In the ‘50’s after taking part in the Korean War, he began his career at United Vulcanizing with his father. In addition, Ken chaired the California Transportation Commission after being appointed by Governor Deukmejian.

(pictured: Ken Kevorkian - CTDA Hall of Fame Inductee)

As President of the California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission and as a director for the California State Assistance Fund for Enterprise, Business and Industrial Development, he also found time to volunteer as Board of Trustees Chair for the United Armenian Congregational Church in Los Angeles.

(pictured left to right: Marc Connerly - CTDA President, Chris Barry - CTDA President (ITDG), Billy Eordekian - President (1-800EveryRim OEM Wheels), Steve Swanson, Dick Gust, and Ken Kevorkian) 

“We thank our sponsors without whom this event would not be possible. We were at capacity this year and we are looking forward to having everyone back, plus more, on January 18th, 2024," said CTDA President Chris Barry of The Independent Tire Dealer Group (ITDG).

Sponsors of this year’s luncheon were event host 1-800 EveryRim OEM Wheels, diamond sponsor Federated Insurance, gold sponsors Yokohama Tire Corp., Advanced Auto Parts, Mighty Auto Parts, RoboTire, TireTutor and Wholesale Tire Distributors. Silver sponsors were Penn Tires, Optimize Digital Marketing, NetDriven, ShopMonkey, Conceptual Minds, and Atturo Tire Corp.

Organizations in attendance included:

1-800EveryRim- OEM Wheels, Advance Professional, A Plus Tire, Bless Tires, Conceptual Minds, Daniels Tire Service, Davis Brothers Tire, Discount Tire Centers, Enduro Tire, EZ Motorsports, Fairmount Tire, Federated Insurance, Grand Prix Performance, Hankook Tire America, Independent Repair Tire Pros, Independent Tire Dealer Group, Jiffy Lube, Kings Tire, Leininger & Short, Liberty Insurance, Main Tires & Wheels # 2, McMahan Tire Service, Mighty Auto Parts, No Time Flat, Optimize Social Media, Parkhouse Tire, Performance Plus Tire, Tire Network, Richard's Tire, Road Wheels, RoboTire, Salinas Tires, SEMA WTC, Stereo Land, The Carlstar Group, TIA, Tires Direct Wholesale, Tire Network, Tire Pros, Tire Pros - Corporate, Tires Warehouse / US Auto Force, TireTutor, Wholesale Tire Distributors (WTD), Wilcox Supply, Yokohama

About CTDA

The California Tire Dealers Association (CTDA) represents California’s tire dealers, manufacturers, distributors, and related businesses in regulatory and legislative matters. The association’s mission is to protect and promote the well-being of the California tire industry by providing a unified voice before state, county and local legislators and regulators, while providing benefits and a platform for members to interact in a meaningful way.

Pictured: Steve Swanson, Dick Gust, Chris Barry, Billy Eordekian, and Diamond Sponsor Jon Slania of Federated Insurance.