California Luncheon Features SEMA WTC, TIA, Hall of Fame

A great deal happened at the ninth annual CTDA /1-800EveryRim New Year Luncheon on January 20^th. 

The establishment of the California Tire Dealers Association (CTDA) Hall of Fame, and speeches by representatives from SEMA and The Tire Industry Association (TIA). CTDA board member Chris Barry of the Independent Tire Dealer Group (ITDG) served as the luncheon’s emcee

SEMA and TIA Speakers touched on topics important to the industry:

SEMA Wheel & Tire Council (WTC) select committee member and former SEMA board member Steve Swanson of The Carlstar Group engaged attendees regarding the benefits of WTC membership.

Retired TIA CEO Roy Littlefield, and now a part-time lobbyist for the association reviewed legislative issues including the infrastructure bill and funding.

TIA President Mason Hess, of Purcell Tire, stressed the continuing impact of the labor shortage and talked about TIA’s role in employee training and the importance of manager engagement with new hires.

Greg Smith, publisher of Modern Tire Dealer, told dealers that merger and acquisition activities would continue in the tire industry, but the market is cyclical and there are great opportunities for smaller dealers to establish themselves in their communities and grow. 

The Hall of Fame inductees were announced by CTDA Executive Director Marc Connerly.

Two of the inductees were former directors of CTDA-N (North) and CTDA-S (South), with the combined associations becoming the California Tire Dealers Association in 2010.

• The late Eddie Cohn was a CTDA-S director and had previously operated Cohn Tire Sales in Los Angeles.
• Jay Goldberg has been a board member of the CTDA since the 1960’s. He operated Anderson Tire, Semperit Pacific, and later became a principal at Globe Tire. Goldberg was also heavily involved with the National Tire Dealers and Retreaders Association (NTDRA).
• The late Tom Hanlon, a past CTDA-N president, also ran Hanlon’s Tire Service in San Bruno, CA.
• The late Ed King, who helped establish CTDA-N’s insurance services, was a past executive director of CTDA and prior to that was a CTDA-N board member.
• Don Zavattero, former secretary, treasurer, and board member of the CTDA-N and CTDA, is the founder of Tech Supply in Hayward California.

"I know or had known each of the Hall of Fame inductees for quite a long time, and with Jay and Eddie, they were mentors to me," said luncheon host and CTDA President Billy Eordekian of 1-800EveryRim OEM Wheels.

The luncheon was hosted by 1-800EveryRim OEM Wheels and featured Federated Insurance as the annual CTDA Diamond Sponsor.

Gold Sponsors were Yokohama Tire, Advance Auto Parts, Turbo Wholesale Tire, Snap Finance, Optimize Social Media, and Mighty Auto Parts.

Silver Sponsors were Myers Tire Supply, Penn Tires, and Tire’s Warehouse.

The California Tire Dealers Association (CTDA) works 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. To learn more and join, visit https://www.catiredealers.com/.