Departing Cooper CEO challenges colleagues

AKRON (April 25) — Outgoing Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. Chairman and CEO Patrick W. Rooney challenged his industry colleagues to work together to ``control the evolution of change and not be a victim of revolutionary change´´ in the rubber industry. Speaking at the 29th annual Tire Society meeting in Akron, Rooney cited problems like scrap tires, antiquated government regulations, unfavorable tort laws and excessive and duplicative international trade regulations as challenges the industry should band together to tackle. Speaking about the winds of change affecting the rubber industry, Rooney said, ``(Companies) must adopt a totally different approach—one that says you cannot wait for the storm to blow over, you´ve got to learn to work in the rain while the winds of change blow around you.´´