BOWIE, Md.—The Tire Industry Association has named three well-known tire industry figures to its Hall of Fame and three more as Ed Wagner Leadership Award winners.
The 2014 Hall of Fame winners include:
• Harold Coker, founder and chairman emeritus of Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Coker Tire Co., the largest supplier of collector car tires in the world;
• Charles Cornell, founder of Johnstown, Ohio-based tire and tube repair materials company Tech International; and
• Juanita Purcell, executive vice president of Potosi, Mo.-based Purcell Tire & Rubber Co.
The Ed Wagner Leadership Award was named for the late Edward J. Wagner, longtime managing director of the American Retreaders Association and a lifelong advocate for tire dealers and retreaders. This year's winners are:
• Jim Smith, editor of Tire Review;
• Mary Sikora, founder and publisher of Scrap Tire News; and
• Tom Wright, founder of Anoka, Minn.-based Wright Tire Service.
The Hall of Fame and Ed Wagner Award winners will be honored at the Tire Industry Honors Awards ceremony, scheduled for Nov. 3 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Michelin North America Inc. is sponsor of the event. Free tickets for the ceremony may be reserved at www.tireindustry.org/global-tire-expo.