SAN ANGELO, Texas—Seventy years after Goodyear rolled into the small, dusty town of San Angelo and established its largest tire evaluation center, the San Angelo Proving Grounds is marking its platinum anniversary.
The Akron-based tire maker's employees are planning to celebrate the proving grounds' “history of innovation and community spirit” on Friday, Oct. 11 and Saturday, Oct. 12, with a series of product demonstrations and interactive activities for associates, family members and retirees.
Goodyear said the San Angelo Proving Grounds, established in 1944, play a key role in the company's product and technology development process, “providing the organization with the ability to conduct extensive on- and off-road testing. These tests supply the company's technical community with the objective and subjective metrics that are crucial to predicting product success in real world conditions.”
Jon Bellissimo, general director of Goodyear's Innovation Center in Akron, said the tire maker's “legacy of innovation is directly supported by the San Angelo Proving Ground and its associates.
“Cutting-edge innovations such as the fuel-saving FuelMax technology, with applications in both consumer and commercial tires, have been tested and successfully validated at San Angelo.”
The facility covers 7,250 acres and includes 58 miles of track. Goodyear said the proving grounds' workers are directly involved in the testing of tires for passenger cars and trucks, commercial trucks and large off-the-road vehicles.
Goodyear said the anniversary celebration also recognizes its strong ties to the surrounding community, which has contributed to the facility's success.
“The support of Goodyear's presence in this community has been outstanding” said Chris Queen, manager of the San Angelo Proving Grounds, in a Goodyear press release. “We look forward to continuing a relationship of mutual support with the San Angelo community for many years to come.”