NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Bridgestone Americas Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Japan-based Bridgestone Corp., has appointed Jon Kimpel executive director of marketing for GCR Tires & Service, a division of Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations.
He replaces Chris Ripani, who was named president of Speedco, a BATO subsidiary, in late 2015.
Kimpel joined Bridgestone Americas in 1995 as an application engineer for Firestone Industrial Products. In the next 20 years, he held various roles including division marketing manager for Firestone Industrial Products and most recently executive director of marketing, Firestone Building Products.
“Jon has more than 20 years of experience in sales and marketing, engineering and financial analysis, and we're excited to bring that expertise to the GCR team,” Philip Dobbs, BATO chief marketing operations, said in a statement. “With his proven leadership and track record of effective strategic planning, I am confident that Jon will help us drive growth and successful business results for GCR.”
Bridgestone said GCR is one of the region's largest commercial tire and service companies with more than 200 locations in the U.S. and Eastern Canada. It serves the trucking, construction, mining, industrial, agricultural and industrial markets.