Yokohama exec Sheehey joins Ralson Tires as senior vice president

FRANKLIN, Tenn.—Tire industry veteran Brian Sheehey has joined the newly established Ralson Tires North America as senior vice president.

Sheehey previously was vice president/head of marketing in North America for Yokohama Off-Highway Tires America (YOHTA), where he was a member of the executive management team.

At the recent SEMA Show, Ralson India Ltd. announced it was entering the U.S. commercial tire market next year, making its Ralson and Accelus brand truck/bus tires available for sale in the first quarter of 2023.

Ralson is staffing a team of U.S. sales and marketing tire professionals,with a U.S. office in Franklin. It hired industry veteran Jim Mayfield as executive vice president of Ralson Tire North America.

Prior to his role at YOHTA, Sheehey worked for Englewood Tire Distributors, Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire and Hankook Tire America Corp.

"Brian has proven leadership skills and is well respected by distributors and dealers in the commercial tire industry. We're thrilled to have him join our growing team," Mayfield said.

"Ralson has assembled a team of R&D engineers and rubber technologists previously responsible for some of the industry's most renowned commercial tire products. They have developed tread patterns and casing designs ideally suited to operate efficiently on America's highways and roads."

Established in 1974 in Ludhiana, India, as a producer of bicycle tires and tubers, Ralson India expanded later into automobile tires and now truck tires.