Guest Column: Illuminating the past, relighting for the future

In one respect, Goodyear's commitment to relight its iconic sign that sits above the previous world headquarters in east Akron was an endeavor that respected Fortune 500 companies do periodically as a steward of their community, their region and their state. And, of course, in the process, undertakings such as this only boost the company's image for consumers, near and far.

Goodyear accomplished that on Aug. 10 when it relit the Goodyear sign, culminating its collaboration on the project with Well Community Development Corp. (CDC), a nonprofit focused on Akron's Middlebury neighborhood, where the former Goodyear headquarters building is located. The refurbished sign now shines above Goodyear Hall.

Goodyear moved its headquarters a couple of miles down the road in 2013, and the sign hadn't been operational since.

The relighting of the sign, in another respect, seemed to represent so much more, like a reset, if not a new beginning of another chapter in the storied history of the tire maker, the lone U.S-based tire manufacturer ranked within the Top 25 in global sales, according to the latest Tire Business Global Tire Report.

As the Goodyear blimp circled the festivities from above, local dignitaries milled about below, eating hot food from vendors and washing it down with cold beverages. Cutout cookies, shaped and decorated in Goodyear colors, were on every table, serving not only as dessert but as a reminder of Goodyear's longstanding reach and commitment to the Northeast Ohio.

Nonprofit officials, a local historian, governmental officials and the University of Akron president were among those who participated in the short program that served as a prequel to the lighting.

The mission of Well CDC is to improve the quality of life in the Middlebury neighborhood "by fostering choice in housing, job creation and community pride." And many of those who addressed the crowd of around 200 focused remarks on that topic.

Laura Duda, senior vice president and chief communications officer at Goodyear, said the relighting of the sign was part of the tire maker's commitment to "improve the quality of life for the residents of Middlebury, which happens to be our neighborhood."

"This revitalized sign," she told the crowd, "will illuminate the Middlebury neighborhood daily, and it stands as a symbol of Goodyear's ongoing commitment to Middlebury and to Akron as a whole."

The last five years of Goodyear's existence have been memorable, without question.

It has had its successes — and nothing has been bigger than its surprise announcement in early 2021 that it had reached an agreement to acquire Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. in a deal worth $2.5 billion.

And of course, it has had its struggles during that time. In August 2020, right in the middle of a pandemic, it found itself squarely in the crosshairs of a national political debate when President Trump at the time called for a boycott of Goodyear tires because of its policies against wearing political garb to work.

More recently, Goodyear grappled with investor unrest over lagging stock prices. The agreement it reached with the investor group seems to have quelled the detractors, at least for now.

Duda helped to lay the foundation for Goodyear's next 125 years with her words.

"Without the support of our community, and the dedication of our associates, in good times and bad, in Akron and around the world, Goodyear would not be here to celebrate this incredible milestone," she told the crowd.

"And believe me when I say this, we never take that for granted. We appreciate everyone here. We appreciate you every day. This (relighting) is a once-in-lifetime occasion to bring our community together to celebrate the restoration of what is Goodyear's icon and Akron's icon, and to support projects that are helping to revitalize our city in a very meaningful way.

"We are so proud to be part of Akron and invest in its future."

Today, Akron, the former rubber capital of the world, has two Goodyear signs to light the way.

The first, at its former company headquarters, is a testament to its past, overcoming all the struggles that a company 125 years old encounters.

The other, less noticeable but as powerful on its current building, serves as a beacon to its future.

Both, shall we say, are enlightening.