Akron sticks behind company that stuck with city

AKRON—As a bridge between the city of Akron and the businesses that look to call it home, Sam DeShazior gets a lot of questions. But two always seem to come up: "Can I visit Goodyear?" and, "Do you know LeBron James?"

The answer to the second question is no. He does not know LeBron. But Goodyear? Goodyear he does know.

Because in 2007, Goodyear decided Akron was the place it wanted to call home. After mulling a decision to move its headquarters—and much speculation that it would—the Akron tire maker stayed right where it had been for more than 100 years.

That was a big deal, said DeShazior, director of business retention and expansion for Akron's Office of Integrated Development.

"Goodyear had a choice," he said. "If Goodyear wanted to move its headquarters operations somewhere else, all of the states around the nation would have thrown their hats into the ring. But Goodyear saw the value in being here."

Frank Seiberling established the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. in 1898, naming it after Charles Goodyear, the American chemist who discovered vulcanized rubber. The tire maker expanded internationally in 1910, opening a subsidiary and plant in Bowmanville, Ontario.

Six years later, Goodyear notes on its website, it became the world's largest tire maker.

For the duration of its history, Goodyear has been part of the Akron community, playing an integral role in helping the city earn its nickname as "The Rubber Capital of the World."

In 2011, Goodyear re-established its roots in Akron, when it began building its new headquarters, connecting to the Innovation Center that already had been established.

"Goodyear is proud to be a global company headquartered in Akron, Ohio," Richard Kramer, Goodyear chairman, CEO and president, said at the April 2011 groundbreaking ceremony. "Both Goodyear and the city have changed and grown over the years, but our commitment to Akron remains constant. Goodyear will continue to be a vital part of this community's future."

That connection is why President Trump's call for a boycott of the tire maker impacts so much more than a single company. It has the potential to hit Akron hard, impacting a number of rubber industry companies and even the University of Akron.

That's because Goodyear's presence in Akron has a kind of gravitational pull on the industry, DeShazior said. Because the company has chosen to continue making the city its global hub for innovation and business, a number of other rubber industry companies have found homes in Akron and the surrounding communities. This includes tire makers, such as Hankook Tire & Technology Co. Ltd., Kumho Tire Co. Ltd., Nexen Tire Corp., Kenda Rubber Ind. Co. Ltd. and Triangle Tire of China, all of which have technical facilities in and around Akron.

Between its headquarters, Innovation Center, race car tire manufacturing plant and tire testing and proving grounds, Goodyear employs about 3,000 in and around the city of Akron, according to DeShazior. The company's airship operations, which work to maintain its fleet of iconic blimps, also is located just outside of Akron.

But Goodyear's impact is bigger than that, he said, because it has stepped up as a leader on sustainability, working to reduce its carbon footprint.

The company also has established itself as a community partner. Its employees donate time, money and energy to help strengthen the community. Each year, Goodyear hosts its annual Global Week of Volunteering, which carves out time for employees to work outside of the office with local nonprofits.

"We know that people value working for companies that give back and take action to better their communities," a company spokesman said in a statement in 2018. "The week of volunteering serves as a focal point for our volunteer work throughout the year and supports our objective of inspiring and energizing our teams to serve in our communities."

That also builds community pride, DeShazior said, and those are the intangibles that would hurt if Goodyear were to be greatly impacted.

"(Goodyear) has been a steady source of optimism for the marketplace when you see what they have been doing," DeShazior said. "People see the Goodyear name and the Wingfoot logo or the Goodyear Blimp and they tie that to Akron, Ohio."

Because of that, DeShazior said, the residents in the city have taken Trump's boycott personally. Many have taken to social media to show support for Goodyear. Others turned out Aug. 20 at the United Steelworkers Local 2 building to rally support for union jobs.

One resident, DeShazior said, called to ask if they could have a parade for Goodyear to show support for the tire maker. That, he said, shows just how much Akron—and all of Northeast Ohio—identify with the tire maker that still remains in the city where it was founded.