TIA to Offer Six Educational Sessions During SEMA

The Tire Industry Association (TIA) will offer six educational sessions during this fall’s Global Tire Expo (GTE) – powered by TIA/SEMA Show. The association will also join with SEMA’s Wheel & Tire Council for a seventh session exploring the challenges and opportunities with wheel and tire replacements.

The GTE/SEMA Show takes place Oct. 31 – Nov. 3 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas. TIA’s pre-show events begin with its annual membership meeting and press conference on Monday Oct. 30, from 12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. Later that evening the association will host the Tire Industry Honors cocktail reception from 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. followed by the Tire Industry Honors awards ceremony from 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. Both events will take place at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, TIA’s host hotel for the trade show.

TIA’s educational program begins on Tuesday, Oct. 31, in the Upper South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center with three educations sessions. They include:

“TPMS at 10: Lessons Learned from the Front Lines of TPMS,” 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m., room S226. TIA Director of Automotive Tire Service Shawn Pease will moderate a panel of industry experts who will address some of the most common TPMS issues as well as situations where the solution was more elusive, and in some cases, unrepairable at the tire retail level. Panelists include Dennis Flanery, sales manager Americas, ATEQ TPMS Tools; Scot Holloway, CEO, Bartec TPMS; and Yanick Leduc, global technical training team lead, Schrader TPMS Solutions.
“Truck Tires at 10: Service Truck Driver Safety,” 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m., room S227. Moderator Kevin Rohlwing, TIA chief technical officer, and speaker Ken Deason, national account executive at Federated Insurance, will address the liability connected to company drivers and provide real-world examples of how nuclear jury verdicts are reached. The presentation also will show how the Safe driving practices protect drivers and companies.
“Tires at 2: Successful Tire Dealers Share Their Secrets,” 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m., room S226. Moderated by Rohlwing, this session will feature Tire Review’s 2023 Top Shop Award winner who will discuss what has made them successful and answer audience questions.

TIA’s Wednesday educational sessions include:

“TPMS at 10: Wheel Installation and Retention Guidelines,” 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m., room S226. Moderated by Pease, a panel of TIA instructors will discuss the RIST (Remove, Inspect, Snug and Torque) procedure and how it translates to keeping the wheels on the vehicle without damaging the components or causing excessive wear. Panelists include Joe Heath, TIA technical manager, and Jose Moreno, TIA automotive tire service manager.
“Truck Tires at 10: Total Truck Tire Repair with TRMG,” 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m., room S227. This session will feature a panel of tire repair experts from the Tread Rubber and Tire Repair Materials Manufacturers’ Group (TRMG) discussing the limits and key elements of puncture repairs, reinforced shoulder repairs and section repairs. Moderated by Rohlwing, the panel features Robbie Bushnell, vice president tire repair products, 31 Inc.; William Johnson, manufactured product manager – North America, TECH; Dana Potter, manager OTR sales & retread products, Rema Tip Top; and Brent Blackburn, tire repair training specialist, Patch Rubber Co.
“Management at 2: Employee Engagement – The Key to Retention and Development,” 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m., room S226. Automotive Training Institute Executive Coach Kevin Allen will take attendees through the “4 Simple Steps” of employee engagement to create a more loyal and dedicated team. Session moderated by Rohlwing.

Thursday’s educational session will feature:

“How to Stay in Your Lane with Tire and Wheel Replacement, Powered by WTC and TIA,” 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., room S227. TIA will discuss tire and wheel replacement from the OE wheel and tire perspective, while WTC will tackle designing aftermarket wheels and tires to stay within OE standards. Moderated by Brett Kinsfather, strategic partnerships senior manager, Shopmonkey Inc., the panel includes Gary Ruede, senior product and quality manager, Discount Tire, and TIA’s Rohlwing.

GRI recently conducted programs in Sri Lanka to empower women and motivate children under its Green x Circle initiative. The company said these endeavors aimed to address the needs of the community, focusing on both women empowerment and youth motivation.

GRI recently organized a training program titled "Management of household finance under current economic conditions" at the Ingiriya Rubber Collecting Center in Sri Lanka, South Asia led by Shashika Nimali, an NLP practitioner and life coach. The company said this initiative provided women in the industry with essential skills and knowledge to effectively manage household finances. GRI's tailored training sessions equipped participants with tools for informed decision-making, ultimately fostering greater financial security and independence, the company said.