TIA: Off-the-road tire conference in Feb. hosting expert speakers

A lineup of headline speakers has been assembled by the Tire Industry Association (TIA) for its Feb. 15-18 Off-The-Road (OTR) Tire Conference being held at the Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

Described as the premier event for executives and business owners in the OTR tire industry, an array of well-known and knowledgeable industry experts will be addressing a variety of issues, according to the organizers.

TIA President Larry Brandt reports that “registrations for the 57th OTR Conference are coming in faster than in previous years, demonstrating that it is the ‘go to’ OTR tire event in the world. The hotel is almost sold out and we’ve already started a waiting list for golf. We are expecting record attendance for next year’s conference.”

Headlining Thursday’s session is Bridgestone’s Angie Jones, who is to present tire production numbers for both original equipment and replacement tires so attendees will know what to expect in terms of supply for the upcoming year.

Titan Chairman and CEO Maurice “Morry” Taylor will deliver the keynote address on Friday. “As a manufacturer of both OTR tires and wheels, Mr. Taylor lives up to his nickname, ‘the Grizz,’ so his unique perspective on the industry is always informative and entertaining,” Brandt notes.

Motivational speaker Jack Lengyel takes to the podium on Saturday. He is best known for being the head football coach who took on the daunting task of rebuilding the Marshall Thundering Herd football team after the tragic 1970 plane crash that killed all 75 people on board.

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The movie “We Are Marshall” debuted in December of 2006 with Matthew McConaughey playing the role of Lengyel. The coach is a past winner of the John L. Toner Award, which is presented by the College Football Hall of Fame and the National Football Foundation, and he is a nationally sought-after motivational speaker.

“Last year, there were nearly 500 attendees representing 16 countries, making it abundantly clear that the Tire Industry Association’s Off- The-Road conference is the place to be for the networking opportunities and educational sessions led by the top experts,” says TIA Executive Vice President Dr. Roy Littlefield.

“We are excited about the incredible level of interest shown by the industry and are looking forward to conducting another first class event for our members,” he points out.

For more information, visit www.tireindustry.org.