Goodyear Christens Newest Blimp Spirit of Innovation

Concludes First Nationwide Naming Contest

AKRON, Ohio, June 21 -- In a spectacular event held today at its Wingfoot Lake Airship hangar, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company christened its newest blimp. After more than a year of construction and testing, as well as two months of operational flights bearing only its FAA designation N2A, the new blimp finally received its name -- Spirit of Innovation -- during a gala christening event attended by more than 6,000 spectators, dignitaries and Goodyear employees. Lesa France Kennedy, president of International Speedway Corporation and a member of NASCAR's Board of Directors, christened the Spirit of Innovation along with Lynn Keegan, wife of Goodyear Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bob Keegan, during the official ceremony.

"Innovation has been a critical part of our evolution as a company, from innovation of our new product offerings to innovation in everything we do," Keegan told an audience of several thousand people today at the company's airship base southeast of Akron. "The fact that the American public agreed with their votes is further proof that innovation is becoming synonymous with Goodyear."

Also on hand for the festivities was Matthew Harrelson of Uniontown, Ohio, the winner of Goodyear's "Name the Blimp" contest. This was the first time in the 81-year history of the company's world-famous airship program that the public was given an opportunity to help select the name of one of the iconic airships. Harrelson submitted the winning name in the company's contest and will be awarded the Grand Prize: the use of a Goodyear blimp for a day.

According to Harrelson, who submitted the winning name at 12:04 PM on April 11th, he suggested Spirit of Innovation because, as a chemistry teacher and Akron-area resident, he was familiar with Goodyear and the company's history of innovation. "Living near Goodyear everyone hears when they come out with another high-tech product, and having seen Charles Goodyear in the National Inventors Hall of Fame, it was easy to connect Goodyear and innovation ... and then 'Spirit' just seemed to make the name flow better," said Harrelson.

The "Name the Blimp" contest kicked off on April 10th when the company unveiled the new airship without a name, but bearing the world's largest blank nametag. After receiving more than 21,000 unique name submissions, a panel of judges narrowed the list to ten finalists. America and a panel of Goodyear representatives then voted on the finalists.

Goodyear and Innovation

Since Charles Goodyear first discovered the process for vulcanizing rubber in 1843 and opened the door for the broad use of rubber in consumer products, the name Goodyear has been synonymous with innovation. From the early days when Goodyear introduced the first tubeless automotive tire and the first American-made synthetic rubber tire, the company has been leading the industry in technological advancements and design innovations. In recent years, Goodyear has accelerated its release of innovative new products that feature relevant technologies and deliver real-life benefits to consumers. Included is the pioneering TripleTred Technology(R) for confident handling in any weather conditions. Goodyear's most recent cutting-edge introductions have incorporated the use of the latest high-tech materials, including the use of DuPont(TM) KEVLAR(R) in its Wrangler(R) and Fortera(R) tires featuring SilentArmor Technology(TM) and DuPont(TM) KEVLAR(R) and carbon fiber in its new Eagle with ResponsEdge Technology(TM).

DuPont(TM) and KEVLAR(R) are trademarks or registered trademarks of DuPont or its affiliates.

The Goodyear Airship Program

Goodyear's blimp program began in 1925, when the Company built its first helium-filled public relations airship, the Pilgrim. In 1928, then-Chairman P.W. Litchfield began the tradition of naming its North American-based blimps after winners of the America's Cup yacht race. The tradition continued over most of the program's 80-year history, with just a few exceptions. A list of winners from past America's Cup races whose names Goodyear selected for its airship fleet includes: Stars & Stripes, Columbia, Ranger, Rainbow, Enterprise, Resolute, Reliance, Defender, Vigilant, Volunteer, Mayflower, Puritan, and America. Within the past 40 years, Goodyear has selected other non-Cup winner names to grace the sides of its blimps. Those names included Europa, Spirit of Akron, Spirit of Goodyear and Eagle.

About The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company

Goodyear is the world's largest tire company. The company manufactures tires, engineered rubber products and chemicals in more than 90 facilities in 28 countries around the world. Goodyear employs about 80,000 people worldwide. For more information on Goodyear's tires, go to www.goodyeartires.com.