Cooper Announces Tire Group Reorganization; Armstrong, Stephens, Enders Named as Presidents
6 December 2000
Cooper Announces Tire Group Reorganization; Armstrong, Stephens, Enders Named as Presidents
FINDLAY, Ohio--Dec. 6, 2000--COOPER TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY today announced the reorganization of Cooper Tire and named the presidents that will lead the three divisions.Mark F. Armstrong was named president of the North American Tire Division, D. Richard Stephens as president of the International Tire Division and Larry J. Enders as president of the Commercial Products Division.
Armstrong will now oversee all of the manufacturing, sales and distribution of passenger and light truck tires in North America. He previously held the position of vice president of sales & marketing for the tire group since March 2000. Armstrong began his Cooper career in January 1978 as a territory sales manager. In 1982, he was named marketing manager, followed by a promotion two years later to Cooper brand sales manager. In 1991, he was named vice president of house brand sales and was promoted to vice president of sales for the tire division in 1994, the position he held until his last promotion in March.
A Findlay resident, Armstrong earned his bachelor's degree from Monmouth College, West Long Branch, N.J. He earned his juris doctorate degree with cum laude honors from Seton Hall University School of Law, South Orange, N.J., and completed the Harvard University School of Business International Senior Managers Program.
Stephens will now be responsible for the manufacturing, sales and distribution of all tires outside of North America and will oversee the business development efforts for all of Cooper Tire. He previously held the position of vice president of technical and commercial tire operations since March 2000. Stephens also joined Cooper in 1978, as a truck tire development chemist. The following year, he was named compound development manager, and in 1985 was named product development manager. In 1990, he was promoted to director of technical and in 1994 he was named vice president of technical, the position he held until his promotion in March.
He authored an article in December 1999 for Tire Technology International titled "Virtual Future at Cooper" and an article in 1991 for Elastomerics titled "Evolution of Tire Design Methods." He also has presented papers for the American Chemical Society Rubber Division, the Akron Rubber Group and at the Tire Industry Conference. He is a member of the Akron Rubber Group, the Society of Automotive Engineers and the Product Development Management Association.
A Findlay resident, Stephens earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Akron, Akron, Ohio. He earned his MBA from Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, and completed the Harvard University Advanced Management Program.
Enders will be responsible for the manufacturing, sales and distribution of radial medium truck tires, tubes and retread products and these operations will now be based in Findlay. Enders previously served as the president of Oliver Rubber prior to, and since, the acquisition of The Standard Products Company by Cooper Tire & Rubber Company in October 1999. Enders has been with the company for more than 30 years and worked in various management positions.
He earned a bachelor of business administration degree from Aquinas College, Grand Rapids, Mich.
In a related move, William S. Klein has been named as executive vice president of Cooper Tire. Klein will oversee technical, engineering, industrial engineering, quality assurance and continue to chair the operations planning committee. He previously served as senior vice president of global manufacturing and technology development since April 1999. He joined Cooper in 1970 as a plant manager for the Clarksdale, Mississippi, inner tube facility. In 1972, he was named corporate director of programs management with responsibility to develop the technology necessary to manufacture Cooper's first radial tires. As Cooper grew to the fourth largest tire producer in North America, Klein held several key assignments relative to the technical and process operations which were critical during that growth period. Since 1985, he has served as a corporate vice president.
Company Description
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company is headquartered in Findlay, Ohio and specializes in the manufacture and marketing of automotive products. Products for Cooper's tire group include automotive, motorcycle and truck tires, inner tubes, tread rubber and equipment. In the automotive group, Cooper is an original equipment supplier of sealing, trim, NVH control systems and fluid handling systems for the automotive industry in North America, Europe, Australia and South America. Cooper has more than 23,000 employees and 63 manufacturing facilities in 13 countries. For more information, visit the Company's web site at: www.coopertire.com.
Editor's Note: Photos are available upon request by contacting: dacrow@coopertire.com or by calling 419-427-4857.