Firestone Agricultural Tire Company Announces New Tire Plant Manager
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Oct. 27, 2008) — Firestone Agricultural Tire Company (FSAG), a division of Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT), has announced that Norvel Smith is the new plant manager of the Des Moines, Iowa, Firestone Agricultural Tire (FSAG) facility. Smith, a 36-year veteran of the Bridgestone group of companies, began his new assignment on Oct. 16.
“We are confident that Norvel will be a strong asset to our team. Safety and quality are Norvel’s top priorities and with his experience and ability to motivate people we will continue to build upon the many successes here in Des Moines.” said Ken Allen, Vice President, FSAG.
Smith joined then-Bridgestone U.S.A. in 1972 and has held many positions of increasing responsibility, including: Staff Engineer and Engineering Supervisor at the BFNT facility in LaVergne, Tenn.; Mixing and Tire Room Manager and Plant Engineer at the BFNT facility in Warren County, Tenn.; Operations Manager at the former BFNT facility in Oklahoma City, Okla.; and Special Projects Manager at the Bridgestone Americas Support Center in Nashville, Tenn. Norvel succeeded Joe Ivy, who elected to leave the company.
“I am very excited to become part of a team that has made Firestone Agricultural Tire ‘The Leader in the Field’,” said Norvel.
In addition to his responsibilities as Plant Manager, Smith also plans to give back to the community by dedicating personal time to organizations that are important to the company and community. Norvel was involved with several community organizations during his time in Nashville such as the United Way and Percy Priest Lake cleanups. He also is a member of the Kids of the Community in Warren County. Smith earned a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Kansas.
About Firestone Agricultural Tire:
Firestone Agricultural Tire Company (FSAG), a division of Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC, is the largest manufacturer of agricultural tires in North America. FSAG’s Des Moines, Iowa, facility is located in the heart of America’s farm belt and is a leading supplier of the North American original equipment market and supplies about 40 percent of the replacement market with agricultural tires. FSAG also has approximately 50 percent of the market in harvesting and planting machinery. The FSAG testing facility, located in Columbiana, Ohio, is the only facility in the world solely dedicated to the development and testing of agricultural tires. In addition to agricultural tires, FSAG markets and sells forestry, ATV and construction tires.
About Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC:
Nashville, Tenn.-based Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT) is a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc., whose parent company, Bridgestone Corporation, is the world’s largest tire and rubber company. BFNT develops, manufactures and markets Bridgestone, Firestone and associate brand tires. The company is focused on wholesale and original equipment markets, supplying passenger, light truck, commercial vehicle, off road, motorcycle, agricultural and other tires to its customers in North America. In addition, through its Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions unit, retreading customers have access to industry-leading research and development, manufacturing, marketing and sales expertise, providing them with a total tire solution.