Bridgestone Americas’ Emkes To Retire; New Management Team Named

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Feb. 12, 2010) - Bridgestone Americas, Inc. (BSAM) today announced that Mark A. Emkes, the company’s Chairman, CEO and President, has elected to retire as of February 28, 2010, after more than 33 years of service with the Bridgestone family of companies. On that date, Emkes will also retire from his position as a member of the Boards of Directors of BSAM and Bridgestone Corporation, BSAM’s parent company.

With Emkes’ retirement from BSAM, the company has elected to separate the offices of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer in order to further enhance the company’s corporate governance structure and more clearly differentiate the responsibilities and accountabilities of BSAM’s senior management offices.

Effective March 1, 2010, the company has named Asahiko “Duke” Nishiyama as Chairman and Gary A. Garfield as CEO and President. Reporting to Garfield will be Eduardo Minardi who will be named BSAM’s Chief Operating Officer, and Ken Weaver, the current Chairman, CEO and President of BSAM’s subsidiary, Firestone Diversified Products, LLC. Reporting to Minardi will be Larry Magee, Chairman, CEO and President, Bridgestone Retail Operations, LLC. Minardi will also assume the offices of Chairman, CEO and President of Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, the business unit which consists of BSAM’s Latin American tire operations and the U.S. and Canadian consumer and commercial tire businesses. 

“We are grateful to Mark for his many years of leadership and the energy and passion with which he has served the Bridgestone family of companies,” said Shoshi Arakawa, Chairman, CEO and President of Bridgestone Corporation. Arakawa added, “We wish him all the best in his retirement.”

Emkes announced his retirement in an open letter to Bridgestone Americas teammates released today. “Words can’t express the gratitude I have towards this company and to all of you who have helped make it the best place to spend the last 33 years. You will never be able to imagine the respect I have for our Bridgestone Americas teammates and the company they represent. You have been tremendously successful — even in the face of the most dire economic climate since the Great Depression — and I thank you for allowing me to be a part of your success.”

Separately, Emkes remarked, “I’m excited about the leadership the new management team will bring Bridgestone Americas. While each is a veteran of the Bridgestone Americas family, they have many innovative ideas that will serve the company well into the future.”

Biographical information:

Mark A. Emkes
With a bachelor’s degree in economics from DePauw University and a master’s degree in international management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, Mark Emkes joined the former Firestone Tire & Rubber Company in 1976 as a college class trainee in trade sales. Following his first assignment changing tires in a company-owned store in Baytown, Texas, he began an international career spanning more than 21 years, with assignments in the United Arab Emirates, Spain, Mexico and Brazil. From 1990 to 1997 he served as President of Bridgestone/Firestone de México, S.A. de C.V. and as President of Bridgestone/Firestone do Brasil Industria e Comercio Ltda. from 1997 to 2000. In 2000 he moved to Nashville, Tenn., to become President of Bridgestone Firestone Latin America, and accepted an assignment as Chairman, CEO and President of Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC in 2002. In 2004, as Chairman and CEO of Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc. (as BSAM was known at that time), he assumed responsibility for the Bridgestone Group’s Americas operations which includes North, Central and South America and was elected to the Board of Directors of Bridgestone Corporation. In January of 2009 he was given the additional title of President of BSAM.

Asahiko Nishiyama
Asahiko Nishiyama joined Bridgestone Tire Co. Ltd. in 1977 after earning his degree in commercial science from Keio University. Starting his career in Bridgestone’s International Division, Nishiyama’s responsibilities have allowed him to work in both Japan and the United States during his more than 32-year tenure. In 1985, he was appointed an Executive Committee Member of the Bridgestone Workers’ Union, and by 1991 he assumed the title of Union President. From there, Nishiyama joined the Bridgestone Human Resources Department where he served as a Manager before moving to the United States in 1997. That year, he became Director of Business Planning for Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc., and in 2001 he returned to Japan as General Manager of Human Resources for Bridgestone Corporation. In 2004, Nishiyama became the Director of the Americas & Europe Operations Division. He returned to the United States as Vice Chairman of Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc. in 2005, and assumed his current role as Chairman, CEO and President of Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations in 2008.

Gary A. Garfield
As Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Secretary for Bridgestone Americas, Inc., Gary Garfield is responsible for overseeing the company’s legal and compliance functions. Corporate Security and Internal Audit also report to Garfield. In 1991 Garfield joined then-Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc. in Nashville, Tenn. Between 1991 and 2002, Garfield served as Senior Counsel I, Senior Counsel II and Division General Counsel for Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT). In 2002 Garfield was named Vice President and General Counsel of BFNT. In 2007 Garfield took on the position of Chief Compliance Officer and Secretary of then-Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc., in addition to his roles as Bridgestone Americas’ Vice President and General Counsel. Garfield received his Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in political science and philosophy from Wittenberg University and his Juris Doctor with honors from the University of Cincinnati College of Law.

Eduardo Minardi
As President of the Latin American Tire division, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO LA), Eduardo Minardi is responsible for overseeing the company’s operations throughout the region, which include six manufacturing facilities as well as sales subsidiaries throughout Latin America. Minardi joined Bridgestone/Firestone Argentina, S.A.I.C. (BFAR) in 1989 as Product Manager. He accepted roles of increasing responsibility within BFAR, including Sales Manager and Marketing Director, and ultimately was named President of BFAR in 2001. In Oct. 2002 he was named President of Bridgestone/Firestone de México, S.A. de C.V., and he assumed his current responsibilities as Executive Vice President, Bridgestone Americas, Inc., and President, BATO LA, in 2007. Minardi graduated from Buenos Aires University with a bachelor’s degree in economics. He has completed both the CEO Management Program at Northwestern University and the Leadership Program at the Owens Graduate School of Vanderbilt University. Before joining the Bridgestone Americas family of companies, Minardi worked in the banking industry in Argentina, as well as a consultant in organizational and strategic planning. He has also served as professor of economics at the Universidad de Lomas de Zamora (U.N.L.Z) in Argentina.