Smithers is pleased to present an initial look at the Traction Summit 2023 speaker lineup, taking place in May 2023 in San Antonio, TX!
Bio coming soon!
Howard Colvin has worked in the rubber industry for over 35 years as a chemist and a polymer scientist. He started his career in the Hydroquinone and Derivatives section in the Goodyear Chemical division, then moved on to the rubber chemicals group. He was in charge of the polymer group at the Goodyear Chemical Division for 13 years where he worked on new materials using emulsion and solution polymer technology. At Cooper Tire he led Cooper’s guayule rubber research program and led the research team who obtained a $6.9 million grant to study all phases of cultivation, harvesting, rubber isolation and tire building. Cooper built the world’s first all guayule tire in 2017.
He was Professor of Chemistry at Florida College for four years, and after returning to the tire industry, worked for the school as an adjunct professor of Biochemistry. He holds over 50 US patents and numerous foreign patents. He won the lifetime achievement Melvin Mooney award from the Rubber Division of the American Chemical Society in 2020. He is now a consultant to the rubber industry and suppliers to that industry.
Bio coming soon!
Mr. Womble, CEO of Liberty Tire Recycling, has 25 years of experience consolidating, integrating and optimizing solid waste companies. These experiences span various industries, including solid waste hauling, landfill development and operations, portable toilets and tire recycling. Mr. Womble was an original investor in Liberty Tire Recycling, LLC. He returned to the company in 2013 as the Chief Operating Officer and was named CEO in 2017. Mr. Womble received a B.S. in business administration from the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
Bio coming soon!
Bio coming soon!
Tom has over 25 years of experience in the business and technology development of specialty materials at IBM, W. L. Gore & Associates, and Lehigh Technologies.
Tom joined Lehigh as a late stage start-up, helping grow revenue over 3x, and participated in a successful exit via acquisition by Michelin in 2017.
At Lehigh, his teams developed and commercialized multiple award-winning new products (all sustainable materials) to the very same group of companies targeted by SILPARA.
In addition to a background of innovation, as evidenced by his new business development experience and 11 US patents, he is very experienced in both customer engagement and board/investor level relations.
At SILPARA he is responsible for the definition of the technology and providing expert analysis for the customer and investor community.
Maureen Kline is Vice President, Public Affairs and Sustainability for Pirelli Tire North America, responsible for the US, Canada and Mexico. She is based in Rome, Georgia.
She is a board member of the US Tire Manufacturers Association and the Tire and Rubber Association of Canada. She is on the Corporate Responsibility Steering Committee of the Automotive Industry Action Group, and on the Standards Advisory Group of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board.
She writes a column on sustainability for www.Inc.com and is a frequent speaker on the topic. She teaches a course on Enterprise Sustainability within Clarkson University’s MS in Engineering Management program.
Previously she was based in Pirelli’s headquarters in Milan, Italy, where she coordinated government affairs for the company’s foreign subsidiaries, and before that was responsible for Pirelli’s international media relations.
Prior to her public affairs and communications career, Maureen worked as a journalist over a 15-year period. She was Milan correspondent for the Wall Street Journal Europe, Breaking Views, and Business Week, among others. She edited a blog on the topic of meritocracy, hosted by Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera. She wrote and co-hosted a TV talk show in Italy on business and finance, broadcast on the local channel Telelombardia.
Bio coming soon!
Bio coming soon!
Brent developed the foundation for the EV practice at J.D. Power through the creation of the company’s suite of electric vehicle experience studies. He utilizes voice of customer feedback and subject matter expertise to provide critical insights for helping the automotive industry transition to electrification through improving charging infrastructure and EV products.
Previously at J.D. Power, Mr. Gruber led the company’s Powersports, Commercial Vehicle, and most recently, Global Automotive Supplier practices. Brent was responsible for all sales, research and consulting activities involving those industries.
Brent sits on several automotive industry advisory boards, frequently speaks at industry events, and routinely conducts media interviews about automotive products and emerging trends. Prior to joining J.D. Power in 2008, Brent held senior level positions at research and consulting firms, focusing on product and service improvements based on voice of customer feedback.
Tony leads Bolder Industries with a great passion for protecting our environment, creating innovative products, and enhancing the lives of our employees. He founded Bolder Industries in 2011 after seeing inefficiencies in the recycling industry while operating three landfills in Central Florida. Drawing on his past experiences in the innovative field of medical devices, Tony looked for new and better ways to handle waste streams.
Tony graduated from Ball State University with a degree in Industrial Manufacturing Technology. He has led Bolder Industries to numerous business awards, including Environmental Leader’s “Top Product of the Year” for BolderBlack® and “Breakout Company of the Year” from the Colorado Cleantech Industries Association. Outside of the office, Tony loves to ski, mountain bike, and cheer for Bronco’s football. Leveraging his past experiences in the field of medical devices and the recycling industry, Mr. Wibbeler founded Bolder Industries in 2011 to develop innovative, closed-loop solutions to reduce and recycle various waste streams starting with waste tires. He has led Bolder Industries to numerous business and innovation awards, including Environmental Leader’s “Top Product of the Year,” “Breakout Company of the Year,” from the Colorado Cleantech Industries Association, and “Energy Manufacturer of the Year” from the Colorado Manufacturing Awards.
Dr. Beverly Wright has spent over 30 years leading and delivering data science and analytics through corporate, consulting, and academic experiences. She has served as executive, leader, educator, and advisor of data science and analytics teams to help provide solutions for solving complex business problems.
As Head of Data Science Solutions at Burtch Works, Beverly provides guidance to a variety of businesses and to frame and solve critical issues using modeling and advanced analytics. She also serves as Director of Data Science for University of Georgia, Executive Education, where she builds, staffs, delivers, and evaluates programs targeted for executives.
Beverly gives back to her community through operating a nonprofit called TAG Data Science & Analytics – FOR GOOD Initiative, leveraging volunteers, data, tools, and other resources to tackle community challenges. She also serves as Board Chair for TAG Data Science & Analytics, Board Member for Georgia Institute of Technology’s Master of Science in Analytics program, and Neighborhood Nexus, President of the Analytics Society at INFORMS, and podcast host for TAG Data Talk.
Bio coming soon!
Matt joined Smithers in 2017 as the Technical Director of the Smithers Tire & Wheel Test Lab in Ravenna, Ohio. He is primarily focused on Smithers’ current force and moment testing operations, staff management, and technical decision-making. He also manages a partnership between Smithers and six global tire manufacturers that introduced a new MTS Flat Trac CT+ system and facility expansion in 2018.
Matt has over 17 years of experience in the tire industry, including management experience on the manufacturing side of the business. He has been responsible for numerous testing machines, including MTS Flat Tracs, spring rate, laser measurement, acoustic, uniformity, and high- and low-speed durability.
Matt has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Toledo. He is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt, is certified in FARO Measurement Systems, and has had training in Lean and pneumatic systems design. He spent the first part of his career designing automated tire building systems before moving into his multiple roles in tire testing.
Josh Guilliams, Vice President of Consultancy, leads Smithers’ technical consulting team based in Akron, Ohio. Josh manages client relationships and works with other Smithers experts on complex projects. He also conducts in-depth investigations of a wide variety of rubber materials and final products on behalf of clients.
Before joining the team at Smithers, Guilliams spent several years in leadership at Polymer Valley Chemicals, Inc., as Technical Director and Vice President of Technical Operations. Prior to his time at Polymer Valley Chemicals, he held technical and commercial roles at Hankook Tire, EASTMAN Chemical Corporation, LANXESS Corporation, and Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations.
