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Episode 205

John Zentz, Michael Mathis, Roy Littlefield IV, Brandon Stotsenberg, Cody Benton, Christina Walls

SEMA 2025

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SEMA 2025 remains the industry’s premier gathering place, not just for exploring new products, but for engaging in conversations that truly shape the future of the aftermarket. This episode of the Gain Traction Podcast captures that energy firsthand, bringing together voices from across the tire, equipment, and service ecosystems to discuss what’s working, what’s changing, and what dealers need to watch closely.

From hands-on equipment innovations to long-term brand strategy, from dealer advocacy to the evolving demands of today’s consumers, each segment highlights something different; yet all point back to a common truth: this business still runs on relationships and honest dealer feedback.

Whether you’re a manufacturer, distributor, or multi-location shop owner, Part 3 of our SEMA Roundup offers a clear look at the trends shaping 2025, directly from the leaders who influence them.

In this episode…

SEMA is where ideas sharpen, partnerships strengthen, and the industry gets its first real sense of what’s ahead. And in this third installment of our SEMA 2025 Roundup, the conversations dive even deeper.

From Hunter Engineering Company to Kenda Tires and the Tire Industry Association, today’s lineup shares insights on new technology, shifting market dynamics, and the growing pressure to innovate in ways that actually help dealers back home. You’ll hear perspectives on everything from right-to-repair and training gaps to product development, supply chain realities, and what it takes to build stronger dealer relationships in a crowded marketplace.

More than anything, this episode highlights a theme that keeps rising to the surface: the aftermarket moves forward when people show up, share openly, and challenge each other to improve.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[00:53] John Zentz on technology adoption, equipment innovation, and how Hunter Engineering is listening more closely than ever to dealers’ needs

[05:19] Michael Mathis discusses Atturo’s long-play brand strategy and why balancing innovation with dealer trust still matters

[17:55] Roy Littlefield IV on TIA’s advocacy work, including right-to-repair, technician training, and strengthening industry representation

[23:55] Brandon Stotsenburg shares how Kenda Tires is building durable product lines through real-world testing and dealer feedback

[31:24] Cody Benton of Black’s Tire & Auto Service highlights the importance of customer experience and distributor-dealer relationships

[38:50] Christina Walls talks about Landscape Durable Tires’ approach to longevity, new categories, and what niche markets are looking for in 2025

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Meet the Leaders Featured in This Episode:

John Zentz is the Senior VP of Global Sales for Hunter Engineering Company and has spent more than 30 years shaping how shops across the country adopt new equipment and service technology. His long career; from his early days in Baltimore to leading sales at Hunter’s corporate headquarters — gives him a deep, hands-on understanding of dealer needs, industry trends, and the importance of strong customer relationships. John’s leadership continues to play a key role in how Hunter showcases innovation at events like SEMA.

Michael Mathis is the President of Atturo Tires and has guided the company through major expansion across new market segments, high-visibility sports partnerships, and national marketing campaigns. Under his leadership, Atturo has strengthened its reputation as a brand that delivers premium performance at a competitive price, while staying committed to long-term dealer relationships and stable, reliable programs. Michael’s strategic approach has helped Atturo become one of the most recognized and fast-growing brands in the tire industry.

Roy Littlefield IV is the Vice President of Government Affairs at the Tire Industry Association, where he leads the organization’s national advocacy efforts on issues like right-to-repair, vehicle data access, tax credits, and federal and state legislation that impacts dealers every day. He works directly with policymakers and brings real-world stories from shops and retreaders to Capitol Hill to ensure the industry’s voice is heard. Roy’s leadership has made TIA a powerful force in shaping policy that supports independent tire and auto service businesses.

Brandon Stotsenburg is the Vice President of the Automotive Division for Kenda Tires and brings more than 35 years of tire industry experience to his role. He oversees product strategy, OEM and aftermarket programs, and Kenda’s positioning as a premium-performance brand at a value price. Brandon is known for his clear, practical explanations of the industry’s tier system and for helping dealers understand how Kenda fits into the evolving marketplace. His leadership continues to strengthen Kenda’s presence across North America.

Cody Benton is part of the Business Development team at Black’s Tire & Auto Service and represents the third generation of the Benton family to help carry the company forward. Growing up in the business, Cody brings a deep appreciation for the company’s history, culture, and long-standing commitment to serving communities across the Carolinas. He plays a key role in supporting dealer partnerships, strengthening wholesale relationships, and helping the next generation stay connected to the legacy his family built.

Christina Walls is the Director of Sales for Landscape Durable Tires and has been instrumental in introducing the brand’s new durable tire category to the American market. With a background rooted in tire retail and decades of industry experience, she understands dealer needs from both a technical and consumer perspective. Christina works closely with product development teams and uses data-driven insights to help shape a lineup focused on long-lasting value, consistency, and advanced manufacturing technology.

Quotable Moments:

“SEMA is where you get honest feedback, the kind you can’t get from a spreadsheet.”
“Innovation isn’t just about new products. It’s about solving real problems for real dealers.”
“Advocacy isn’t optional anymore. The industry needs a stronger voice, especially on right-to-repair.”
“Durability starts with listening; the best ideas come from the people who use these tires every day.”
“Relationships still move this industry. The strongest brands are the ones that stay close to their dealers.”

Action Steps:

Evaluate your 2025 product or service strategy: What dealer-driven insights can you incorporate from SEMA conversations?
Strengthen communication with your frontline customers: Build consistent channels for feedback and follow-up.
Stay engaged with advocacy efforts: Understand how right-to-repair and technician training initiatives may impact your operations.
Invest in durability and quality testing: Ensure your offerings meet evolving demands across new segments.
Reconnect with partners after SEMA: Keep the momentum going by turning show-floor discussions into long-term collaboration.

Transcript

00:00
They think about innovation and service and, you know, we want to highlight those innovative features and new pieces of equipment.

00:07
You know, all that great marketing and messaging only works when you’ve got a product that you know can deliver to the consumer once they get it right.

00:13
To repair is still one of the biggest issues facing our industry, but it’s not the only issue. There’s so many things that we’re facing right now.

00:21
So Kenda positions its product as premium performance at a value price.

00:26
Our whole family being involved in it and seeing the passion growing up and you know, with my grandfather and my dad and two uncles, it’s a no brainer.

00:34
The oldest tire store in the Brazos Valley, House of Tires, 1964.

00:38
It’s called House of Tires.

00:40
House of Tires. That’s right.

00:42
Welcome to the SEMA Roundup 2025. The Gain Traction podcast had the privilege of interviewing many people out at sema. This episode is brought to you by Tread Partners and our media partner, Tyler Business. All right, folks, I’m here with John Zentz. He is senior vice president of Global sales with Hunter Energy Engineering Company. Man, I tell you what, once in a while after a long day, you just get.

01:05
Thank you. Good to be here, Mike. Thank you.

01:06
Glad to have you.

01:07
Really appreciate you including me.

01:08
So tell us a little bit about yourself. You told me you grew up in Baltimore.

01:11
I did, I did. And I’ve been with Hunter for 30 years and started off with them in Baltimore, spent a couple years there and went down to Charlotte and ran the southeast for Hunter for 10 years. I’ve been at corporate headquarters for the last 18.

01:25
Fantastic. So you lived in Charlotte?

01:27
I did. Great market.

01:28
That guy’s from Charlotte. And my daughter ended up going to school at Belmont Abbey.

01:32
Oh, really? No kidding. It’s all small world.

01:35
It is.

01:35
You go to Slough, she’s in Belmont Abbey.

01:37
And you’re in both cities. Right. Well, tell us a little about Hunter. What do you guys got going on this year?

01:45
Oh, well, certainly just it’s so much fun to be a sema. You know, I mean this is our favorite event that we do every year. And, and I think people know Hunter, they think about innovation and, and service and you know, we want to highlight those innovative features and new pieces of equipment. We do it every year at sema.

02:02
The best tire people I know in the business will brag about you guys.

02:05
Thank you.

02:05
And they have your all’s equipment and, and your show presence has never dwindled. You guys are always making A big splash. But I mean, I know people that come out here and they look forward to engaging you guys. Yes.

02:20
Yeah, I mean, you know, this show is all about just, we meet with over half of our largest clients, our largest customers and from North America. And then we also get a bunch of folks come in from international and you know, that’s what it’s all about for us. You know, this business is about relationships and totally, you know, meeting with people that we’ve done business with for a long time and meeting with some people we’re just getting started with. And you know, that’s what.

02:43
This show’s about for us. No, that’s fantastic. We have a phenomenal name out there. I’ve been here many years and I’ve known the entire business for years now. And you know, it’s an honor to be part of their booth, but they’ve always been next to you guys and I obviously see you guys in the advertisements there, but you got a phenomenal name out there and I know our listeners, many of them use your equipment and so it’s an honor to have you actually in the booth.

03:09
Oh, this means the world to us. Thanks for including us in this. And you know, this is a hands on business. Right? You know, everybody in our industry loves to get their hands on things and test drive things and so that’s why we set this booth up, you know, so for whether it’s our largest accounts or just some, you know, a shop from wherever walking in, wanting to see what’s new they can get their hands on.

03:28
Says a lot that you guys understand the value of being here because it is a little. I use this cliche, and I don’t mean to be facetious with it, but it’s true. It’s like shooting fish in a barrel. Everybody’s in one spot and you get a shot instead of having to travel to a hundred different spots, 200, whatever, you know, everybody’s here and it is very relationship oriented and that’s what makes this industry awesome.

03:50
Yeah, it’s fun. You know, our, our show philosophy is not about, you know, coming here to sell as much of equipment as we can. It’s about continuing to build relationships, show new product, talk about innovation, talk about solutions.

04:01
Somebody’s doing show and tell constantly.

04:05
It’s fun. It’s really fun.

04:06
On a personal level, now that you reside in St. Louis, are you a Cardinal fan?

04:11
I sure am. It’s, you know, it’s the greatest baseball town in the Country. You know, we’ve had a little trouble last couple years, but hopefully we’ll get that turned around here pretty quickly.

04:19
But it’s fun for as strong as they were, you know, through the early 2000s, everything. I’m. I’m just in awe that we can’t figure out this management problem that we’ve had.

04:27
Oh, I know. We could talk about that for hours. We probably should do that on the microphone.

04:31
No, this is good.

04:32
People.

04:32
People want to. People want to know who Mr. Zentz is. And they’re buying equipment from a baseball f. Man. Yeah, I just had Doug Kershaw on earlier.

04:40
That’s right.

04:40
And I don’t know if you know Doug.

04:42
I know the name, but I don’t know him.

04:43
People remember when he was president of BKT Tower. Anyway, he. He’s a big Dodgers fan.

04:49
Oh.

04:49
Since he was 6.

04:50
How great was the end of that World Series? Whether. Whichever side of the fence you were on, the ending of that game was insane. It was just insane. It was fun to watch.

04:58
Yeah. And I don’t always watch every, you know, once the Cardinals get knocked out, I get a little frustrated.

05:04
Whatever.

05:05
But I watched this series and it couldn’t have been better. I didn’t stay up for the. The whole 18 inning game.

05:09
But. No, I didn’t either.

05:10
God.

05:10
But the. But game seven was amazing. It was unbelievable to see how that Toronto was just, you know, that close.

05:16
Gosh, man, the hitting in the game, pitching, everything, it was just awesome. All right, welcome to the Game Traction podcast. I got Michael Matthis here with the Churl tire. Michael, welcome back.

05:25
Thank you very much. Glad to be here.

05:27
So we always talk about. We always get a chance to talk to you here at sema. Tell us what’s going on with the Turo tires.

05:33
Yeah, well, SEMA is always an exciting time for us. We always try to plan some kind of a new product release, whether that’s just a size expansion or outright new tread pattern.

05:43
And.

05:43
And this year we kind of had a bit of both. So we introduced a collaboration that we have with the Artis wheel company. So we introduced the Artis tire, which is available from Atturo. And so that’s again, a continued expansion of the Atturo brand, getting into additional market segments. So this is a product that we’re positioning is what’s called a luxury high performance tire. And so it’s going after, you know, Range Rover, Mercedes, S Class, BMW, some. Some applications that wouldn’t be traditional Atturo type features. So it’s. It’s again, getting us into another market segment given our distributors and dealers, you know, another category.

06:23
Does that help expand your dealer network as well?

06:25
Absolutely. You know, the clientele for the wheel brand are the, you know, kind of premium customizers, upfitters, those kinds of dealers. And while we’ve got some of those on kind of the more truck side, this kind of gets us into that luxury performance on the car side. That’s great. Yeah, it’s going to expand everything for us and give us some good crossover sales there.

06:48
Well, I’m a sports guy and I know that you guys do sports marketing more than ever now, and I think it’s primarily up in northern Indiana, southern Wisconsin area, is it not?

06:58
We’ve had, we’ve had a pretty good spread. You know, we, of course, Chicago is our hometown, so, you know, we’ve kind of gone heavy there. We’re doing a program for a couple years now with Cubs Radio and we’re now into our second season as a partner with the Chicago Blackhawks. And then we’ve also. Canada has been a growing market for us, so we’ve partnered there with the Edmonton Oilers. And then this past year was our first year as the tire sponsor for the second largest MMA league, the professional fighters league. So that kind of gave us a national footprint for our sports partnerships across their actual live events streamed on ESPN social media access that we’ve had on there.

07:43
And you know, that all has been combined with the other marketing that we’ve done, national and regional television campaign, our billboard programs, all our digital media.

07:55
That we, that we do.

07:56
And you know, print is weaning.

08:00
Right.

08:00
But it’s still there. So we do all that stuff and we’ve pulled together for a little old brand like us, we’ve pulled together some pretty sizable impressions that we’ve generated through this year with this. Our, our partner with our TV placements gave us a report showed that through the first three quarters of the year, Arturo was the sixth most visible tire brand on television.

08:26
No kidding.

08:27
Nationally.

08:27
Well, I, and one of the reasons I brought this up is, you know, I live in Kentucky, our company’s based out of North Carolina, but I’ve noticed it. But now I know my state’s connected to yours, so there’s likely some.

08:37
A little bit of overlap.

08:38
Yeah, yeah. But you know, media crossover, whatever. But still, for your brand size and everything, it’s been, it’s more noticeable than.

08:46
You know, a good connection to the mma. I’ve always said a turtle Punches above its weight. Right. So, you know, we want to go out there and make ourselves look a lot bigger than we are. And, and the whole purpose of all that is to try and raise that brand awareness with the consumer so that when our dealers are presenting them with Atturo as an option, there’s a better chance of them consciously or not having some awareness and familiarity with the brand, which makes them feel more comfortable in giving us a try.

09:14
Well, and as you know, my listening audience primarily is tire dealers. The, I mean the owners, the shop owners, and quite a few actually counter sales reps. We get comments from those guys as well. And, and really outside of that group, I don’t get feedback. So it’s kind of tells you that’s who’s most engaged, you know. So I, I hope they’re listening today and they give you guys a shot. And if they not as familiar with it, they talk to the distributor and figure out how.

09:43
Yeah, for sure appreciate that. And you know, that’s been, that’s just a, that’s a long play for us is that, you know, we’re, we’ve never been a brand or a company that, you know, gets out there and chases volume. Obviously we want to sell more tires, but we really want to build up a brand. We want to build up partnerships with distributors and dealers and, you know, be able to deliver a tire to the consumer that outperforms its price point as well. So, you know, all that great marketing and messaging only works when you’ve got a product that, you know, can deliver to the consumer once they get it.

10:13
That’s so well said. Because, you know, what’s that old cliche? Tires aren’t bought, they’re sold. And you know, look, I’m, I’m in the tire business and sometimes I even know what I want. But I got a buddy, very close friend that has tire shop. I mean, I hunt with this guy and everything, but we got this good, you know, or whatever. Talk to me about what your selection is or something. And we’re having great luck. And I have not been like a brand loyalist, you know, over the years. I’m getting more brand loyal. But it’s interesting. But how I buy tires, I just try to, you know, it’s kind of like, how do It? I wonder if the other part of the market does and I’m more knowledgeable. But I see people all the time that Matt, my buddy, deals with.

10:53
If I’m in there, you know, he could push he could push the same tire all day long, you know, and people just listen, they’ll just take it. So I think when a dealer is confident, and that’s his issue, if I’m confident and I don’t have a problem with the distributor and they, you know how to exchange and make things easy with me, and, you know, it just makes life easy, you know, and that’s what I’m looking for. And then in a margin, you know, I want to make some money. But ultimately, he wants. He doesn’t want a complaint from his customer, you know, I don’t want it back, you know, so.

11:22
Well, that’s a big deal. And you know, for us, that after sale service, whether it is through the distributor first, of course, but when it comes back to us, we want to make that stuff easy too. And so, you know, we handle all that stuff right out of our office in Chicago. You’re not having to wait for somebody, you know, the next day to handle it. You’ve got a live person that’s nice, you can talk to, and we try and resolve things just as fast as possible.

11:46
That’s nice because, I mean, I do get to hear from the dealers and they’ll tell me the pros and cons, different distributors and, you know, attitudes on things and whatnot. And you can just feel tension. And I’ve always said, look, in business, you’re always going to have problems. One of my favorite things I ever did, and I did it when I was a young man. I was kind of proud of myself. But I told this guy one time, he goes, I’m still trying to figure out why I should buy from you. I said, well, first of all, I’ve showed you where I can fix your problem. But then I handed him a business card and I said, now I’m the guy you can call him bitch to. And he goes, I like that. It was just one of those. Excuse me.

12:26
It was just one of those things that I was sincere about. And I kind of got blunt with him because were being blunt with each other, but he knew I was being sincere. And so the next year. This is kind of funny. Just palate on this, this topic. But the next year, the guy. I fixed the major. I didn’t do it. My, my tech people did, but we fixed a major problem for him. And the next year he was going to. He said, listen, Mike, he said, you know, your, your fees a little high. I got so and so knocking at my door. I feel like we need to switch to save money. I said, whoa, whoa. His name was Jeff. Said, jeff, do you remember the problem you had last year?

13:04
You swam in that problem for like three to five years, Whatever it was. I mean, we’re getting nothing. I fixed that problem in three months. It went away. And now you’re shopping me. And he goes, you’re right. Never mind, I’m sorry. And he did. It was so funny. But it was. He caught on, like, what am I doing? You know, I can’t go for price here. I’m going for what. What this guy gave me, you know, but. And he did recognize that, and I appreciate it. But it was funny. I still had to point it out.

13:30
Yeah, well, memories can be short, you know, and price is always in your face.

13:33
But it is.

13:34
You know, I mean, that. That kind of comes back to us, too, you know, I mean, the. We’re going to there. We’re going to keep building the brand out and make sure that we’re always going to be there for our dealers, for the distributors, for the consumers.

13:44
You know what you said that I really like as a buyer, and I mean this sincerely, and I like it when a company presents itself the way you did. I’m here for the long play. I’m not trying to make a fast buck. We’re here for the. We’re here to support. We’re here to be in the market. We’re here to be a quality tire. Yes, we need to make money. Everybody knows that. But at the end of the day, I’m here for the long play. I think when consumers hear that, I don’t know, just. It gives me a good vibe.

14:09
Yeah. This year has been a test of that.

14:12
Oh, really?

14:12
You know, with the tariff situation and everybody trying to react to it, uncertainty about. Is it going to stay. Everybody’s accepted. Yes, that’s reality. We’re in it, but we try to set up our business that we’re running a program where we’re trying to have stability in our pricing so that we’re not riding a roller coaster every month. You know, this is not just transactional business. We’re running a program. You can put this product on your shelf, it’ll be pretty consistent in price as you go and, you know, not having wild swings and uncertainty there. So when positioned correctly, dealers can have confident in confidence in marking that tire up appropriately and make your money.

14:56
You know, you need to. Getting on to SEMA a little bit. Since we’re out here. You. You’re here every year. What’s. What’s the best thing about SEMA for you guys?

15:06
For us, it’s seeing those dealers. You know, our customers are distributors. We want to see their customer, the actual dealers. We want to hear from them directly. You know, this is the biggest collection of them that happens in the country. We go out and visit them all the time. But to see them in a group, be able to interact with them, show them what’s new, hear that feedback from them, what’s working, you know, that’s. That’s the real value for us is. Is doing that. And that’s part of that long play idea of being out here to listen and to hear from them, and we.

15:34
Need to learn from them.

15:35
Right. They’re. They’re on the front line. They got to tell us what that consumer’s after, you know, and what. What’s important.

15:40
And I. I try to encourage dealers because I don’t think they understand the leverage that they bring to a show like this. But, you know, they think, well, I’m just one. Yeah. But collectively, you guys move to market. The dealers do. And you need to be here at sema. You need to come to SEMA once a year. You don’t have to stay the whole week, come a night, you know, go through the. You know, meet people like yourself or whatever. But this is where you get a chance to get a great feel for what’s out there. The market. I mean, we got Hunter Engineering right there. You know, everybody has a. I was gonna say everybody, but everybody knows who Hunter is. And a lot of quality shops have their equipment, you know, and.

16:16
And that guy was telling me, he said, what they benefit from is John. John Zantzler, senior VP of global sales. He said, well, 50% of our. 50% of our North American client base will show up here. Wow. You know, he said, so we get to meet a lot of people in a hurry. But he goes, we don’t really. I mean, we do sell out here. That’s a purpose.

16:40
They’re one of the unique ones that do sell on the floor.

16:42
Yeah, but he said, ultimately, it’s about touching our product, getting to experience it. So we do a lot of show and tell, he said, so that way they get to. They get, you know, connect it to it, and they get to see it, feel it, touch it, and then they know whether they want.

16:55
I mean, for us, it’s similar, right?

16:56
Yeah.

16:57
Everybody knows what to do with a 275, 5520. Right. But we just introduced. One of the new sizes was a 305, 20, 24 do you know what that goes on?

17:05
No.

17:05
No. So we want to show that to people and say, oh, that’s a plus four from a 305. 3520 on all your challengers and chargers. Right. So that’s where you get to have that interaction with them and show them something new. And hey, oh, I got a lot of guys who come in and want to put 22s on there. Now you got the right size in 24s.

17:24
Wow.

17:25
So you get something kind of. Kind of neat out of that.

17:26
So for all our viewers out there that aren’t here this year, but I. I’ll encourage you to come next year. But if you want to find out.

17:34
More About Arturo Tire, Arturo.com follow us on the social medias where we’ve got our. All our SEMA content out there for the different vehicles that we’ve got here and just everything else.

17:46
You guys have a YouTube channel too, don’t you?

17:47
Look at YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn’s. LinkedIn’s been blowing up for us lately, so, yeah, it’s all good stuff.

17:55
All right, welcome to the Gain Traction Podcast. Have Roy Littlefield, the fourth here. Roy with TIA Tire Industry Association. Listen, it’s great to have you back. You were the first video. We just talked about that, but you were the first video guest that we had this year when we got in the video. So nothing bad happened the first time. Hope we can make it through this one. Absolutely. No, just give me a hard time. But listen, one of the things I like to tell people about what we do here at the podcast is we try to lift the brands of the industry up and the people behind them. And obviously, the TIA brand is huge. You guys mean an enormous amount to the industry. But the advocacy that you guys do in D.C. is, it’s. It’s critical. I mean, it means a lot.

18:39
And you’re right at the center of all that. So I wanted to have you on here to talk about what’s. What’s some hot topics right now that people need to be aware of, be involved in, show, you know, interest to their state representatives, senators, etc. Sure.

18:55
Well, there’s so much going on right now in the tire industry and really appreciate you having me again, Michael, to see you. And whether it’s a state bill or it’s a federal bill, somebody’s probably being impacted by something out there right now. And what we’re trying to do is just get the word out there, get the message of what those big issues are, because really, everyone is being impacted right now. And this week on Monday, we did our Right to Repair summit again, and we had over 60 attendees there. Right to repair is still one of the biggest issues facing our industry, but it’s not the only issue. There’s so many things that we’re facing right now.

19:34
And TIA is trying to get ahead of all that, trying to get the word out there, whether it’s vehicle choice, whether it’s all of these new taxes that are going to be taking effect on January 1 from the one big beautiful bill, or maybe it’s even something simple like the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, which is going to expire at the end of this year. And we have an industry that’s done very well hiring veterans, and we want.

19:56
To be able to keep that going. It’s interesting to me as a. Listen to you talk, because you guys, I mean, you know, you’re going back to the same people. You obviously see legislation through a process, and the senators and representatives, you, it’s like, I wonder, you run into the challenge of like, I guess, a form of triage, you know, like you’re, you know, the doctor sees patient or EMT sees a, you know, victim of something and says, okay, what’s the worst? Do you have to do that? Like, you know, when you’re dealing with the same senators and the same representatives and you’re going back to that. Well, you’re trying to get things through and that. Do they ever look at you and go, yeah, but which one we got to focus on the most right now or Right.

20:43
It’s trying to prioritize all of those issues. And really the best way to do that is to swell our grassroots efforts. And we’ve done that recently, for example, on a retread bill in Congress. And about a month ago, we brought in eight different retreaders to Capitol Hill. Instead of just me going around as hired help saying, we’ve got a problem on this bill, we had actual businesses come in and tell their story. And it made such a difference because we met with eight offices that day. And on that particular retread legislation, three of those offices have already signed on as co sponsors.

21:18
So it really shows the power that we have as an association when we speak in one voice, when we show up, when we tell our story, because there’s so many things impacting us that our legislators don’t know about unless we’re telling them.

21:31
I like that what you said about the grassroots. And then because Our audience is primarily tire dealers, auto repair shop owners, managers, et cetera. And those are the people we hear back from. I do want to encourage you guys be members of TIA because it just allows them more leveraged to get what you need done for legislation that affects our business. Right, Absolutely. It’s the best way.

21:56
Power, power in numbers, for sure. And you know, with this right to repair thing, we’re trying to get as much information as we can from the industry because the more examples we can show, for example, with these newer vehicles being hard to get that repair information, we can show that to a member of Congress. And it’s not just hypotheticals, it’s real world examples. So the more communication that we have with the industry, the more powerful we can be.

22:19
Yeah. And I think in anything, I think, I mean, you’re a salesman, basically. I mean, if you break it all down, what you’re trying to get across to a senator. But people buy emotionally. You know, they may think something through, but they get connected to something emotionally. And I think what you do is you’re trying to get those senators and representatives to, you know, see something. And like you said, it has to be a story, something that’s real, but. And then you want them to look at it and go, well, that’s bs, right? Yeah, this needs to be fixed. And I think that’s, I get the grassroots thing and it really resonates with me and I’d like to see more people do what they need to do so that you guys can see success out there. Absolutely.

23:04
TIA has members in every congressional district in this nation, and if we could just energize everyone everywhere, it would certainly make a difference. And all of those representatives and senators get their cars serviced somewhere and it might be from one of our own members. And we’ve got to know those connections.

23:20
More than likely it is. Right. Or their family.

23:23
75% of, you know, repairs are done at independent shops.

23:27
Oh, yeah. So that’s why the whole thing of right to repair is so bizarre to me. Right. You know, and we’ve talked about that before, but I’m glad you brought that up again because I don’t tire about talking about that topic. And it’s because it’s slow moving ball, man. I mean, just, you know, just getting that thing up the hill and then getting it over the hill. Right. So.

23:46
And, and it’s a real consumer issue. You know, I think the consumer at the end of the day is going to struggle with longer wait times. Repair deserts Higher costs, things like that.

23:54
Yeah.

23:55
All right, folks, we’re here with Brandon Stotzenberg, vice president of automotive division for Kenda Tires. We just met Don and Christine from Tire Business brought you in the booth and I’m honored to meet you. Welcome.

24:10
Thanks for having me. It’s good to be here.

24:12
Yeah. So Don says, well, first of all, a little bit about yourself. Where are you from?

24:18
So I, I live in northeastern Ohio in the Akron area. Kenda is headquartered in Columbus and we’ve got a, a technical center in the Akron area that does all the product development for all the segments Canada does across the Americas.

24:33
Nice. So what do you do for Canada?

24:36
So I’m the VP for the automotive group, which actually is responsible for selling the automotive products both OE and aftermarket within the Americas. And then I also interact with the other segments Kenda sells across bicycle power sports, including ATV utv, motorcycle, light industrial, skidder tires, those kind of activities, as well as trailer tires and ATV UTV as I mentioned a minute ago. So we sell those to the independent tire dealer channel as well as to a number of other channels. We have North American production, we are a wheel producer, we have three wheel facilities in North America. So we interact and operate all of those across the channels as we work within the community.

25:25
Nice. And how long have you been with them?

25:29
So I’ve been with kenda now for 12 years and I’ve been in the tire business now for over 35. It’s hard to imagine it’s been that long.

25:37
I could give you a crop. She don’t look that old.

25:39
Well, I appreciate that and I don’t feel that old, but occasionally some of my associates and my spouse reminds me that I’m not quite as young as I think I am.

25:50
I hear you well. So you’re here at SEMO and we like to promote sema. What do you get out of sema?

26:00
So Kenda has been at SEMA as a participant really for over close to 30 years now. We’re a team member and we’re part of the SEMA community and so we use sema. It’s changed a little bit from what it previously has been, but we do a lot of interactions with our channel partners. We have channel partners that we’re exploring new opportunities with as we grow segments that we’re operating around. So we’re meeting a lot of people primarily at the show and on site. And then Kendale leans enthusiast. So in our booth this year we’ve got three time world champion Freddy Osbo’s Formula Drift car. And we have a lot of folks that are coming up that are part of that enthusiast community in that area as well as in the light truck area. We came out early this year.

26:53
Dan vandenhoovel, who is a partner of ours, was inducted into the Off Road hall of Fame. So there’s activities and associated activities around SEMA that are just valuable. The relationships and the people make what SEMA is important and really make what’s important in the tire industry. And we love that.

27:11
And that’s what I continually harp on this show. So my dealer, the dealers who listen to us, you got to make sema. You, you bring a. But they don’t realize it, but they bring so much value to the organization but then they can get so much back out of it because it’s a. Everything you want in this show and so much that you can accomplish from the governmental side to TIA advocacy, you name it. Don and bro. I was bragging on you Don. Detour that is with tire business was bragging on you that you’re the best. You’ve given the best definition of the tier system and tires. So as quickly as you can tell us how that breaks down for you.

27:48
Don is always complimentary and has been a friend a long time. So I appreciate him saying that. My, my definition of how the tiers break out segments within the automotive group, I won’t do it within each of the individual segments. When we look at things, we break it down by segment. So Kenda positions its product as premium performance at a value price and what we do in ours and I’ll break that down quickly and then I’ll talk about the balance of what we see in the tiers to answer your question. So we position Kenda as a tier three brand that I’ll explain. And then at the top end we perform at a Tier 1 and Tier 2 level with how we deliver for the product performance and then we want to over deliver for our channels relative to margin.

28:40
So as a tier 3 which works into the better segment in a good better best we will deliver as a a premium product and a higher margin on the tier side. We look at the tiers as tier one really being the flag brands that have high unaided awareness and are OE and those brands are right those brands are. Are the brands that folks know that the Bridgestone and the Continental and the Michelin and the Goodyear fit into that category. Tier 2 from my perspective are OE brands and from my perspective, you’re not a Tier 2 brand based on price, positioning and even on product performance. Our product performs at a tier one, tier two level, but we’re really not in that segment. So they’re oftentimes going to be the second brand within a brand portfolio.

29:30
Firestone as Bridgestone second brand is a tier two brand. BFGoodrich as Michelin second brand is in a tier two brand position. The other OE brands that are in those segments, the tier threes, then become the brands that perform at a higher level, have earned an aided awareness element and have other values that can be exceptional for the retailer and the channel partners in the world. And then the tier fours are the brands that are changing constantly and really are, for the most part, are promoting based on price.

30:06
Nice. Well, that was well said. I think Don was right. I think that’s a very clear, descriptive way of defining the tiers.

30:14
Appreciate that.

30:15
Yeah. So I wish you guys at Kendra much success here at the show, and I want to thank you for being on the Gain Traction podcast again.

30:23
My last thing I’ll say is, I say thank you is Kenda is actively looking for new desk direct distribution. And as the folks are listening out there, as you see Kenda with what I described with how we play, please reach out to us. We’re interested in talking to you and engaging.

30:39
Okay, on that note, before we depart, how can they reach you guys? What’s the easiest way?

30:48
So the. The best way, you can call our 8 number, 800 number, and literally call us. If you’re a smaller dealer and want to join our associate dealer program, go to Traction Loyalty rewards, and you can look at our Traction program. Call us and let us know and we’ll hook you up with our sales team so that you can have a chance to engage and appreciate that opportunity. We, we very strongly believe in the independent dealer channel as our channel that we go to market with. And we want the independent dealer channel folks to know that they’re welcome to be part of the Kenda program.

31:24
All right, folks, welcome to back to the Gain Traction podcast. I’ve got Cody Benton with me, Black’s Tire, North Carolina. Welcome.

31:33
Thank you for having me.

31:34
Yeah, I’m glad you’re here, man. So tell us a little bit about Cody.

31:39
So third generation of black star. So the Benton family, fifth generation total.

31:45
So we got Uncle Jeremy over there.

31:48
Yeah, we do have Uncle Jeremy here. That’s the only other Benton that’s here.

31:53
All right.

31:53
Unfortunately, usually it’s the whole crew, but got my older brother getting married Friday. So it’s just.

32:00
We can only make little priority thing. Yeah, yeah, that’s good. But you guys came out. Obviously, it’s important to you.

32:06
Absolutely.

32:08
Tell us a little bit about why Blackstyre comes out to the SEMA show and what it means to you.

32:14
Just, you know, for. For so long. My papa Ricky, you know, who started Black’s Tire, he’s been coming out here. Mr. Black brought him out here one year, and he said ever since he came, he’s. Every year he’d bring one more person.

32:32
That’s cool.

32:32
And so just. He learned so much.

32:34
Yeah.

32:34
That was actually his first time ever flying on a plane and doing something like this was when they invited him out here to SEMA and he said that was. I mean, he was by himself and he learned a lot, so he just tries to bring somebody every year.

32:50
That’s awesome.

32:50
Yeah.

32:51
Well, I mean, like, you know, I pointed this out with several of the interviews, but you got Hunter Engineering right there. I mean, everybody knows them. Everybody carries some form of their equipment or has used it before or whatever. So. But you get the. And then not only that, but you get to meet other tire people. You get to, you know, touch the new products, see them. But, like, you know, with Hunter, you get to kind of like, it’s a show and tell, you know, you get to play with the things for sure. But yeah, and I think it’s cool. I mean, you guys. I mean, you’re a long way from home, North Carolina.

33:21
Yeah.

33:22
Yeah.

33:22
Last year, we actually brought. Had our, like, partner dealer trip and the wholesale side, so we brought a ton of people out here, and it was a. It was a great event last year.

33:31
But, you know, you build camaraderie, but you learn something at the same time. Yeah. Good time.

33:37
Absolutely.

33:38
Yeah. So you guys, you’re into racing too, aren’t you? Don’t you? All sparks later.

33:44
Yep. It’s. It’s long rooted in Black Star. And then Ricky Benton Racing was where, you know, where it kind of started in the. In nascar. It was, you know, in the Hooters Pro cup series before. But yeah, NASCAR was kind of the start. And I want to say 2012 or 2013, we had our own truck up into, I would say about 2018, maybe. Now we just sponsors, some cars and. And teams.

34:12
Are you a big NASCAR fan?

34:13
I am, yeah.

34:14
History, too.

34:15
Yep.

34:15
Yep.

34:15
And my brother, so my. My older brother’s actually really into.

34:19
Nascar, but so you. You might know my hometown, we’re very. We were very well represented In NASCAR for a long time. But Owensboro, Kentucky.

34:26
Okay.

34:26
Yeah. That’s where Daryl and Michael Walter were fun. David and David Green and Jeff Green, they raced on the Bush series for years. And then Jeremy Mayfield from there.

34:37
Yeah, there’s some good names.

34:38
Oh, yeah. I always felt I was, you know, Jeremy, he was at the top of his game, and he got caught up in the drugs and all that stuff. It was terrible to see what happened to him, but he was just such a. I mean, he was doing. He was doing commercials for Chrysler. I mean, you know, he was big time. You know, it’s. It’s just very tragic, but things happen. People make bad decisions. But great race car driver.

34:59
Yeah.

34:59
But, yeah, nascar, I mean, is, you know, it’s long rooted in black star, but. But mainly our, you know, our. Our team members at blackstar really enjoy it, too. And, you know, nascar, where we’re, you know, where we’re at north and South Carolina, it’s.

35:11
Oh, yeah, it’s country.

35:14
It’s Charlotte. You got, you know, you got Darlington, you got Bristol, and, you know, in Virginia and Tennessee, and you got, you know, all the tracks in between. I mean, it’s.

35:24
Oh, yeah, it’s just great racing. No, I remember when I was. I’m old enough to remember when they finally decided to go outside of the south to have tracks. Yeah. And that was a big deal. I know friends that had dads that were, you know, every Sunday, they watched NASCAR in the garage, and it was like the first man caves, you know, with nascar. And I remember he was ticked. He was ticked that NASCAR is kind of expanding because they didn’t want to lose that vibe they had once had of going to Darling. They were, you know, the tailgater RV type guys. They’d go to Darlington and all these tracks, and they love that intimacy they had, and they were afraid they’re going to lose it. But I don’t think it hurt the sport. The sport needed to expand. It was growing.

36:08
It was popular. It’s just part of life. I mean, you know, but, yeah, we.

36:11
Actually, you know, this year we. We sponsored, you know, the NASCAR back to Darlington or back to Rockingham.

36:19
Oh, you did? Yeah.

36:20
So we had, you know, we sponsored the. The truck race on. On Friday night, and then it was actually Easter weekend, so Saturday, it was the Xfinity race. We sponsored that as well. So that was a big event. We had, like, our family day for our whole team.

36:32
That’s cool.

36:33
And it was a great turnout, and, you know, they’re bringing it back to the Rock next year. So that would be a great, you know, a great way for us to kind of reminisce and let’s do it one more year, you know, so a.

36:44
Little bit about blacks just to give our audience a scope. Everybody, I think knows you in the industry in some capacity. You’ve been around a long time, you guys have a great reputation, but you’re primarily, I think in the Carolinas and don’t you touch in Virginia? Some.

36:58
So we’re just in north and South Carolina. So it’s retail and commercial locations.

37:04
How Many?

37:04
Up to 61 locations. We also have a retread facility with Goodyear in Clark in North Carolina about 20 minutes outside of our headquarters and also have 10 warehouses on the wholesale side.

37:18
So.

37:19
So it’s well rounded.

37:21
Where do you guys see yourselves? You know, you’re, since you’re third generation, let me ask you this because you went to college, you played baseball in college. Did you always know you wanted to be in the family business or did you want to sample something out?

37:34
Absolutely, I want, we love baseball and we played it so much. But you know, our whole family being involved in it and seeing the passion growing up and you know, with my grandfather and my dad and two uncles, there’s, it’s a no brainer. You know, it’s so close to us. We were, you know, we worked for.

37:52
You know, you never have, you didn’t ever have like some other aspiration to do anything else. You just thought, man, this is what I’m.

37:58
Yeah, we just grew up around it.

38:00
And man, that’s refreshing because not everybody gets to grow up knowing what they’re going to do. You know what I mean? Yeah.

38:06
We have tires in our blood, so.

38:08
I probably like the smell of it too. Yeah, I mean, I’m serious. Yeah, I think it’s funny because I did blacktop ceiling in high school and so you know when you smell row payment like my wife can’t stand that I love it. She goes, how do you love that smell? I said smell money to me.

38:23
Yeah, I get, you know, early memory is just my dad coming home from work and he smelled like tires. So that was.

38:30
Well, I’ve got a can in my backpack. But my dad was always a, a dipper tobacco. I can still open a can to this day. And I think my dad’s passed, but I can I smell my dad. Yeah, it’s like a nostalgic romantic feeling, you know, like dad’s.

38:48
I totally understand that.

38:49
Yeah.

38:50
All right, folks, welcome back to the Gain Traction podcast. We have Christina Walls with Landscape Durable Tires. Welcome, Christina.

38:56
Hi. Thanks for having me on, Mike.

38:58
Yeah, absolutely. I’m excited to hear more about Landscape Durable Tires. But first let’s talk about your history. I want, I want the audience to hear about it.

39:06
Yes. Born and raised in tires. My father had a tire shop and we had a fun talk about sort of how that came to be. But he had a tire shop in Texas, in central Texas. Is actually still there.

39:20
That’s awesome.

39:21
Yeah. The oldest tire store in the Brazos Valley. House of Tires, 1964.

39:26
It’s called House of Tires.

39:27
House of Tires. That’s right. It’s a beautiful story. The shop is still there on the same corner and we’re sort of a cornerstone in the town in a lot of ways.

39:35
How long have you been with landscape?

39:38
So we have been working together for about a year and a half. Landscape Durable Tires has been in conception for a long time. There is some deep bench expertise on this team with decades of expertise, not just in the science and the engineering and the design and the production, but also with consumers needs. And we’ve done a lot of data analytics and data gathering on what the American driver wants. And what they want is not out there. So we’re creating the durable tire category.

40:18
Okay, this is cool. So explain what durable means to you guys.

40:23
Yeah. So for the consumer it means less wear, more miles, less overall total cost, more value and durability on the road that doesn’t sacrifice anything else.

40:38
So I like the definition. So give me warranty length on attire.

40:44
Yeah, absolutely. So we’ve got a standard 50,000 mile warranty, but the warranty isn’t what really speaks to the durability, it’s the technology behind it. So we’ve got a Aegis High durability tech that is really built into all of our products. And we’ve got the best and brightest in the industry that have come and have really developed an entire product that speaks to durability. And that’s everything from the compound to the tread, the heat resistance, the processing. All of the AI technology, all of the AI technology that goes into the continuous monitoring throughout the production process. And that’s something that we can offer that most brands can’t. So many sophisticated production operations are out there. Very few of them have the ability to continuously monitor with AI along the way so that the product that you’re selling is the same product every time.

41:56
That’s awesome.

41:56
Yeah, that really Is so what’s beautiful about this is we have a full scope of products. So everything from performance tires, passenger tires, light trucks, you know, you’ve got your rugged beast tires, we’ve even got commercial tires. And so it’s really our technology that we’re able to build into this enormous product line that will meet the needs of all drivers. We want to develop trust with our people. And so one thing that I’d love to share with you is that we are going to give away 100 sets of tires to drivers who are interested in testing out the durability of landscape durable tires. So I’d love for anyone to get in touch with me at [email protected] There you go, folks.

42:52
And tell me a set of tires.

42:54
Yeah, tell me why you want a set of our tires. And we’re giving 100 out and reach out and tell me why the best top hundred reasons. Get it. I think even more importantly, SEMA is such a bedrock of this industry. Up until now, SEMA has not had a durable tire category. So 2025 SEMA show we now have a durable tire category. I think what our dealers and distributors need to know is that this is the beginning of the tire industry shifting and so this market will only grow. So this is an opportunity to get in the durable tire category with landscape durable tires.

43:34
Obviously you’re out here to network, but you’re familiar with sema. I mean, this isn’t your first go around, right? Right.

43:41
Yeah.

43:41
So what is the biggest reason that you come out here?

43:44
So it’s the networking, but it’s also, it’s not trite that new products and innovation are displayed here. We have, you know, some of our tires in the new product showcase. Our RTs and our ATs are out there and actually some of our tire molds are out there. You should go see them. But it’s really to lead in your market. So we all want the edge.

44:18
I like that name.

44:23
SEMA can provide us not just Mike edge, but really the leading edge in our business, whether that be tires or some other part of the industry. And so it’s really not networking as having the opportunity to learn what might be and then apply an advantage and boost business.

44:47
Oh, that’s well said. Well, there you go, folks. You can contact her directly and I’m glad Shane introduced us and I’m glad that you came on the podcast.

44:56
Absolutely.

44:57
Learn more about new products and I wish you guys a lot of luck. To all our listeners, thank you for being part of the Game Traction podcast. We are grateful for you. If you’d like to find more podcasts like this, please visit gaintractionpodcast.com if you’d like to make your guest recommendation, please email [email protected] this episode has been powered by TREAD partners, the leader in digital marketing for multi location tire and auto repair shops. To learn more about tread partners, visit treadpartners.com.

Contents hide

1 In this episode…

2 Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

3 Resources mentioned in this episode:

4 Meet the Leaders Featured in This Episode:

5 Quotable Moments:

6 Action Steps: