Former Director of Sales for Continental Tire Adds Conti Brand to Tire Retailer Carolina Tire

PR Log (Press Release) – Nov 14, 2008 – Carolina Tire & Service Center ( http://www.carolina-tire.com ), a long time Charlotte, North Carolina tire retailer and automotive repair & performance center, has added Continental tire and General tire to enhance its brand strategy for retail tire sales. Carolina Tire is headed up by Jim Seidel, the former Director of Sales for Continental Tire North America.  

“We are growing our tire sales business very rapidly and our customers are increasingly requesting tires that they had on their new vehicles as original equipment.  As the former director of sales at Continental I know first-hand the strength that the Continental brand enjoys at the O.E. level”, said Jim Seidel, CEO and president of XL Tire, Inc., the parent corporation to Carolina Tire & Service Center.

Carolina Tire began phasing in the Continental brand just recently after XL Tire purchased the assets in October. The company is now rapidly adding the Continental and General marketing lines.

Mr. Seidel’s record and experience with Continental tire is well documented. As a turn-around expert in sales, management and corporate restructuring, he was instrumental in helping turn their passenger & light truck division around from a financial deficit to today’s record profits. “I traveled the world with Conti visiting customers, end users, auto manufacturers as well as initiating the first winter tire sales program directly from Finland in the Arctic Circle. What I learned about Continental tire is that people believe in the brand all over the world. Adding Continental tires into Carolina Tire is a very special moment for my company and especially our Carolina Tire customers”, stated Mr. Seidel.  Carolina Tire has also signed up as a Continental Gold dealer. A program that closely aligns the local tire retailer with Continental Tire. This is a tremendous program that Mr. Seidel revitalized back in 2005 to inject an even greater sales support from the Continental sales organization.  

The company is also in the process of rebranding Carolina Tire starting with outdoor signage provided by Continental Tire. Aligning the Carolina Tire, local to Charlotte along with the marketing power of Continental Tire North America, who is also local to Charlotte is a win win for both companies.