Rich Kramer is Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of The Goodyear Tire Rubber Company. He became CEO in 2010 and was elected Chairman by Goodyear’s Board of Directors later the same year.
Kramer’s appointment as CEO culminated a steady rise through the company in a series of key leadership roles over the course of a decade. After joining Goodyear in 2000 as vice president of corporate finance, he served as vice president of finance for the company’s North America business from 2002 to 2003.
As executive vice president and chief financial officer from 2004 to 2007, Kramer led the successful effort to restructure Goodyear’s debt and improve the company’s capital structure.
He was named president of Goodyear North America in 2007 and guided the company’s largest business through the global recession and positioned it for sustained profitability in the years that followed. In 2009, Kramer assumed additional responsibility as Chief Operating Officer prior to his appointment as CEO the following year.
Before joining Goodyear, he was a partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he spent 13 years including a three-year assignment based in Paris, France.
Born in Cleveland, Kramer attended John Carroll University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration in 1986. He remains active as a JCU alumni and has served on the school’s Board of Trustees since 2007. Kramer also is engaged in community leadership roles with the Akron Regional Chamber of Commerce and Akron Tomorrow. He currently is on the board of directors for The Sherwin-Williams Company and is a member of The Business Council.
The Goodyear Tire Rubber Company is a global manufacturing company founded in 1898 by Frank Seiberling and based in Akron, Ohio. Goodyear manufactures tires for automobiles, commercial trucks, light trucks, SUVs, race cars, airplanes, farm equipment and heavy earth-mover machinery.
The company was named after American Charles Goodyear, inventor of vulcanized rubber. The first Goodyear tires became popular because they were easily detachable and required little maintenance.[citation needed]
Goodyear is also known for the Goodyear Blimp. The first Goodyear blimp flew in 1925. Today it is one of the most recognizable advertising icons in America.[2] The company is the most successful tire supplier in Formula One history, with more starts, wins, and constructors' championships than any other tire supplier.[3] They pulled out of the sport after the 1998 season. It is the sole tire supplier for NASCAR series.
Goodyear is a former component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.[4] The company opened a new global headquarters building in Akron in 2013.
