Hall of Fame: 2007
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Norman Affleck was a founding dealer member of Big O Tires, Inc. and was the first president of the company, a position that he held for 25 years. Under his management, he recruited many dealers, helped Big O Tires become a leader in retreading, developed a unique warranty, and instituted the private brand concept. Because dealers wanted their stores to stand out from the competition and give consumers a concrete reason to shop at Big O Tires, Mr. Affleck provided the leadership that enabled the company to introduce the first Big O Tires brand in 1974. That breakthrough presented Big O Tires with the key it needed to invite and secure customers and began a new era in the company’s history. Affleck’s vision for the future, and his implementation of Big O’s exclusive products and programs, were vital to the growth and success of the company.

In 1976 Craig Anderson joined Hercules Tire & Rubber Co. as Vice President of Marketing. He became the company’s Chief Operations Officer at Hercules’ corporate offices in Findlay, Ohio, in 1981 where he spent the remainder of his career.

Under Craig’s leadership, Hercules began sourcing tires from Asia in 1979, launched the company’s TDW distribution program in 1987, and acquired Cedco Engineering in Springfield, Missouri in 1988 to make Hercules a full-line supplier to the retreading industry with equipment and rubber. The company continued to grow over the years including the addition of a state-of-the-art training facility, the acquisition of a retread plant from Mohawk Rubber in 1995 and the Electra Group of Canada in 1998 now known as Hercules Tire Company of Canada, Inc. and Hercules Tire International. With Anderson’s direction, sales grew from $56 million in 1976 to $380 million in 2005, employees increased from 80 to 334, and locations grew from 1 to 12 before his retirement in 2005.