Charles J. Pilliod Jr. (October 20, 1918 – April 18, 2016) was an American business executive and diplomat. He was ambassador to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

from 1986 to 1989.

Biography

Pilliod served in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

from 1942 to 1945 as a pilot in the 20th Air Force. He flew the Boeing B-29 Superfortress over China and Japan. Pilliod was the CEO of the

Goodyear tire company The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company is an American multinational tire manufacturing company founded in 1898 by Frank Seiberling and based in Akron, Ohio. Goodyear manufactures tires for automobiles, commercial trucks, light trucks, motorcycles, S ...

from 1974 to 1983. Pillion began his career at Goodyear in 1941 as a

trainee A trainee is commonly known as an individual taking part in a trainee program within an organization after having graduated from higher and technical courses. A trainee is an official employee of the firm that is being trained to the job they wer ...

, where he worked double shifts and enrolled in management training courses. His first promotion came within a year, when he was chosen to supervise production of fuel tanks for military aircraft. He eventually moved to export sales, living in

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

, Colombia,

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, and

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. When Pilliod became CEO in 1974, he faced a major investment decision regarding the

radial tire A radial tire (more properly, a radial-ply tire) is a particular design of vehicular tire. In this design, the cord plies are arranged at 90 degrees to the direction of travel, or radially (from the center of the tire). Radial tire construction ...

, which today has a market share of near 100%. As a result of his actions, today only Goodyear, of the five biggest U.S. tire firms, remains independent. At the time, the U.S. tire industry built tires based on bias ply technology, dating to 1888. In 1946, Michelin developed the

method of construction, which quickly spread in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, Michelin's home country. Because of its superiority in treadlife, handling, safety from blowouts, and fuel economy, use of this technology quickly spread throughout Europe and Asia. In the U.S., the bias-ply tire construction persisted, caused by tire and automobile manufacturers in America "concerned about transition costs." In 1968, Consumer Reports, an influential American magazine, acknowledged the superiority of radial construction, and in 1971 the

Lincoln Continental Mark III The Continental Mark III is a personal luxury car marketed by Lincoln from 1969–1971 model years. The namesake successor of the 1956–1957 Continental Mark II, the Mark III again served as the flagship vehicle of Ford Motor Company. Offered ...

became the first American made car with standard

OEM An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is generally perceived as a company that produces non-aftermarket parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer. It is a common industry term recognized and used by many professional or ...

radial tires. Radial tires required different methods of construction, and the U.S. manufacturers were not set up to produce this product. Industry estimates of this investment were substantial, and Goodyear eventually invested close to $3 Billion in this new technology.Ajami, Riad; Cool, Karel; Goddard, Jason. "International Business Theory and Practice 2nd Edition". Page 408. Case Study #1. 15 November 2006. For comparison, Michelin bought competitor Uniroyal-Goodrich in 1989 for just $1.5 Billion. The workforce also needed to be retrained, since radials required greater "accuracy and consistency" in construction.Tedlow, Richard. "Denial: Why Business Leaders Fail to Look Facts in the Face---and What to Do About It". Chapter 3. Portfolio Hardcover. 4 March 2010. Despite heavy criticism at the time, Pilliod invested heavily in new factories and tooling to build the radial tire. Sam Gibara, who headed Goodyear from 1996 to 2003, has noted that without the bold action of Pilliod, Goodyear "wouldn't be around today." When Pilliod was appointed Ambassador in 1986, the U.S. and

were experiencing tensions over the

illegal drug trade The illegal drug trade or drug trafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs throug ...

. He favored behind the scenes discussions with Mexican authorities about the issue. He wished to improve relations, "and you won't do that by bashing" he said in 1987.

Awards and honors

*1972: Honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire *Two awards of merit from Luxembourg and two from Brazil *Honor of the Officer in the Order of Leopold II in Belgium *Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle *Automotive Hall of Fame *National Tire Dealers & Retreaders Association Hall of Fame *1982: Horatio Alger Award Winner *1982: Golden Plate Award of the

American Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a non-profit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest achieving individuals in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet ...

References

External links

Entry
in the

Council of American Ambassadors The Council of American Ambassadors (CAA) is an association of non-career United States ambassadors. A nonprofit and nonpartisan organization, the CAA comprises over 200 members whose ambassadorial service collectively extends over five decades ...

membership database
Entry
in the

Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans is a nonprofit organization based in Alexandria, Virginia, that was founded in 1947 to honor the achievements of outstanding Americans who have succeeded in spite of adversity and to emphas ...

database * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pilliod, Charles J. Jr. 1918 births 2016 deaths People from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio American diplomats Muskingum University alumni Kent State University alumni 20th-century American businesspeople American chairpersons of corporations American chief executives of Fortune 500 companies Tire industry people Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company people United States Army Air Forces bomber pilots of World War II Military personnel from Ohio