Eric Dedoyard named president of Yokohama Tire (Canada) Inc.

LANGLEY, B.C. (August 20, 2010) – Eric Dedoyard, an experienced and respected sales executive, will spearhead a focused and energized emphasis on sales growth as president of Yokohama Tire (Canada) Inc., the company has announced.

Dedoyard, 45, replaced Alec Pigulevsky, who retired earlier this year. The appointment was effective July 1, 2010.

Dedoyard is a veteran of 17 years with Yokohama Tire (Canada) Inc., and was most recently vice president and chief operating officer. He previously held the position of director of sales with the company.

As new president, Dedoyard takes over responsibility for the Canadian operations of Yokohama Tire (Canada) Inc. as the global parent company, Yokohama Rubber Company, launches Grand Design 100, a global sales initiative designed to drive sales growth through this decade.

“Yokohama Rubber Company has appointed the person they feel best able to inspire the confidence required aiming for this target, and the vision required to reach it,” said Toshikazu Sano, chairman of Yokohama Tire (Canada) Inc.

Dedoyard joined Yokohama as a territory manager and has held increasingly senior positions with the company since. He will divide his time between the Yokohama Canada offices in Montreal, Toronto and the corporate headquarters in Langley.

Yokohama Tire (Canada) Inc. markets and distributes a full line of tires for high performance, passenger car, light truck, and commercial truck applications, as well as off-the-road tires for mining, forestry and construction applications. It maintains distribution centers across Canada to serve more than 700 independent tire dealers and more than 2,000 retail locations.