Brooks to head new Bridgestone OTR plant project

ERJ staff report (TB)

Nashville, Tennessee -- Bridgestone Americas (BATO) has tapped Steve Brooks for the new position of chief project officer, tasked with heading the construction and start-up of the company's just-announced new off-road radial tyre plant in Aiken County, South Carolina

Brooks previously was vice president, information technology, for Bridgestone Americas (BSAM). The company named Diane E. Drum to succeed Brooks. She had been vice president and chief information officer at Gerdau Ameristeel in Florida and, prior to that, held the position of chief data management and business insight officer at DuPont.

Brooks began his career in 1989 with Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. at Warren County, Tennessee, as an area manager in stock cutting and worked his way up to division manager of operations and information services by 1994. According to Bridgestone, he was part of the start-up team as general manager for the company's Aiken County, South Carolina, passenger and light truck tyre facility in 1997, becoming plant manager there in 2000.

Two years later he was named vice president of quality assurance for Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire L.L.C. at its Nashville headquarters. He then accepted the position of vice president of manufacturing operations in 2003 before being named president of U.S., Canada and Monterrey Manufacturing Operations in 2007. Brooks earned his Master of Business Administration degree from Vanderbilt University.

From Tire Business (A Crain publication)