Jeff Barna, who was recently named president of Yokohama Tire Corporation, announced five promotions today.
Bruce Besancon: Was named vice president of OTR sales. Besancon joined the YTC as senior director of OTR sales in 2017. Before that, he was vice president of marketing at Alliance Tire Americas and has nearly 30 years of OTR tire experience and has expertise in several areas, including product development and marketing. Besancon, who will report to Barna, has a BS degree in mechanical engineering.
Dan Funkhouser: Has been promoted to vice president of commercial sales and will report to Barna. Funkhouser, who has been with YTC since 1994, has held several positions, including senior director of commercial sales. Funkhouser holds a BA degree in communications from Central Michigan University.
Larry Kull: Has accepted the role of vice president of consumer sales and will report to Barna. Kull joined YTC in 2003 as an account manager and has been promoted several times. He graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in marketing.
Andrew Zeisser: Joined YTC in 2013 and is now the new vice president of OEM sales. Zeisser, who will report to Barna, has more than 37 years of experience in the OE arena and is responsible for the company’s OE business in North America. Zeisser holds a BS degree in chemistry from Cleveland State University, as well as an MBA in management from Case Western Reserve University.
Fardad Niknam: Has been promoted to senior director of consumer product planning and product marketing. After roles in corporate planning and segment development, Niknam will leverage his engineering background and market experience to support the company’s product and marketing initiatives in the U.S. In his new role, Niknam will continue to report to Andrew Briggs, vice president of marketing and product management. Niknam graduated from Shiraz University with an MS degree in mechanical engineering.
“At Yokohama, our number one strength is our people,” Barna said. “Bruce, Dan, Larry, Andrew and Fardad have definitely made important contributions across our business. As we continue to build upon our success, we felt this was the right time to broaden their management responsibilities through stronger leadership roles, while providing them the opportunity to contribute further to our growth.”
Yokohama Tire Corporation is the North American manufacturing and marketing arm of Tokyo, Japan-based Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd., a global manufacturing and sales company of tires since 1917. Servicing an extensive sales network throughout the U.S., Yokohama Tire Corporation is a leader in technology and innovation. The company’s complete product line includes tires for high-performance, light truck, passenger car, commercial truck and bus, and off-the-road mining and construction applications. For more information on Yokohama’s broad product line, visit www.yokohamatire.com.
