Less than two years after joining Kumho Tire U.S.A. Inc. as national sales vice president, John Hagan has joined Linglong Americas Inc. as chief operating officer. He will be based out of Medina, Ohio.
Hagan is a tire industry veteran, with more than 20 years in the business. Prior to joining Kumho, he was senior director of sales operations at Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. (see "Kumho hires Toyo's Hagan to replace Allaire").
"It is true that Linglong Tire has offered John Hagan an offer he could not refuse as chief operating officer," says Harry Choi, Kumho's CEO and president. "In preparation for John's departure, we have already taken steps to fill his position, and our division vice president staff are trained leaders who will guide the sales force in the interim, ensuring that our customers are not affected by this transition period.
"There are no hard feelings on our end, and wish John the best of luck in his position."
Linglong Americas is a subsidiary of Shandong Linglong Tire Co. Ltd., a Chinese tire manufacturer with two Chinese plants and one state-of-art factory in Thailand (for more information on the Thailand facility, visit "Shandong Linglong Tire update").
The company also has research and development centers in Beijing and Zhaoyuan, China, and Akron, Ohio.
