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Who we are

Leading The Way In Tire Industry Recruitment

Tire Talent is a boutique search firm that specializes in tire, auto, truck, OTR, farm and ag, and the rubber industries. With over 30 years of experience in talent acquisition, we are your trusted partner for reliable and skilled professionals you can depend on.

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Why Work With Us?

Industry Focused Icon

Industry Focused

We are a dedicated Talent and Recruiting firm that specializes in Tire, Auto, Truck, OTR, Farm & Ag, and Rubber industries.

Tested and Proven

Tested and Proven

With years of industry experience helping our clients recruit top talent, we’re known for doing one thing well – delivering results.

Community

Community

We’ve built a community of active and passive candidates who are interested and passionate about their careers.

Connecting you with quality

Connecting You With Quality

In our industry, hiring managers face the challenge of quickly forming high-quality teams. With numerous job openings and a full schedule of other duties, finding the best talent remains a daunting task. At Tire Talent, we recognized this need for a specialized service tailored to our industry's unique demands. We bridge the gap between employers and both passive and active qualified candidates. This ensures hiring experiences and facilitates informed hiring decisions for all parties involved.

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> 90%

Client Retention

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5:1

Roles To Recruiters

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1,000+

Successful Searches Completed

Industry Challenges

Our Team Helps You Overcome Tire Industry Challenges

team help

Every Rockstar has a great agent who’s behind the scenes lining up shows and setting the stage for success. We don’t want to be your recruiter – we want to be your agent, and we’ll work tirelessly to set the stage for you to be successful in your career.

We're not here to simply place a candidate and vanish into the ether. Our aim is to cultivate a lasting partnership with you. As specialists in the tire industry, our expertise runs deep, ensuring that we understand your needs inside and out. Just as you entrust your finances to a financial advisor, we invite you to entrust your career journey to Tire Talent.

Testimonials

What Our Client Say

“The process flowed very smoothy and efficiently. The response time, in terms of follow up, was prompt and it was very user friendly. They were focused on candidates that were qualified and had the requisite experience and tools that we were looking for. The pre-qualification work that’s done upfront by Tire Talent is very good and helpful.”

Mike Blackburn

Director of Sales

“It was clear they were connected, they know the key players, they work with the stakeholders, and they have built those relationships over time which became very valuable in our search process. Tire Talent is an organization you can certainly rely on and talk to about the true issues within the bringing on tale.”

Mike Turturice

Director of Human Resources

“Tire Talent was referred to me by Pirelli’s main Human Resource department. Mike knows the tire business which is key to our success. We tried two roles to start with Tire Talent and it was very fast. We wasted no time with candidates. I am very happy the process is very efficient and very fast.”

Aleksandar Gramatikov

CEO, Prometeon

“I had the pleasure of working with Mike and his team for many years, and consistently deliver top-tier, A-player candidates. Their professionalism, insight into the Tire Market has always helped me find the right candidates for the positions I was looking for in the company I was working. I appreciate that Mike runs his business with a strong ethical foundation. In other words, you can count on Mike and his team to always be truthful and deliver on his commitments with excellence. I will continue to use Tire Talent's services and would recommend them to anyone who wants to grow their own team by partnering with Mike and Tire Talent.”

Douglas Kershaw

Head of Operations at Ferentino Tire USA

“Mike and his team have engaged with our organization in order to understand our culture, values and objectives. This has enabled them to specifically target talented individuals that align with all 3 of these – many of whom have become valuable members of our team. We have valued our partnership with Mike and his team for many years now and look forward to many more to come.”

Rachel Revilla

Regional HR Director

“From the very beginning, they showed a great interest in understanding my skills and professional goals. Thanks to their guidance and personalized advice, I was able to improve my profile and highlight my strengths. Their constant follow-up throughout the selection process made me feel valued and supported. I am very grateful for their help and would not hesitate to recommend them.”

John Jairo Duque

Sales Manager

“The opportunity I wound up taking was presented to me within 24 hours. I can’t imagine a better service in any industry like yours. I am forever grateful for that. The professionalism is bar none one of the best— through interview coaching, through the overall process you were extremely clear about what would happen next. It almost seemed like you were coaching both parties which created a great relationship in the end.”

Jeremy Guy

Director of Sales

“The Tire Talent group is a working team environment where they are actively keeping the candidates they’re in contact with in the loop. It’s a true partnership between their organization and the candidate. In the past, LinkedIn is a good location to identify opportunities and networking from your past experiences. The huge uptick with Tire Talent, is that they are not searching for an opportunity— they are searching for the right opportunity. The communication piece was a great thing throughout the process. When Tire Talent would receive information from the employer, they were very proactive on providing that information and feedback. The communication was excellent, everything that was setup was on-time and executed accurately.”

David Miller

MidWest TBR, Farm & AG Regional Sales Manager

“Like all career changes or job hunting efforts, you find yourself part of the sea of many other people looking. One of the things Tire Talent did was took my talents and magnify them. They were able to, byway of the knowledge they had of employers that were looking for certain types of recruits, match my talents with what they were looking for. It was very effective, professional search method. Rachel’s follow up, intuitiveness, and dogged nature seemed as if she was keeping me on the front burner of ‘Things To Do’ and had my best interests at heart the whole time. Again, because of Tire Talents focus and knowledge in the tire industry, they knew what it was I was looking for and that was refreshing and professional in nature the way they do business.”

Mike Zayatz

North East US Territory Account Manager

Our Blogs

Discover Our Latest Blogs

From Job Boards to Talent Pipelines: Where Great Candidates Are Hiding

From Job Boards to Talent Pipelines: Where Great Candidates Are Hiding

June 18, 20257 min read

In the tire and automotive industries, the pressure to hire quickly without sacrificing quality is a constant balancing act. Shops are busy, managers are stretched thin, and every open role represents lost productivity. It’s no wonder many businesses rely heavily on job boards like Indeed or ZipRecruiter to source talent. After all, they’re easy to access and promise a fast track to resumes.

But here’s the hard truth: job boards are no longer enough. While they can deliver quick volume, they rarely produce the kind of long-term, high-quality talent that organizations truly need to grow. The best candidates those with deep industry knowledge, reliability, and leadership potential are often not applying to job ads. They’re already employed. They’re heads-down, working hard, and waiting for the right opportunity to come to them.

This is where the concept of talent pipelines comes in. And it’s where companies like Tire Talent create a strategic advantage for their clients.

In this article, we’ll break down why reactive, job-board-dependent hiring is holding tire businesses back, how proactive talent pipelines uncover the hidden workforce that never shows up on job boards, and what it looks like to shift from a short-term hiring fix to a long-term workforce strategy.


The Limitations of Job Boards in a Changing Talent Market

Job boards once revolutionized hiring. Suddenly, companies could post a position online and receive dozens of applicants within hours. But today, those very advantages have become drawbacks. Over-saturation, lack of targeting, and candidate fatigue have all contributed to diminishing returns.

When a tire distributor posts a job online, they’re often flooded with applicants but few are truly qualified. Some apply to dozens of jobs a day with generic resumes. Others aren’t serious about relocating or changing employers. What’s worse, by the time the hiring team filters through applications, sets up interviews, and makes a decision, the best candidates have already accepted other offers or moved on.

For businesses that need to move quickly, such as those in auto repair, truck servicing, or tire manufacturing, this delay is costly. It leads to missed revenue, extra stress on current employees, and rushed hiring decisions made out of desperation.

Even worse, job boards only capture a sliver of the talent market: those actively looking. That leaves out a large segment of highly valuable candidates, those who are open to new roles but aren’t actively job hunting.


What Talent Pipelines Offer That Job Boards Can’t

Talent pipelines flip the script. Instead of waiting for candidates to come to you, a pipeline is built by proactively identifying, engaging, and nurturing relationships with professionals who are a great fit even if they’re not applying right now.

For example, at Tire Talent, we don’t just look at who’s applying today. We maintain a deep, ever-evolving network of passive and active talent in the tire, rubber, and automotive space. That means when a client calls us with an urgent need, a shop manager in Ohio, a commercial sales lead in Texas we’re not starting from scratch. We already know people who are a match.

That speed and precision come from investing in the pipeline well before a role becomes urgent. Through direct outreach, candidate nurturing, referrals, industry community involvement, and data-backed tracking, a strong talent pipeline delivers better hires, faster.

But it’s not just about speed. The real benefit is fit. Because we take time to understand not just the role but the company culture, leadership style, and team dynamic we’re able to match companies with candidates who will thrive long-term.


Why the Best Candidates Aren’t on Job Boards

One of the biggest myths in recruiting is that great candidates are just waiting for job posts to appear. In reality, the most skilled technicians, sales managers, and operations leaders in the tire industry aren’t refreshing job boards. They’re busy solving problems, managing teams, and hitting goals at their current companies.

But that doesn’t mean they aren’t open to moving. Many are curious about opportunities that offer better growth, a stronger culture, or improved work-life balance. The challenge is they aren’t going to find you. You have to find them.

That’s where relationships matter. At Tire Talent, we’ve spent over 30 years building a community of professionals who trust us to bring them roles that make sense. We speak their language, understand their goals, and only approach them when something truly aligns. That personal connection makes all the difference. It's not transactional, it's consultative.

This is what companies miss when they rely solely on job ads: access to people who aren’t looking, but who would move for the right role. These are often your “A players” the kind who elevate teams, boost morale, and stick around. But they won’t come knocking unless you (or your recruiting partner) already have that bridge built.


From Reactive to Proactive: Changing Your Hiring Mindset

So what does it mean to move from reactive to proactive hiring? Reactive hiring looks like this: A technician quits unexpectedly. Panic sets in. The manager scrambles to post the job, sorts through dozens of unqualified resumes, and eventually hires someone “good enough” to fill the seat. But the cycle repeats when that new hire isn’t the right long-term fit.

Proactive hiring, on the other hand, begins with forecasting. It means thinking ahead what roles might we need to fill in the next 3-6 months? Where are we vulnerable? What skill gaps do we need to close? And then partnering with a recruitment firm to begin identifying and engaging candidates before the role is open.

At Tire Talent, this often involves building what we call a “talent bench” , a short list of warm, pre-screened candidates who are ready to talk when the time is right. So when that technician gives notice or that sales rep gets promoted, you already have 2–3 quality options lined up. No panic, no poor fit, just speed, clarity, and control.

Over time, this proactive approach leads to better outcomes: lower turnover, higher productivity, and greater confidence in the hiring process.


Tire Talent: Your Pipeline Partner in the Automotive Space

The power of a talent pipeline is only as strong as the people behind it. At Tire Talent, we’ve made it our mission to build a recruitment experience that mirrors the precision, expertise, and reliability that the tire and automotive sectors are known for.

We don’t just place candidates, we act as your hiring agent, your strategic advisor, and your partner in growth. Our deep specialization in tire, auto, truck, OTR, and farm/ag means we understand the technical and cultural nuances that make your roles unique.

We’ve built a nationwide network of professionals who trust us with their career goals. We know who’s quietly exploring a move, who’s thriving in their role but open to a conversation, and who’s looking for the kind of company culture that your business offers.

Because of this, our clients consistently experience faster time-to-fill, stronger hires, and long-term relationships that grow with their business. It’s not about resumes it’s about relationships.


The Takeaway: Don’t Wait for Talent to Come to You

The days of “post and pray” hiring are over. In a labor market as competitive and dynamic as the tire and automotive industries, the best candidates won’t just show up they have to be found, engaged, and nurtured.

Job boards still have their place. But if that’s your only strategy, you’re missing out on the vast majority of the talent pool. You’re also putting your business at risk of delayed hires, costly turnover, and mismatched expectations.

By investing in a proactive talent pipeline and partnering with a firm like Tire Talent who lives and breathes your industry you gain access to a hidden network of highly skilled professionals who are ready for their next opportunity, even if they’re not actively looking. It’s time to move from hiring in a panic to hiring with a plan.


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