Charles J. Pilliod Jr. (October 20, 1918 – April 18, 2016) was an American business executive and diplomat. He was ambassador to

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

from 1986 to 1989.

Biography

Pilliod served in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

from 1942 to 1945 as a pilot in the

20th Air Force The Twentieth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) (20th AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming. 20 AF's primary mission is Interco ...

. He flew the

Boeing B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is a retired American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the Bo ...

over

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

and

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. Pilliod was the

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of the Goodyear tire company from 1974 to 1983. Pillion began his career at Goodyear in 1941 as a

trainee A trainee is commonly known as an individual taking part in a trainee program within an organization after having graduated from technical and higher courses. A trainee is an official employee of the firm that is being trained to the job they we ...

, where he worked double shifts and enrolled in management training courses. His first promotion came within a year, when he was chosen to supervise production of fuel tanks for military aircraft. He eventually moved to export sales, living in

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, and

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. When Pilliod became

in 1974, he faced a major investment decision regarding the

radial tire A radial tire (more properly, a radial-ply tire) is a particular design of vehicular tire. In this design, the cord plies are arranged at 90 degrees to the direction of travel, or radially (from the center of the tire). Radial tire constructio ...

, which today has a market share of near 100%. As a result of his actions, today only Goodyear, of the five biggest U.S. tire firms, remains independent. At the time, the U.S. tire industry built tires based on bias ply technology, dating to 1888. In 1946,

Michelin Michelin ( , ), in full ("General Company of the Michelin Enterprises P.L.S."), is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes '' région'' of France. It is the second largest t ...

developed the

method of construction, which quickly spread in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, Michelin's home country. Because of its superiority in tread life, handling, safety from blowouts, and fuel economy, use of this technology quickly spread throughout Europe and Asia. In the U.S., the bias-ply tire construction persisted, caused by tire and automobile manufacturers in America "concerned about transition costs." In 1968,

Consumer Reports Consumer Reports (CR), formerly Consumers Union (CU), is an American nonprofit consumer organization dedicated to independent product testing, investigative journalism, consumer-oriented research, public education, and consumer advocacy. Founded ...

, an influential American magazine, acknowledged the superiority of radial construction, and in 1971 the

Lincoln Continental Mark III The Continental Mark III is a personal luxury car marketed by Lincoln from the 1969–1971 model years. The namesake successor of the 1956–1957 Continental Mark II, the Mark III likewise served as the flagship vehicle of Ford Motor Company. ...

became the first American made car with standard OEM radial tires. Radial tires required different methods of construction, and the U.S. manufacturers were not set up to produce this product. Industry estimates of this investment were substantial, and Goodyear eventually invested close to $3 Billion in this new technology.Ajami, Riad; Cool, Karel; Goddard, Jason. "International Business Theory and Practice 2nd Edition". Page 408. Case Study #1. 15 November 2006. For comparison,

bought competitor Uniroyal-Goodrich in 1989 for just $1.5 Billion. The workforce also needed to be retrained, since radials required greater "accuracy and consistency" in construction.Tedlow, Richard. "Denial: Why Business Leaders Fail to Look Facts in the Face---and What to Do About It". Chapter 3. Portfolio Hardcover. 4 March 2010. Despite heavy criticism at the time, Pilliod invested heavily in new factories and tooling to build the radial tire. Sam Gibara, who headed Goodyear from 1996 to 2003, has noted that without the bold action of Pilliod, Goodyear "wouldn't be around today." When Pilliod was appointed Ambassador in 1986, the U.S. and

were experiencing tensions over the

illegal drug trade The illegal drug trade, drug trafficking, or narcotrafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of drug prohibition, prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibitionism, prohibit trade, exce ...

. He favored behind the scenes discussions with Mexican authorities about the issue. He wished to improve relations, "and you won't do that by bashing" he said in 1987.

Awards and honors

*1972: Honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire *Two awards of merit from Luxembourg and two from Brazil *Honor of the Officer in the Order of Leopold II in Belgium *Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle *Automotive Hall of Fame *National Tire Dealers & Retreaders Association Hall of Fame *1982: Horatio Alger Award Winner *1982: Golden Plate Award of the

American Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a nonprofit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest-achieving people in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet one ano ...

References

External links

Entry
in the

Council of American Ambassadors The Council of American Ambassadors (CAA) is an association of non-career United States ambassadors. A nonprofit and nonpartisan organization, the CAA comprises over 200 members whose ambassadorial service collectively extends over five decades ...

membership database
Entry
in the

Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans is a nonprofit organization based in Alexandria, Virginia, that was founded in 1947 to promote and ensure the American Dream for future generations, honor the achievements of outstanding Am ...

database {{DEFAULTSORT:Pilliod, Charles J. Jr. 1918 births 2016 deaths People from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio Ambassadors of the United States Muskingum University alumni Kent State University alumni 20th-century American businesspeople American chairpersons of corporations American chief executives of Fortune 500 companies Tire industry people Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company people United States Army Air Forces bomber pilots of World War II Military personnel from Ohio Ambassadors to Mexico