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Mr. Rich joined Goodyear in September 2000 and was elected President, Chemical Division on August 7, 2001, serving as the executive officer responsible for Goodyear’s chemical products operations worldwide. Effective December 1, 2002, Mr. Rich was appointed, and on December 3, 2002 he was elected President, North American Tire and is the executive officer responsible for Goodyear’s tire operations in the United States and Canada. Prior to joining Goodyear, Mr. Rich was technical director of GE Bayer Silicones in Leverkusen, Germany. He also served in various managerial posts with GE Corporate R&D and GE Silicones, units of the General Electric Company from 1986 to 1998.
Goodyear Chemical is the second largest producer of synthetic rubber in the world and one of the top 50 largest chemical companies in the United States. As head of Goodyear's chemical business, Rich has led its turnaround, restructuring operations and expanding the business into new high-growth markets. He also completed the sale of the division's non-strategic specialty chemical business. During his tenure, the business has posted increases in earnings, cash flow and operating margins and sales from ongoing and new businesses have shown significant growth.
In addition, Rich has been the lead executive for Goodyear's introduction to Six Sigma, implementing it initially in the Chemical division where the program achieved first-year savings to the company of more than $40 million.
Before joining Goodyear, Rich served in various senior management positions at General Electric Co., where he worked for 18 years. He joined General Electric in Schenectady, N.Y., in 1982 and held several management positions before being named manager of operational excellence at GE Silicones in 1996. At GE Silicones he led the development of new, low-cost manufacturing technologies and improvements in ongoing plant processes and product quality through the use of Six Sigma. Rich also was part of the executive due diligence team that evaluated and successfully concluded GE's merger with Bayer Silicones.
Rich received a chemistry degree from Iowa State University in 1977 and a PhD in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin in 1982. A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Rich was born July 16, 1955. He and his wife Susan have two daughters. | 