For many in this industry, the automotive aftermarket is in their blood. They grew up in the business, whether it was wrenching in the summers in high school or hanging out with their parents at their place of work. This was the case for Travis Roffler, who has been the director of marketing of Continental Tire the Americas for almost 18 years and is a tire guy through and through.
Growing up, Travis remembers wrenching with his dad in their garage and being fascinated with cars and racing at a young age. Little did he know that after graduating with a marketing degree from Florida State in 1992, his first job would be with Michelin North America as a customer service representative. He worked his way up at Michelin to become the company’s marketing manager. Soon after, he was recruited by Toyo Tire USA to be its director of marketing. Travis credits his following his passion for automotive and the people in the industry for his “blessed” career.
During the holidays in 2021, Travis received a call from a recruiter saying there was an open marketing position for a tire company in the Southeast. Around the same time, he had taken his then 5-year-old son to see his father in Charleston, South Carolina, hundreds of miles from where he and his family lived. Upon returning from that trip, he realized he missed his father, a huge influence on his life, and didn’t want his kids growing up without knowing him. When he called the recruiter and he told Travis the job was at Continental Tire in Fort Mill, just three hours from Charleston, he knew fate was at work.
Since then, Travis has worked as the director of marketing for Continental Tire and manages a team that is responsible for marketing for both the Continental and General Tire brands, including brand development, programs and promotions, product planning, communications and more.
In this episode of AMN Drivetime, hear Travis discuss:
- How Travis’ got his start in the ‘s passion for automotive led him to a career in automotive (0:29)
- Key mentors that helped Travis learn the tire business (4:40)
- Changing moments in Travis’ career, including one that would affect his family (9:00)
- The meaning Continental’s new taglines for its Conti and General brands and the process and research Travis and his team did to change them and make them meaningful (14:27)
- What Travis sees as a few key trends in the tire industry today, from manufacturing to retail (20:54)
- Travis’ proudest career moment (26:50)
AMN Drivetime is sponsored by AISIN. Find more episodes here.
