🏭 Business Visit Highlight: Continental Tire Mt. Vernon 🛞
Today, Jefferson County CEO students had the opportunity to go behind the scenes at Continental Tire in Mount Vernon for an incredible business visit and facility tour. 👏
Plant Manager Nik Pearce shared insight into the scale, strategy, and culture behind one of the most recognizable tire manufacturers in the world 🌎. Continental operates seven locations across the United States and holds a significant share of the Americas market, producing 34 percent of passenger tires 🚗, 65 percent of truck tires 🚛, and 25 percent of tread production.
The Mount Vernon facility itself is massive—spanning 110 acres and 4.8 million square feet—and employing more than 4,000 people 👷♂️👷♀️. Each day, approximately 4.5 million pounds of rubber are mixed on site, contributing to an annual production of nearly 9 million passenger tires and 3 million truck tires. Originally opened as General Tire in 1974, the plant has been part of Continental since 1988, marking 38 years of continued growth and evolution.
Beyond production numbers, students learned that Continental’s success is rooted in its culture 💡. A strong emphasis is placed on safety first 🦺 and quality first ✅, supported by an efficiency mindset, value-adding technology, and a clear focus on portfolio availability. The guiding principle of “One Team, One Vision” 🤝 was evident throughout the operation.
Nik also emphasized leadership lessons that extend far beyond manufacturing: take care of your people, give back to your community, and know your market. Continental actively supports the community through toy drives 🎁, tire donations to rural fire departments 🚒, Robo Rams 🤖, and other local events. One message that resonated strongly with students was the importance of focus—knowing where you can compete and win—and not being afraid to fail fast and learn 🚀.
Touring the facility allowed students to see these principles in action and gain a deeper appreciation for what it takes to run a world-class operation. We are grateful to the Continental Tire team for hosting us and for investing in the next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs.
Shoutout to Continental employee and CEO Board Member Bethany Benjamin for orchestrating the logistics of our visit and to Zachary Yeager for the fantastic and informative plant tour!
