AKRON, Ohio — Aug. 22, 2013 — Goodwill Industries is pleased to announce Hideo “Hank” Hara, chief technology officer, Bridgestone Americas in Akron, will present the keynote address at its Employee of Distinction Awards luncheon on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2013. The topic is a Premier Place to Work – Outstanding Corporate Citizen. Tickets for the event are $30 each and can be purchased by contacting Tracy Keenan at 330-786-2573 or tkeenan@goodwillakron.org.
Hara joined Bridgestone Corporation in 1977 as a junior engineer in Tokyo. He has held many engineering and management positions in Japan as well as here in the United States with increasing responsibility throughout the years including: engineer, OE tire development (Japan); engineer, replacement and European OE tire development (Japan); manager, replacement and European tire development (US); manager, export and overseas tire development (Japan); and global product planning (Japan). In 2001, he came back to Akron as the divisional vice president of technology planning and has held many executive level roles, including in 2003 when he was named executive vice president, tire development and technology and was elected to the company’s board of directors. In 2006, he returned to Japan as the vice president and officer of the OE tire sales division. Hara returned to the United States in 2010 to take his current role of chief technology officer, Bridgestone Americas in Akron.
He received a master’s degree in solid state physics from Hiroshima University in Hiroshima, Japan.
Event Details
The Employee of Distinction luncheon is Goodwill Industries of Akron’s signature employee recognition event. Stellar employees from Summit, Portage, and Medina County employers will be recognized for their efforts. Five individuals, selected by a panel of independent judges, will be announced at the event and honored with an Employee of Distinction Award and given a special gift from Shulan’s of Fairlawn. Each honoree is acknowledged at the event, listed in the commemorative program and receives two free tickets to a performance at Akron’s historic Civic Theater.
The event will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 11:30 a.m. at Guy’s Party Centre, 500 E. Waterloo Road, Akron. Any net proceeds from the event fund gift cards for individuals in crisis and in need of clothing and household goods.
About Goodwill Industries of Akron
Goodwill Industries of Akron is a not-for-profit corporation that helps individuals prepare for, find, and retain employment. Operating in the five-county region of Summit, Portage, Medina, Ashland, and Richland, the Akron-based agency was established in 1927. It is a private, independent organization, operating as an affiliate member of Goodwill Industries International, and a United Way agency in Summit County. Goodwill helps to directly strengthen the region’s workforce through its employment programs and indirectly through the net proceeds from its retail outlets and industrial services division. For more information about GIA, visit www.goodwillakron.org or call 800-989-8428.
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Contact: Jennifer Bako
(330) 786-2519
jbako@goodwillakron.org