Continental Tire the Americas, LLC Announces Donation to Local Schools and Community

LANCASTER COUNTY, S.C., May 12 /PRNewswire/ --

• Indian Land, S.C. Elementary, Middle and High Schools receive $35,000 in total
• Lancaster County receives more than 350 Continental and General brand tires for police, fire and municipal vehicles
• Donations total nearly $100,000

Continental Tire the Americas, LLC (CTA) marked the first year in its new headquarters in South Carolina by sharing some good news with the Lancaster County community.  CTA held a special community celebration during which CEO Matthias Schoenberg announced the company is donating $35,000 to Lancaster County schools and more than 350 tires for the County to use in its police, fire and municipal vehicle fleets.

In total, the donations amounted to nearly $100,000.

"Continental Tire the Americas has enjoyed business growth in 2009, despite the poor economy," Schoenberg said.  "We've been given such a warm welcome by Lancaster County and the state of South Carolina since we moved our headquarters here last year that we felt it was time we gave back to the community."

In addition to the donations of tires and financial support to the schools, Schoenberg also announced the launch of a volunteer effort by the company's nearly 400 employees that work in the new building.  As part of the celebration, employees were encouraged to visit with representatives from schools in the Indian Land community to learn about how they can help support the educational efforts through volunteering at the schools.

"Our employees can have a significant impact on the education of our children and we are making this possible by giving employees some time off during the workday so they can be a part of our local schools," Schoenberg said.  "With the cutbacks that the school system is facing as a result of budget reductions, we consider it our responsibility to pitch in and help these great teachers and administrators," Schoenberg said.

"I'd like to encourage other South Carolina-based companies to become involved in their local schools if they are not already doing so. Whether it is through a financial donation or an employee volunteer program, if more companies get involved in the education of our young people we will help build the workforce for the future of this state," Schoenberg added.

Along with CTA Chief Financial Officer Tim Rogers and Vice President of Human Resources, Rick Ledsinger, and on behalf of all Continental Tire employees, Schoenberg presented the $35,000 check to Lancaster County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Gene Moore.

"This generous donation will give our teachers another tool for increasing student success as we will use the donation to purchase high-tech new 'smart boards' for our classrooms," said Dr. Moore.  "We're also looking forward to the efforts of Continental employees in our classrooms at every level.  Community involvement is critical to our efforts as educators."

Also on hand for the celebration were principals from the three neighboring schools:

Kathy Faris – Indian Land High School

David McDonald – Indian Land Middle School

Beth Blum – Indian Land Elementary School

In presenting the Lancaster County officials with their donation, Paul Williams, Continental's executive vice president of the Americas Commercial Vehicle Tire division, 'unveiled' a truckload of brand new Continental and General brand tires for cars, light trucks and heavier commercial vehicles. The donation will allow the County to replace tires on its vehicles at no cost for several months to come.

"Police cars, fire trucks and emergency vehicles put a great many critical miles on their tires and we want to ensure they have the best tires possible for these cars and trucks," Schoenberg said.  

"We are grateful to South Carolina for helping us develop this beautiful new headquarters.  The Lancaster County Economic Development Corporation and the State of South Carolina were instrumental in the decision to move our headquarters.  We appreciate their efforts on our behalf and we look forward to a long and successful future in South Carolina, with many more 'good news' days like today!" Schoenberg said.

Previously known as Continental Tire North America, the company announced in February, 2010 its name change for both Passenger and Light Truck and Commercial Vehicle Tire divisions to Continental Tire the Americas, LLC.

"We felt this name change was appropriate due to our growth in the key South American markets, as well as our improved market position in North America," said Schoenberg.  "It better reflects our current scope and our future focus on our business throughout the Americas region."

CTA's state-of-the-art, $11 million dollar facility is a 75,000 square foot building which sits on 11.5 acres in northern Lancaster County.  The facility currently employs nearly 400 people.  

Continental manufactures and distributes a complete line of Continental and General brand passenger, light truck and commercial tires for original equipment and replacement markets.  Consistently ranked #1 in quality by Tire Rack and other industry testing companies, Continental's brands are available at leading independent tire dealers, car dealers, commercial tire dealers, truck stops and mass retail companies across North and South America.  

With sales of approximately EUR 20 billion in 2009 Continental is among the leading automotive suppliers worldwide. As a supplier of brake systems, systems and components for powertrains and chassis, instrumentation, infotainment solutions, vehicle electronics, tires and technical elastomers, Continental contributes enhanced driving safety and global climate protection. Continental is also a competent partner in networked automobile communication. Continental currently employs approximately 138,000 in 46 countries.

SOURCE Continental Tire the Americas, LLC