Tire International Appoints Asphalt Rubber Technology Expert Dr. Serji N. Amirkhanian to Board of Directors

MONCKS CORNER, S.C., Aug. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Tire International (OTCQB: TRIE) (Pinksheets: TRIE), a tire recycler and maker of rubber products, announced today that Dr. Serji N. Amirkhanian has been appointed to the company's board of directors.

Dr. Amirkhanian is a recognized international authority on the use of recycled and by-products in construction materials and has been conducting research in this area for many years. In 2000, he established the Asphalt Rubber Technology Service (ARTS).  This program was the only service of its kind in the world. Dr. Amirkhanian has presented his research findings to many state agencies both in the United States and in many other countries including China, Canada, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Brazil, Poland, South Korea, Japan and Singapore. In recognition of his expertise, he has been elected to both the technical advisory board of the European Waste Tire Association (the only person from USA for rubberized asphalt) and the technical advisory board of the Rubber Pavements Association (RPA) in the U.S. He is a member of many national and international engineering associations (e.g., American Society of Civil Engineers, Transportation Research Board, Asphalt Association of Pavement Technologies, etc.) and has been involved with two U.S. patents.

Dr. Amirkhanian was the Mays Professor of Transportation and the Director of the Asphalt Rubber Technology Services (ARTS) in the Department of Civil Engineering at Clemson University until June of 2010. He was responsible for teaching courses in construction materials (e.g., asphalt, concrete, etc.), construction management and construction productivity. He is currently Director of Research and Development for Phoenix Industries of Las Vegas. In addition, he is the partner and Director of Research and Development for AET Robotics and Inspection Services of Clemson, SC. He has also been selected as a guest professor at Wuhan University of Technology at Wuhan, China (a city of over 9 million people).

Tire International CFO and Director Marty Sergi said, "Dr. Amirkhanian is an internationally recognized authority on the use of rubberized asphalt in construction of highways and infrastructure. His expertise in the practical and economical use of crumb rubber products derived from recycled tires is a tremendous asset to our team here at Tire International. As a published academic and researcher, and a consultant to private companies and transportation and highway administrations, his expertise in our industry is unrivaled. We are extremely fortunate to have him join our board."

Dr. Amirkhanian started his teaching career in 1987 at Clemson University. His research area of interest is in construction materials, recycling issues and polymers.  He has conducted many years of research in hot mix asphalt area for many private companies, the South Carolina Department of Transportation and the federal government. The total dollar amount of his research contracts exceeds $14 million. His research has resulted in over 100 refereed journal papers and over 100 conference papers and research reports that are well-cited around the world.  He has also published two book chapters.  

Dr. Amirkhanian has conducted over 200 presentations around the country and the world presenting his research findings. He has supported over 70 graduate and 80 undergraduate students conducting research for the South Carolina Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and private companies including BMW, Owens Corning, Michelin, Milliken and Honeywell over the past 23 years. Many of his students are in many important positions either in academia or in the industry around the world. He has been nominated and selected to many honors from various agencies (e.g., student organizations, departmental honors, university, state, etc.).

Currently, Dr. Amirkhanian is conducting consulting work for various major national and international companies including work for the World Bank. He lives in Clemson, South Carolina, with his wife of 28 years (Kathy). They have four children, ages ranging from 17 to 23 years old.

About Tire International Environmental Solutions

Tire International is a publicly traded developmental stage company committed to clean green recycling technology and value added manufacturing. Through innovative process manufacturing, negative cost recycled raw materials and waste-to-value manufacturing into finely crafted products, Tire International plans to become a leader in third generation recycling, the newest American movement in fully integrated clean green recycled products.  The company is committed to creating new jobs and finding new and improved ways to reduce extensive waste tire stockpiles. The company expects to become a leading North American manufacturer of finished products available for export and domestic consumption. Visit the company's website at http://www.tireinternational.net.

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Forward-Looking Statements

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SOURCE Tire International