Goodyear gives thanks to Cooper Tire employees with rides on iconic blimp
Goodyear wanted to show its appreciation to team members who have worked hard in the aftermath of April's tornado
TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – It has been four months since a tornado caused serious damage to the Tupelo Cooper Tire Plant and the owners are thanking employees with a special treat.
The iconic Goodyear Blimp is in Tupelo.
When pilot Jay Perdue learned he was bringing the Goodyear Blimp to Tupelo as a way to thank employees at the Cooper Tire Plant, he was glad to be part of the mission.
“We were the fortunate ones able to celebrate our Cooper Tire Legacy customers and fly with them and celebrate their merger with Goodyear,” Perdue said.
The plant suffered widespread damage when a tornado struck on April 1. No one was injured, but the entire plant was down.
Local, state, and federal officials got to work, providing assistance to the plant and its team members.
And work continued around the clock to help get the plant back online. In the meantime, its workers never missed a paycheck.
“In typical Goodyear fashion they built back stronger and things are running at almost full capacity now, so to be part of that and celebrate that with other team members at Team Goodyear, it makes us extremely excited to be here and be part of that,” he said.
Perdue said the passengers are also excited to take a ride on the airship and have many different reactions.
“It ranges from silence to hands up in the air like you’re going on a roller coaster ride, I’ve seen everything in between,” Perdue said.
The Tupelo plant employs 1,700 team members, who produce around 42,000 tires a day. The economic impact on the region is massive so bringing the famous Goodyear Blimp to Tupelo is one way to say a big thank you to resilient employees.
Goodyear bought Cooper Tire in 2021 for $2.8 billion. The Tupelo plant is the second largest production facility in Goodyear’s North America Network.
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