MORRISON, Tenn. — MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee extended congratulations Thursday, May 14, to senior managers and employees of Bridgestone’s Warren County plant on the eve of the tire-making facility’s 25th anniversary.

McPhee, who visited the Morrison plant to present a workshop on leadership, extolled the impact of the plant on the economy of Warren County and the Middle Tennessee area, as well as MTSU’s continuing partnership with Bridgestone.

MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee delivers a workshop on leadership Thursday, May 14, to senior managers and employees of Bridgestone’s Warren County plant in Morrison, Tenn. (MTSU photos by Andrew Oppmann)

“This plant and its employees have made a tremendous impact throughout our region,” McPhee said. “I wish to offer my congratulations to all of you for reaching this quarter-century milestone and all of your many achievements in these years.”

The Warren County facility, which began operations in 1990, manufactures 9,000 Bridgestone and Firestone truck and bus tires per day and employs 990 people. In 2008, it was the first tire plant in the world to earn certification from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, which was renewed last year.

Although the plant’s actual anniversary is Friday, May 15, Bridgestone will mark the occasion formally with a ceremony next week in Morrison.

MTSU and Bridgestone, along with automaker Nissan, are partners in the university’s new and fast-growing Mechatronics Engineering degree program, which combines mechanical, computer and electrical engineering along with systems integration and technical project management.

John Stewart, Warren plant manager, and Brian Sears, human resources division manager, took McPhee on a tour of the facility after the workshop.

“What a wonderful presentation,” Sears told the crowd. “Dr. McPhee really gets us.”

— Andrew Oppmann (andrew.oppmann@mtsu.edu)

MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee congratulates managers and employees of the Bridgestone Warren County tire-manufacturing plant in Morrison, Tenn.

Brian Sears, left, human resources division manager at Bridgestone’s Warren County plant, gives MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee some Bridgestone-branded items after his speech Thursday, May 14.