Heir to company visits Ohio centers

Making California wines keeps the Firestones deeply rooted in agriculture.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
COLUMBIANA -- Andrew Firestone was eager to test the Bridgestone tires on an ATV at the Firestone Test Center. Zipping across the field to the edge of Pine Lake and back was a refreshing and private wind-in-his-hair moment for the 29-year-old great-grandson of tire baron Harvey S. Firestone.
Andrew spent much of a visit to Ohio on Thursday at the test center, where he met with farmers and dealers and toured the facility.
The test center is on 350 acres near the property that was the Firestone family homestead. The test center is the only facility in the world dedicated to the development and testing of agricultural tires.
Firestone was visiting Columbiana and Akron to reconnect with his family heritage and as a goodwill ambassador for Bridgestone Firestone, the successor to his great-grandfather's company.
Family tradition
Andrew was thrust into the national television spotlight last year as ABC's third bachelor for its "The Bachelor" reality television show. Citing differences in their future goals, Andrew and "The Bachelor" winner Jen Scheff of Chicago broke off their engagement in December and announced the break up with an exclusive report to the syndicated television show "Extra."
Andrew is a newsmaker in his own right, however, involved in his family's California wine-making business.
While farming the family homestead in Columbiana and exchanging ideas with Henry Ford and Thomas Edison, Harvey S. Firestone made tires. Now, making California wines keeps the Firestone family deeply rooted in agriculture.
Andrew is the grandson of Leonard Firestone and the son of Brooks Firestone and former British Royal Ballet soloist Catherine Boulton Firestone.
Andrew grew up on his family's ranch and vineyard in Santa Barbara County's Santa Ynez Valley. Andrew, a marketing sales manager for the vineyards' Firestone Wine; and his brother Adam, wine maker and estate president, were recently featured in a cover story in Wine Country Living magazine.
Andrew recalls playing with "anything with wheels," as he was growing up. He said he was aware of his Firestone heritage in the tire industry at an early age but, "I was numb to it. The Firestone name was everywhere."
Agriculturally centered
Thanks to the efforts of Andrew, his brother Adam, father Brooks and grandfather Leonard, Firestone has also become a household name at the dinner table. In the late 1970s, Brooks and Leonard established Santa Barbara County's first estate winery in a part of California that Wine Country Living said was only known before then for horses and cattle.
Firestone Family Estates recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of its founding, and Andrew looks forward to continuing the tradition.
During his visit to the test center, Andrew said he was impressed that the facility was dedicated to improving tires for agriculture and that the facility frequently opens its gates so farmers and tire dealers can gain a better understanding of the product.
He said he is proud that his grandfather and father continued the Firestone tradition in agriculture. He said he considers the tire business, the vineyards and Columbiana's Firestone Farms to be a rich heritage and one of which he is very proud.
"This facility is totally dedicated to helping farmers -- that's huge," Andrew said. "Coming here, farmers can understand the dedication and hours of planning and testing that go into the tires and be confident about the product they're buying. That's important because those tires aren't cheap.
"I'm proud that my heritage is agriculture, because agriculture is still the lifeblood of this country," Andrew said. "My father left the tire business to farm. My first car was a John Deere."
tullis@vindy.com