[3] Pillion began his career at Goodyear in 1941 as a trainee, where he worked double shifts and enrolled in management training courses.

[5] He eventually moved to export sales, living in Panama, Peru, Colombia, Brazil, and England.

[4] When Pilliod became CEO in 1974, he faced a major investment decision regarding the radial tire, which today has a market share of near 100%.

Because of its superiority in tread life, handling, safety from blowouts, and fuel economy, use of this technology quickly spread throughout Europe and Asia.

[13] Despite heavy criticism at the time, Pilliod invested heavily in new factories and tooling to build the radial tire.