Bridgestone Corporation is the world's largest tire manufacturer, having been founded in 1931 by Shojiro Ishibashi, who lent the English translation of his name to the company. More than just a tire manufacturer, Bridgestone is a multi-national rubber conglomerate with revenies running close to 30 billion dollars and profits close to $1.5 billion. Currently, Bridgestone has 141 production facilities in 24 countries around the globe and employees more than 137,000 people.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridgestone

Bridgestone's major product remains tires of all varieties. Bridgestone tires can be found on automobiles, buses, airplanes, construction vehicles, motorcycles and semi-trucks among other things. In addition to tires, Bridgestone also produces sporting goods such as golf balls, golf clubs, tennis supplies and athletic wear as well as chemical and industrial products like noise-resistant and anti-vibration products, industrial rubber items, building supplies and polyurethane foam products. Bridgestone also produces a number of bicycle related items.http://www.bridgestone.com/corporate/profile/index.html

After its start in Japan, Bridgestone strove to become established in both Asia and on the international stage. A big move towards becoming established internationally happened when Bridgestone acquired Firestone in 1988, firmly establishing the company as a global player.http://www.bridgestone.com/corporate/history/index.html

Bridgestone became an even larger player on the global stage as it entered the world of race car driving in the mid to late 1990s. In 1995, they brought the Firestone brand back into the Indianapolis 500 and two years after that, they introduced the Bridgestone brand into Formula 1 racing, the most popular as well as the most technologically advanced type of auto racing in the world.

In more recent years, Bridgestone has revamped its corporate motto to "Trust And Pride," with a focus on building and maintaining relationships with shareholders, employees, customers and neighbors. The company remains, however, "focused on excellence" and their mission statement, as set down by founder Shojiro Ishibashi remains to "serve society with superior quality."http://www.bridgestone.com/corporate/history/index.html