Thomas A. Wolfe, CEO of Ziebart International
He’s had a love and passion for cars and the auto industry ever since he was a kid. In fact, before he took on the role of CEO in 2022, his father – Thomas E. Wolfe – was CEO of Ziebart for 28 years. Thomas A. Wolfe has held various positions within Ziebart since 2009. Prior to that, he spent 13 years at Chrysler with the determination to fully engrain himself in the automotive industry before working alongside his dad at Ziebart.
Over the past 30+ years, the Wolfe family has helped the Ziebart business model evolve from its rust-proofing roots into a comprehensive vehicle protection powerhouse, expanding services to now also include window tinting, paint protection and correction, truck bed liners, auto detailing, and more. Still, rust remains at the core of what Ziebart does today as it can often cause the most significant damage to an automobile.
Tom describes rust with a striking metaphor – "like termites that never stop" – constantly working to deteriorate your vehicle's structure. While modern manufacturers have improved factory protection, environmental threats remain relentless whether from road salt in northern climates or ocean air in coastal regions.
This explains how Ziebart expanded from a local Detroit operation in 1959 to an international franchise with 400 locations and over 1000 car dealership partners across North America, the Middle East, and Asia. Learn about Ziebart offerings at www.ziebart.com.
The full episode with Tom goes live on Tuesday, July 15th on your favorite podcast platform or https://www.buzzsprout.com/2316026/episodes