TEQUESTA, Fla. — Robert Hirsch, president of the Aftermarket Foundation, has announced the appointments of Stu Crum, president of Bridgestone Retail Operations LLC and Walter Scott, vice president of e-commerce and e-services of Advance Auto Parts Inc., to its Board of Trustees.

"On behalf of the entire Board, I am very pleased to welcome both Stu and Walter to the Board of the Foundation," said Hirsch. "With the addition of Stu, a 30-year automotive retail veteran, and Walter, with over 25 years marketing and e-commerce experience in the aftermarket and big-box retail, our Board is strengthened further with their very specific skills, dynamism and drive. We are very pleased that they have accepted the duties this role brings, and are grateful for their willingness to serve for the common good of this great industry of ours, and particularly for the less fortunate among us."

"More than ever in the foundation’s existence, there is an increasing demand for our assistance, which is as a result of overall increased awareness of the foundation’s activities and the role it plays within our industry. The appointments of both Stu and Walter will significantly support our ‘industry-outreach’ activities, and bring additional expertise to our board."

Crum joined Bridgestone Retail Operations (BSRO) as president in August 2013, with leadership responsibilities of operations at 2,200 company-owned stores. Crum came to BSRO from Shell Oil Co., where he most recently served as president of Jiffy Lube International. Prior to joining Shell, Crum worked for Texaco Inc., serving in various marketing and retail capacities. He holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Tulsa, where he attended on a full football scholarship before spending three years as a professional place kicker in the NFL and USFL. Crum and his wife, Mia, reside in Barrington, Ill. They have two grown children.

Having originally joined the aftermarket in 1995, Scott returned in 2009, joining Advance Auto and heading up its commercial e-commerce initiative, prior to his present position as vice president, e-commerce and e-service. He came to Advance Corporate Express (now Staples), where, as vice president, marketing and e-commerce, he served as the organization’s chief marketing leader. Prior to joining Corporate Express, Scott was a regional vice president at Velocity Express, and previously held several senior management positions in the aftermarket at APS Holding. Scott holds an MBA from the University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler Business School and a bachelor of science in accounting from Millikin University in Decatur. He has two children still in school – one a junior in college, the other a sophomore in high school.

"The aftermarket is full of great, hardworking people who make sure, day in and day out, that anyone with a vehicle can rely on it to live their daily lives or perform their jobs. But many of our own just don’t have a safety net when their health fails, or some other tragedy strikes them or their families. I am honored to be associated with the Aftermarket Foundation, and to help it quietly assist those within our industry who have no other place to go in times of need," said Scott.

Added Crum, "Our aftermarket family, our team — whatever you want to call it — is a very close-knit community, despite its enormous economic size and reach. The Aftermarket Foundation is a unique initiative, one of the only home-grown, industry-sponsored programs designed to help those within our aftermarket industry when there is nowhere else to turn to in a period of hardship. It is an endeavor very worthy of all our support, and I am very proud to have been chosen to serve on the Board."

Since 1959, the Aftermarket Foundation has assisted individuals and families of the automotive aftermarket industry who have fallen on hard times due to an unexpected death, catastrophic injury, serious illness, or financial hardship. Board members are called upon to assist in the fundraising efforts of the Foundation, and also to assist in the identification of those in need.

The Aftermarket Foundation’s single-largest fundraising event is its annual golf outing, held in Las Vegas in conjunction with Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week, along with generous contributions from individuals and corporations and the support of AAIA, MEMA and SEMA.