Firestone

History Factory’s Eight-Year Partnership with Bridgestone Gives New Life to the Firestone Archives

What would become one of History Factory’s earliest and most formidable corporate archival collections was once at risk of being lost forever until a passionate group of leaders in 2015 sparked a renewed interest in preserving the legacy of the Firestone brand. As a brand of firsts, the industry leader for more than 125 years needed its heritage preserved and made accessible to protect its legacy. 

After Bridgestone’s leaders reviewed the company’s Firestone holdings, they realized the collection was more than just old photographs. To sort through decades of history, they needed an archival team. When the company partnered with History Factory, our mandate was clear: to protect the archives and define a mission for the Firestone collection and its assets, some of which were more than a century old. Our key objectives when approaching the collection were to:

• Relocate the collection from a public university repository, where sensitive materials were at risk of damage if improperly handled
• Provide a clear sense of direction and purpose for the collection 
• Assess the collection’s assets for their value and relevance to the brand’s future success

A Trailblazer in Corporate Archives

The University of Akron Libraries had been the host repository of the Firestone Archives since 1986. The collection was one of the first corporate archives in the United States, founded in 1943 under the direction of William D. Overman, former Ohio state archivist. A subsection of the archives made up of early still photographs and motion pictures, many on dangerous nitrocellulose film, initially existed in a rooftop storeroom at Firestone Plant 1 in Akron, Ohio. (Between 2007 and 2015, Bridgestone has had more than 102,000 unique works from this subsection digitized and cataloged.)

In 2015, the company knew it needed a specialized archival agency partner to handle the remaining records, comprising more than 3,000 linear feet.

Uncovering the Legacy of the Firestone Archives

This project required a multifaceted approach that included on-site collaboration between the Firestone team and History Factory’s Archives & Digitization Lab personnel. History Factory archivists moved the collection and a team of archivists to Jacksonville, Florida, where our work began. Two years after Firestone’s first engagement with History Factory, we embarked on a detailed five-year plan. This included the delivery of a new technology strategy, the digitization of the archives, and a management directive to move through the material at a rapid pace while still preserving the original arrangement created in 1943. 

Since 2017, the work of digitizing and cataloging analog assets has been ongoing. Today, the project’s statistics include:

• More than 13,500 analog assets converted to digital formats
• 154,115 records in AMS (History Factory’s archival management platform)
• 237,786 digital assets created from physical originals
• 4,086 linear feet reviewed (one-third of the length of Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s track)
• The collection’s current size: 2,969 linear feet

Firestone’s Archives Comes Home

Despite the momentum we’d built, the next phase of digitizing the assets ran into a wall: The COVID-19 pandemic forced remote teams to provide a creative digital solution while also populating 40 terabytes of data into a newly created digital asset management (DAM) system. Implementing the DAM in 2020 required intense work with Bridgestone’s managed service provider and IT department while also ensuring in-person service on-site.

In April 2023, we managed the collection’s move from its temporary location in Jacksonville, Florida, back to Bridgestone’s headquarters in Akron, Ohio. The move logistics were complex and required disassembly and reassembly of 3,000 linear feet of shelving. Over six weeks, we packed and transported more than 80 pallets, which we then reinstalled at the former Data Center at the Bridgestone campus in Akron, Ohio.

Building a New Future With Firestone’s Brand Heritage

This collaboration gave new life to the Firestone Archives, which has since been leveraged for:

• More than 275 requests resulting in more than 650 hours of archival asset discovery and procurement to date
• Designation of enterprise-wide chief users, including Bridgestone Retail Operations, Bridgestone EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa), Firestone Ag, Motorsports, Marketing, and Consumer Tire
• Increased engagement with the Gum Dippers, an organization of former Firestone employees, at annual Gum Dippers reunions
• An on-site pop-up display at the Indy 500 Firestone Global Brands Committee meeting in 2023
• The development of a $30,000 pop-up museum experience, including curated archival artifacts, for brand trade shows including King of Hammers and Overland Expo; at the latter, foot traffic increased fourfold

The Firestone Archives isn’t just about the collection of assets—it’s also about telling the story of shaping American business history. The archives demonstrates how the brand has met, and continues to meet, the needs of the United States at pivotal moments in time. It also showcases 125 years of dedicated hard work, the evolution of the transportation sector and a founder’s story that still resonates with business leaders today.

Check out our work for Firestone’s 150th birthday in our creative portfolio.

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