Vanderbilt, Bridgestone bring students, faculty, industry together to brainstorm solutions to mobility, manufacturing and retail challenges

"At Vanderbilt, building strategic relationships begins with a commitment to deep listening and a shared vision," Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs C. Cybele Raver told a group of faculty, students, business leaders and friends during this year's Vanderbilt-Bridgestone Collaboration Accelerator event in the Vanderbilt Student Life Center.

The morning event included a conversation between Raver and Lindsay Porter, Bridgestone West's vice president of enterprise alliances and chief of staff, a signature project showcase including students in Vanderbilt's undergraduate business minor talking about their efforts working with Bridgestone's truck commercialization strategy team, and networking sessions facilitated by the Wond'ry, Vanderbilt's Innovation Center.

Participants shared ideas and posed solutions for addressing challenges in the mobility industry, manufacturing and automotive retail. These topics ranged from sustainable operations and embedded sensors to product strategy and talent development.

Everything that happened in this year's session built up on ideas presented at last year's inaugural accelerator.

"These initiatives bridge our academic strengths with Bridgestone's industry expertise and empower our students to contribute meaningfully to the workforce," Raver said. She praised the collaborative work as a way for the companies to deepen their alignment and ensure that their partnership remains strategic and sustainable.

Bridgestone Americas has been headquartered in Middle Tennessee since 1992 and opened its current U.S. headquarters, Bridgestone Tower, in downtown Nashville in 2017. They employ more than 5,000 people in the state and are one of Vanderbilt's premier corporate partners.

The morning concluded with Craig Schneider, chief strategy officer for Bridgestone West and group president of Bridgestone West Retail, celebrating the collaborative partnership between Bridgestone and Vanderbilt. He noted how Bridgestone has changed its business practices because of the exponential growth of connected data ecosystems and evolving large language model capabilities-as well as the societal expectations of sustainable practices surrounding raw material sourcing, recycling and reuse. Success, he noted, is becoming increasingly dependent on co-creation and collaboration.

"We can no longer expect to drive competitive differentiation through efficiency and vertical integration," Schneider said. "Now all things must work in concert across a wider ecosystem, so it's critical that we seek outside perspective that can help us challenge historical norms and deliver true innovative breakthroughs."

For the students, faculty, leaders and partners involved in the collaboration accelerator event, it was a chance to think together about what's next and how best to get there.