DEAN MUELLER
Distinguished Alumnus
Class of 1977
Nominated in 2019
Inducted in 2019
Criteria for Induction:
President of Dealer Tire. Dean and his brother, Scott have made their family's single downtown tire store into an international business with over 1200 employees and 1.5 billion in sales. Their firm, Dealer Tire has made a significant impact on Cleveland economy and also has lead to the long vacant Victory Center block in mid-town Cleveland to be vibrant once again. Dean and Scott first expanded their father's one tire store into a chain of Mueller Tire retail stores. It was then that they realized that it would be more advantageous to help car dealers manage replacement tires and maintenance parts than to actually replace the tires themselves, so Mueller Tire was sold. Dealer Tire uses a nationwide network of distribution centers to ensure quick access to tires for dealers. Dealer Tire is one the nation's largest tire distributors. Personally and through Dealer Tire, the brothers make significant contributions to local and national nonprofits.