Since the roaring 20s, Goodyear and aerial advertising has made a happy pairing, and has become a time-honored American icon for the tire and rubber company. Over the past 90 years various versions have proudly served as the “Goodyear Blimp” and this past April they have debuted their newest airship at the Akron hangar.

Assembly of the new blimp began in March 2013 at Goodyear’s Wingfoot Lake hangar. An international team of engineers and technicians from Goodyear and Germany’s ZLT Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik worked side by side to complete the build project. Parts such as the tail fins and gondola were built in Germany and shipped to the U.S. for assembly. The balloon-like body of the airship – the “envelope” – is made of polyester with an innovative film from DuPont™ called Tedlar®, surrounding a semi-rigid internal structure.

Summit Group was proud and privileged to partner with Goodyear to support this unveiling event. The two-day event provided Goodyear associates an up close and personal experience with airship LZ N07-101, and saw how this aircraft differs from previous Goodyear blimps.  Inflatables, apparel, metal signs and scale models were just a few of the items that Summit Group had to offer to commemorate the special occasion.

Goodyear was gracious to share this event, and took Michael, Denis, and I on a tour of the airship. We were amazed and astounded to see such magnificent craftsmanship and detail come together as the legacy of the “Goodyear Blimp” carries on.

Summit Group is honored to embark on the new journey of creating, hosting, operating, and managing branded merchandise solutions for Goodyear associates, dealers and consumers. We are definitely soaring to heights with Goodyear, and look forward to continuing down the road of success!