Dain Inman, Former Echlin Executive
By Gary Molinaro | February 26th, 2010 | Category: Obituaries | No Comments »Former Echlin executive Charles LaDaine Inman — known to most friends and associates simply as “Dain” during his years with the replacement part giant in the 1970s and ‘80s — died Feb. 13 in Phoenix after a five-year battle with cancer. He was 65, and is survived by his children, Brion, Kendra and Katey; his mother, Judy; and his sister, Pam.
Inman’s three-decade career in the aftermarket included employment with battery maker Globe-Union and led him to Echlin in 1977, where he took the role of NAPA merchandising manager. In the early 1980s, Inman assumed the marketing manager position for ACC-special markets/national accounts and was instrumental in the launch of Echlin’s consumer products group, Auto-Tune. “He was very energetic and had a positive attitude all the time,” recalled Tom Miller, vice president of sales and marketing at Avon Lake, OH-based Design Engineering, who worked with Inman for almost 10 years at Echlin. “He had good business sense and was a friendly guy.”
Inman left Echlin in 1986 and put the aftermarket behind him, returning to his childhood state of Arizona to go into business for himself.
