34 minute read
It s all good
from Modern Tire Dealer - September 2015
by EndeavorBusinessMedia-VehicleRepairGroup
s all good’
Ricky Benton stands where it all began, in front of the service station he operated in his hometown of Cerro Gordo, N.C., before joining Black’s Tire in 1981. Selling tires was just part of his game then; now it’s his life.
By Joy Kopcha
Ricky Benton knew he wanted to be his own boss. Growing up on a farm, he was accustomed to a hard day’s work. By the time he graduated from West Columbus High School in 1973, he had cashed paychecks from a sewing factory, a tire retread shop and a plywood mill.
Married while still a junior in high school, Benton built a home for his bride Dianne next door to his parents’ home in Cerro Gordo, N.C. By the time he was 21, the Bentons opened a service station and operated Cego Service Center as a team, selling fuel, servicing automobiles and repairing tires in what was then a town of about 300 people.
When they opened the doors to that service station in 1976, they had two young sons: Ricky Jr. (who goes by Rick) was 4 and Ryan was 11 months old. Te baby of the family, Jeremy, didn’t come along until a few years later. Te boys grew up alongside their parents at work.
“We did anything to make a living,” Benton says. Dianne pumped gas while he changed tires. He washed the exterior of cars and she cleaned the interior. He took of tires, she put them back on. He eventually bought a wrecker, and when he’d pick up a car at night, she’d roll out of bed to help him unhitch it so he could hit the road again.
Benton has maintained that do-anything atitude throughout his career, and as owner and president of Black’s Tire Service Inc., he expects the same from the 525 people he employs.
Benton and the Black’s Tire family are delivering on those
Ricky Benton has retired the rufed shirt, bow tie and jacket Ricky Benton has retired the rufed shirt, bow tie and jacket of his teen years, and prefers jeans and a polo shirt.
expectations. Black’s Tire has grown from a single store in 1981 when Benton joined the company to eight stores in 1996 when he purchased the business to the current 36 retail/commercial outlets in North and South Carolina. In addition to those retail stores, which sell everything from wheelbarrow tires to of-the-road tires, he’s also added tire wholesaling, retreading, equipment distribution and racing to the business portfolio.
Tis jack-of-all-trades is Modern Tire Dealer’s 2015 Tire Dealer of the Year.
A hands-on, accessible leader
While operating his hometown service station, Benton bought oil from W. Crowell Black, the founder and namesake of
This original Black’s Tire store remains in operation in This original Black’s Tire store remains in operation in Whiteville, N.C. The company’s founder, W. Crowell Black, is pictured at the far right in this photo from the 1950s.
Black’s Tire 14 miles to the east in Whiteville, N.C. Eventually Black and his son, W. Donald “Buddy” Black, lured Benton to work for them in the tire business.
“When I was at the station, Mr. Black had a bunch of stations, but I did beter than everyone else. I paid my bills on time,” Benton says. “Te thing about it is you don’t have to be the biggest. You’ve just got to try to be the best. And the best is completely by service.”
Benton believes service and his work ethic set him apart in 1981 when he went to work at the original Black’s Tire store. He believes those traits are what count in business today.
Dianne Benton says her husband “always had that desire to succeed and work really hard to make sure it does succeed.”
Benton is not a typical executive. He wears blue jeans and a polo shirt to work most days and rarely spends time siting behind a desk. He prefers to be in the shop, or in his pickup on the road to visit a shop. Even though his smartphone is never out of reach — except when he goes to church — he still prefers to write notes on his hand. He doesn’t like to type. And employees say if he rolls up to a store on a busy day, he’ll have his hands dirty in a mater of minutes.
Jonathan Ransom manages one of the company’s busiest stores on the south side of Fayeteville, N.C. Te Gillespie Street location ofers both passenger and commercial service, with about 75% of the business being commercial work. With so many big rigs on site, truck tire changes ofen are done on an outdoor pad.
During a busy day one of the store’s new hires noticed a man he didn’t recognize changing a truck tire on that outdoor pad. He told Ransom, who peeked outside the door. “Tat’s
Black’s Tire operates 36 retail and comBlack’s Tire operates 36 retail and commercial stores, including this shop on Bordeaux Park Drive in Fayetteville, N.C. Manager Mike King says when owner Ricky Benton walks in the door, he tells customers he’s King’s helper for the day.
the guy who signs your check. I think he’s just helping out.”
Tere’s a sense of urgency in everything Benton does. Just as he won’t stand by and watch a customer wait for the next technician if he can do the job himself, Benton is not one to delay an improvement in the shop that makes the workers more efcient, says Ransom. It’s not uncommon for Ransom to arrive at work in the morning and have trucks backed up onto the street needing a repair. Te congestion can continue throughout the day, so one day he, Tis is a store where those investments clearly are paying of. Ransom Black’s Tire rallies its employees with yearly slogans, but this message is constant, and it adorns the front door of every store. Benton and Keith Noble, the regional retail manager, says the business “probably does four to fve times more than stood in the parking lot to try to fnd a solution. Tere it did, maybe six times more than what it did eight years ago,” was room to add a second pad on the side of the building. when Black’s Tire acquired the shop from Briggs & Sons Tire. Tree days later a cement truck was on site. Te growth has come despite another dealer opening a store
“I can see how he’s invested back into the store, (whether) down the street. it’s space, equipment, service trucks, anything that we need,” Ransom says. “I could go on and on about the stuf that’s been Making winners out of losers added on to this location since I’ve been here. He’s making If television needed another reality makeover show, Benton it more functional. and Black’s Tire would ofer plenty of good lessons. Of the 36
“He wants us to utilize what we have and take care of it, stores in North and South Carolina, the company has built of course, but if there’s a need to get the business, and not only one from the ground up, in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Te other just get the business but service the business, we get it. We 35 locations have come from acquisitions or buildings Benton can have every business in town, but if we can’t service them has bought and renovated. they’re not going to be happy. And I think that’s why we get “Most of the time I try to take losers and make them a the equipment that we have. We don’t want to have a guy winner,” Benton says. come in and buy new tires and have a vibration because we Turning losers into winners means there’s no uniform design can’t balance them properly.” or size or layout for a Black’s Tire store. Some are big, some
are small. One of the newest stores is in Loris, S.C., and it occupies a former Chrysler dealership. Its showroom is at least twice as large as other Black’s Tire stores.
Larry Hewet is a retired school administrator who now works for Black’s Tire taking photos and helping with public relations eforts. He remembers walking into the defunct car dealership with Benton. “Te store looked real junky. But it’s a beautiful facility now.
Others talk about Benton’s eye for detail. He can drop in a store and immediately spot a problem or inefciency. In a Fayeteville store he rerouted the trafc fow from the shop to the service writer to the front counter by cuting a new doorway through a solid block wall and moving the break room. He’s known for moving equipment in the shop and re-arranging the front counter. In every instance, employees say the moves have made their jobs easier.
Despite stores that aren’t cut from a cookie cuter, Black’s Tire stores still have a
While some tire dealers specialize in certain segments of the tire industry, Black’s Tire casts a wide net with a goal of serving every kind of customer. The company even operates a store on the U.S. Army base at Fort Bragg, N.C. Some Black’s Tire dealerships are trying a new approach to showroom tire displays, arranging the tires by application rather than brand. look. Blue and gold paint are the standard on the outside, while the inside look is focused on the counter, which is wrapped in shiny sheets of metal. When the foors need replaced they’re covered in black and white tiles. Electronic signs hang on the wall and display prices for services, as well as photos showing the company’s community events and sponsorships.
He sees no point in building a perfect looking store on what a developer calls a perfect location. “You can have X number of car counts and X number of people, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to work,” Benton says. “Tires ain’t prety and service ain’t prety, but service is all you’ve got.”
Serving and training the... competition?
Service isn’t just a guideline or a suggestion at Black’s Tire. It’s the rule. Employees who don’t accept that, or understand it, don’t last long.
Lloyd Hobbs has spent the last 14 years of his 32-year tire career with Black’s Tire. He manages one of the company’s three stores in Lumberton, N.C., and says the business boils down to one thing: relationships.
Tat treatment works not just with consumers, but also with his big box competitors. Tere’s a Sam’s Club in town, and a Walmart in the tire store’s backyard. Hobbs says both send him business, even calling and asking if Black’s Tire can step in to help a consumer.
Making friends with the competition, including big box retailers, is a tough pill for some dealers to swallow. Benton doesn’t even call them competitors.
For Benton, helping those dealers means more than selling them tires. It
Consumers demand options, and Ricky Benton says there’s a place for Tier 1 tires as well as Tier 4 tires. “You’ve got to have all facets of the business. You need all price points to be successful.”
plus it’s another way to show he’s invested in the people in the room.
Benton calls the training center “the best thing our company has ever done.” He won’t say how much he’s invested in it, but he sees it as an essential part of business. “If you don’t train and try to stay on top of it, you’ll be lef behind. You’ve got to continue to get beter in the feld or you’ll be out of business.”
While Black’s Tire certainly uses the center to train its own people, when vendors come in to show how best to use a piece of equipment, the dealership invites other tire dealers or technicians from repair shops to atend. “Tey support me,” Benton says. “Te more you support somebody, hopefully they support you.”
Te BTS family
Benton takes that supporting role seriously, with his customers as well as his employees. “A business is no beter than the people you surround yourself with,” he says. His wife Dianne is at his side — he likes to introduce her as “the boss” — and their three sons are leading diferent segments of the business. Oldest son Rick, 42, is the company’s tire buyer and vice president of purchasing and marketing. Ryan, 39, is vice president of retail sales and operations, and Jeremy, 34, is vice president of commercial sales and manufacturing. (It took a family meeting, and a fnal ruling by Dianne, to decide on each of the boys’ titles. No one at Black’s Tire has a title printed on a business card. Meeting one employee afer another, the question that stumped nearly every employee was, “What’s your title?”)
Te three oldest of the couple’s eight grandchildren are in high school, and those boys are working in the tire business, too. During the summer they delivered tires one day and cleaned up a weedy lot the next. Dianne says her husband expects a lot from their kids, telling them, “‘You’ve got something to prove.’ Don’t ask people to do something you’re not willing to do yourself.”
But Benton’s family is much larger than his ofcial family tree. All jokes about “Carolina cousins” aside — and the people at
Personality snapshot of our 2015 Tire Dealer of the Year
Full name: Ricky James Benton My favorite food: Italian.n.
Age: 60. Ronald Reagan.
Family: Wife Dianne; sons Rick (and wife Angie), Ryan (and wife Carter), and Jeremy (and wife Lucy); and eight grandchildren: Trey, Cody, Cole, Chase, Reilly, Carrington, Betsy and Harrison. If I could change one e more.
My hobbies include: racing and watching baseball games. I am most proud of: my sons and the watch my grandchill- the business growing.g.
BTS family. My favorite childhood memory: going to auto races with my uncle. My biggest regret: I don’t have any. A perfect evening for r family.
My biggest success: being able to provide a college education for my sons, and marrying a great woman. but I would have to say the Bible and a children’s book that is about staying positive and facing challenges called “Te Energy Bus” by Jon Gordon. My favorite athlete: Michael Jordan. My favorite movies: “Te Notebook” and “Forrest Gump.” What famous actor would best portray you in a flm? Rodney Dangerfeld. My favorite motivational message: TEAM: Together Everyone Achieves More. We preach it daily in our business. My favorite politician:: Are you a morning g person or a night owl?? Definitely a morning g person. thing about myself: I I would learn to listen n
My goal in life is: to o dren grow up and suc- ceed, and to help keep p me is: grilling in the e backyard and visit- ing with friends and d My favorite books: I don’t read much,
Te smartest thing g I’ve ever done:: marry my wife.
Best advice my parents gave me: Always look for the good in Ricky and Dianne Benton own Black’s Tire. Their three sons have grown up in the business and play integral roles in it. From left to right in the back are Ryan, Rick and Jeremy. R i c k y a n d D i a n n e B e n t o n o w n B l a c k ’ s T i r e . T h e i r t h r e e s o n s h a v e o w i h b u i n e s d l i t g l l i i t F everyone. comes first; but if you take care of your team, they My advice for my children: Live a life will take care of the customer. you can be proud of. Take care of your family and always help others. Don’t ever Te best part of the tire industry is: forget where you came from. The people! Being able to meet and work with lots of great people over the My advice for a tire dealer who is just years. I’ve made a lot of good friends in starting out: Customer service always the tire industry.
company operates. No doubt it plays into their success. People in this company know the Bentons care about them.”
Store managers talk about how any call from Benton involves questions not just about business, but about their families, and their employees’ families. When he learns of employees who hit a rough patch, he helps them anonymously. He’ll take a couple hundred dollar bills from his wallet, hand the cash to the manager and tell them to pass it to the employee later in the day. He doesn’t want the worker to know the help is coming from him.
Benton’s goodwill overfows and has become contagious at Black’s Tire. A year ago Oliver Castrejon’s house was destroyed in a fire. When Benton arrived at the scene to check on Castrejon and his two young children, the man was burying his dog. Benton asked Castrejon to take a seat in his pickup truck. He said he had no idea what he was going to do. Benton told him to go to Myrtle Beach and get a hotel for the night, and they’d fgure something out in the morning. Tat’s when the BTS family sprang into action. Another employee, Stuart Clark, had just moved into a new house and was planning to rent his former home. He opened it up to Castrejon instead. A local furniture store and others in the community helped to furnish the home, and the BTS family rummaged through their own closets to provide the essentials, including furnishings,
you’re covered? You’ve got to pay your bills. You’ve got to take care of your people. It’s a daily struggle.” 17, someone is going to need to atend law school. Tey’re hoping another grandchild considers accounting.
A graduate of the Southern School of Hard Knocks Te third generation of Bentons is in the wings, but for now Benton and his three sons are leading the way. Dianne atributes the company’s growth to the couple’s children. “We would have never grown like we have if they hadn’t been here helping us. Tey’ve been real good about helping fnd people, and Ryan’s real good about fnding locations. Tey’ve helped us grow.” Te company’s store count has more than quadrupled since the oldest son, Rick, graduated from college and joined the business. Daily production at the retread shop, which son Jeremy oversees, has increased more The retail portion of the company’s training center features a sales counter, tire display and parts shelves. Benton says his vendors are supportive of the facility and also ofer than 3,000% since the company acquired on-site training and tips. Black’s Tire also uses the space for new employee orientation. it and moved into a new location. keting area of where you’re at. I don’t stay in a place that’s got has been the one requirement for each of the Benton boys. a million people. I couldn’t survive with only passenger tires. Neither of their parents went to college — Benton jokes he We’re just a diferent model. I don’t know if it’s the best model, graduated from the Southern School of Hard Knocks. Dianne but it’s the only model I know.” took some computer classes afer high school.
Business is tough, Benton says. Even though he clearly thrives “Our main goal in life was all three of our children would on the thrill and satisfaction of serving people, whether they have college degrees, and before they could come work for are his customers or his employees, he’s humble and thankful the company full time, they had to fnish college. And they that he’s survived. did,” she says. “Tat was some of our accomplishment, too.”
“I worry every day. When you’ve got to pay people on It’s common for parents to dream of a beter life for their Tursday night, have you got enough money to make sure children. But at the same time Black’s Tire employees recognize
Staying on top of federal and state regulations is critical, No one works and so many of the business’ toughest problems are out of the Bentons’ control. Insurance is a particularly sore subject. for Ricky Benton
Black’s Tire provides a pre-tax health insurance plan for Even though there are 525 people on the Black’s Tire its employees, and the Afordable Care Act dictates that the Service Inc. payroll, owner Ricky Benton says not a company can’t deduct more than 9.5% of an employee’s wages single one of those people works for him. to cover its share of the insurance. So if there are two employees “Nobody works for me,” says Benton, 60. “They work earning the same wage, and one is a hard worker and reliable, with me as a team. I say that and I mean that.” and the other calls of work ofen and thus doesn’t earn as During a tour of the company’s corporate office much, Black’s Tire is lef to pay the balance of the insurance and adjoining distribution center, the largest of four cost for that lower-performing employee. warehouses in the Carolinas, Benton’s introductions
Te Bentons are talking about how they need to get more of members of his team show he means it. Not once active in lobbying their lawmakers about these kinds of struggles. did he introduce someone as his employee. Instead, But adding that to the to-do list is tough, and it becomes one he rattled off names and talked about how long each more thing to balance. person has worked with him, and also connected the
“If you’re running a family business, you’ve got to keep it dots between family members from one department going day-to-day,” Benton says. “If you don’t stay on it dayto the next. to-day, you lose it. “I told somebody the other day that I don’t do nothing;
“Tat’s probably what’s wrong with people like us. We’re just the boys run the business. But they said, ‘You’re the siting here trying to keep it going. Whatever the compliance is, we deal with it. Lots of our problems are out of our control.” straw that stirs up the drink.’“
Tey have identifed one solution. Te Bentons already are He didn’t mind that analogy, and likes to think of telling their eight grandchildren, who range in ages from 2 to himself as “just one of the guys.” Going to and graduating from college
how Benton has built up the company, and they respect the fact he gives others the opportunity to move up the ladder.
David Holmes manages the store in Loris, S.C., and has been with Black’s Tire for almost 16 years. “A lot of his management never went to college,” he says. “Tey’re just hardworking people.”
Benton doesn’t recruit employees from other tire stores or any other competitor. He prefers to train from the ground up, even bringing in people who know nothing about the tire industry. Keith Noble spent 20 years working for Coca-Cola Co. when he fnally got tired of corporate life. At family holiday gatherings (Benton and Noble’s wife are related) the two men would talk about business, and Benton ofen asked Noble to consider joining the family business.
In the spring of 2007 Noble fnally made the jump. “I tell all the mechanics you’ve forgoten more about this than I’ll ever know.” But Benton knew Noble’s talents, and he works as a regional retail manager.
It’s hard to be more of an entry-level employee than Kyle Bias was when he
As part of its commercial truck division, Black’s Tire operates a 24-hour road service. Answering road calls is a rite of passage for employees learning the tire business.
joined Black’s Tire. He was about to turn 16 and in trouble at school. His punishment from the principal included answering the telephone, and one day Benton called and asked to speak to someone from the school’s shop program. Bias transferred the call but nobody picked up, so he started to take a message. Benton was looking for a young guy to help clean up the shop, someone who might be interested in learning the trade afer school.
“I said, ‘I think I know someone,’” Bias says. He met Benton afer school and started work the same day.
One day Bias was the only person in the shop with a driver’s license, so he drove the crew to respond to a commercial service call. “Tat’s how I started learning how to change tires.” First he watched, then he got to help, and eventually he answered those calls on his own. “I loved it.”
He learned to do other things in the shop, and later got the chance to learn the counter side of the business. He became the manager of the store in Shalotte, N.C., in 2011.
When talking to new or potential employees, Rick Benton repeats a refrain that sounds like something his dad might say. “It’s what you want to make out of it. It’s all up to you.” ‘Te most traumatic year’
Benton says many employees take that advice to heart. Some take it to the extreme.
Kenny Bullard had another job ofer in 1988 to work at the Georgia Pacifc plywood plant where Benton had once worked. Bullard was going to make $6.99 an hour, plus a 15-cent shif diferential. His job ofer is framed and hanging on the wall of Benton’s ofce. Bullard came to work for Benton instead. “He worked with me for 25 years. He was district manager. He was the best manager this company’s ever had. He’s the one who helped me build this story.”
Bullard tracked every expense at every store he managed, organizing receipts into white business envelopes and marking them with the store number. Benton keeps a box of those envelopes underneath his desk, and says he wouldn’t part with the box for a million dollars.
To anyone else, it looks like papers ready for the recycling bin. To Benton, it means much more than that.
“Kenny Bullard is the BTS Way,” he says.
Bullard died of pancreatic cancer on May 3, 2014. The two had been best friends since they were young boys. Bullard worked hard and was loyal, even throughout his illness. He wasn’t happy when store managers who reported to him were trying to keep things from him and lighten his load during his illness. He arranged meetings with employees who weren’t performing. He didn’t want cancer to get in the way of the business
he loved. Before he died he asked his friends to be pallbearers, and to wear Black’s Tire shirts at his funeral.
“I’ve got a bunch of those kind of guys,” Benton says. “He was the leader... he was my main one.
One of Bullard’s work shirts is framed and hangs in the BTS Academy training center. A large banner with Bullard’s picture hangs on the wall. In Benton’s ofce a round medallion sits on a shelf, and it’s inscribed with these words: “May the work I have done speak for me.” Delia Bullard, who also works for Black’s Tire, took it out of her husband’s casket and gave it to Benton.
Losing Bullard was just the beginning of “the most traumatic year” for Benton. His “favorite aunt” died in October, and his 84-year-old father, Valery J. Benton Jr., beter known as “Boss Man” at Black’s Tire, died in January. Te elder Benton helped make deliveries to stores, and referred to a seat on a sofa in the hallway as his ofce.
Some might take those losses as a sign to let go of work a litle, and spend a few more afernoons with family at the lake house or more days driving the classic cars he loves. But Benton doesn’t see it that way. “I spend time with all the people I love.” And he’s referring not only to his wife and children, but also to his entire BTS family.
Executive Director, Reece Hester, says Black’s Tire is the largest independent tire dealer in its statewide membership. Hester remembers Benton’s acceptance speech well, and that he stood at the podium without any prepared remarks. “It wasn’t so much about Black’s Tire Service, but more about the people around him and the stories associated with those people,” Hester says. “When a person is speaking with
‘You can’t outgrow your people’ Harry Lyons wraps a retreaded tire at Carolina Retread, where
Larry Allen is among those who have worked with Benton production has grown signifcantly since Black’s Tire acquired a the longest. He’ll mark 26 years with Black’s Tire in January retread business in 2007, from seven tires a day to 225. 2016, and he manages a store in Lumberton, N.C. It was the Ricky, you quickly realize he is humble to his beginnings and company’s fourth location. hasn’t forgoten where he’s come from. Ricky credits his family
“But Ricky told us to keep working. We put our faith in him. Tere are opportunities for Benton’s business to grow. At the
He said you work hard and I’ll take care of the rest. And I’ve beginning of August, the company opened its fourth warehouse, never been out of a job or missed a paycheck. I’ve never asked about halfway between the Virginia state line and Charlote, him for a raise. N.C., in Statesville, N.C. “I hope he waits a couple of months
“If Ricky tells you something you can take it to the bank.” until he does the next big thing,” says his wife.
In 2014 the North Carolina Tire Dealers Association named Right now the retail business is confned to the Carolinas.
Benton its frst Tire Dealer of the Year. Te group recognized Will it cross the line into Virginia or another nearby state? him for his business success, his charitable work and his Benton isn’t saying. He’ll consider “whatever opportunity support of the industry. And Benton immediately pushed might arise.” all of that praise onto the Black’s Tire team. Te association’s “You ever hear of BB&T?” Benton asks, referring to Branch Bank and Trust. “You’ve got to have a good banker. Good vendors. You’ve got to have so many things. You can have all the brick and mortar you want. If you don’t have the people it ain’t nothing. You can’t outgrow your people.” Te company’s real growth potential may be in retreading. Black’s Tire “Celebrating 100 Years 1915 - 2015” acquired the retread operation as part of its purchase of Briggs & Sons Tire in February 2007, and moved the operation CONGRATULATIONS TO RICKY to a new shop — a former window and doors factory in Clarkton, N.C. — in late 2009. Tat frst year-plus of production and the entire Black’s Tire team! at Carolina Retread included a lot of growth, from seven tires a day to 69.
Te move to Clarkton came at the same time Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. was looking for ways to expand its retreading operations. Benton is a longtime Goodyear dealer, and with his penchant for loyalty and building relationships, he and Patrick Demianenko, Goodyear’s business development manager for retreading, put a deal together.
Te 50,000-square-foot space now is running at full capacity, producing 225 retreaded tires a day.
Ashley Parnell has spent the last fve years of his decade’s worth of employment with Black’s Tire at the retread shop. It’s “hot and nasty” work, he says. “It ain’t a gravy job. I’m on my second T-shirt of the day and it’s not quite noon.” Still, he calls it “a good atmosphere to work in,” because of the Bentons. “Tey treat their employees like their own.
“Any good boss man has high expectations if he wants to stay in business. If he was nonchalant you’d be closing the doors in six months,” Parnell says. “In the past two years we’ve increased our production by 35% to 37% just by taking on new customers and growing this side of the commercial business. On average we’ve been up 10% to 17% this year over last year’s business.”
A childhood love of racing
Perhaps it’s no surprise that Benton ended up wheeling and dealing tires. As a kid he raced go-karts, but had to give it up when he and Dianne married and started a family. But racing never really lef him.
In the early 1990s he got back into the sport, but not as a driver. He formed RBR Enterprises and built a race shop next to his home in Cerro Gordo, N.C. Initially he ran in the NASCAR Late Model Stock Series, winning the regional and track championship in 1998, the USAR ProCup Series championship in 2002 and having his driver win Rookie of the Year in 2004 and 2008. In 2010 his team moved up to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and runs the No. 92 truck.
Crew chief Michael Hester says the team is working its way back up the ladder in the truck series. So far this season they’ve run in the top 10 at some point in every race, and fnished sixth at Daytona and seventh at Kentucky.
But even though Benton loves racing, and sees its marketing power and benefts in other segments of his business, he says it’s become a much more expensive sport to compete in. As a result his team is competing only part-time. To run a full season of 22 races would require an investment of at least $2.5 million. “So I run as cheap and economically as I can aford. We might run eight or 10 races.”
Even as a part-time racer he’s had success, and in 2014 he was inducted into the Greater Wilmington Sports Hall of Fame. Te honor also recognized his work to support other racers with donations or equipment.
Mat Cox, a young driver who recently lost his father, is the latest racer to get Benton’s support. Cox’s car is in Benton’s race shop, and Black’s Tire is among the logos on its shell, even though he’s not ofcially part of Benton’s race team. “I help him some,” Benton says shyly. Making a diference
Clearly, helping others is the rule for Benton, and not the
The southerner’s sport of racing has gotten too big, and too expensive, for Ricky Benton to compete all season, but the No. 92 truck runs in at least eight races each season. “It’s a way to do marketing,” he says.
exception. Nowhere is that more evident than in his partnership with the Boys and Girls Homes of North Carolina, a not-for-proft organization that serves children who don’t have functional families to support them. Many of the children are abused and move onto the Boys and Girls Homes campus in Lake Waccamaw, 12 miles from the Black’s Tire headquarters in Whiteville. Te children live in homes on the campus and go to school there.
Black’s Tire began its support of the Boys and Girls Homes long before Benton ever worked a day there. Te tire dealership’s founder served on the charity’s original board of directors. Benton has continued, and expanded, the business’ support.
In 2002 Black’s Tire hosted its frst charity golf tournament to benefit the Boys and Girls Homes, and the inaugural event Ricky Benton and Black’s Tire are long-time supporters of the Boys and Girls Homes of North Carolina. The agency’s CEO and President Gary Faircloth, pictured, says the caring and contributions raised $6,000. A year later its from the Black’s Tire family are priceless to the children served. donation doubled. Te third year the donation doubled again. Te company has given more held on the Boys and Girls Homes campus. Described as a than a half-million dollars to the organization since that frst miniature state fair, the day-long event includes food, games golf event. and contests for the company’s employees and their families.
For years the company paired the annual golf scramble with Children from the Boys and Girls Homes are the company’s a stock car race in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Te company invites its special guests. tire suppliers and other vendors to participate, and every Black’s Gary Faircloth, CEO and president of the Boys and Girls Tire store advertised the event and sought participants and Homes, says the agency has no beter friend or advocate than sponsors. Tere was golfng on Friday and racing on Saturday the Bentons. “Financially, and from a standpoint of passion one weekend each June. and commitment, we don’t have anybody with a stronger
But since Benton’s race team moved up from stock cars commitment to what we’re doing.” to trucks, there’s no longer a race nearby at the right time of Te Boys and Girls Homes honored Benton’s philanthropy year to coordinate the two events. So in 2014 Black’s Tire in 2013 afer it remodeled an old building on its grounds switched things up a bit. Te group is still golfng on Friday and named it the Ricky and Dianne Benton Community (this year’s tournament was held Sept. 11 in Myrtle Beach), Hitching Post. but the second day is now a Black’s Tire Family Day, and it’s “We did this as a surprise to him,” says Faircloth. “He would not have asked to have his name on anything. He’s a very humble guy. He doesn’t need the recognition, it’s the feeling that he has and the pride and the emotion. “We could all model ourselves afer people like Ricky and Dianne. Tey’re making a difference, and it’s not just them, but their company.” Benton isn’t comfortable with such rosy words, or so much atention. He says he’s just doing his part. “I ain’t worth a nickel at nothing. I just try to do a litle bit.” And to steal the phrase Benton uses more than any other, “It’s all good.” ■
