7 minute read
Carrying on a family legacy
from Modern Tire Dealer - December 2022
by EndeavorBusinessMedia-VehicleRepairGroup
AMERICAN ROAD STAR IS READY TO ROLL
Wholesale Tire Distributors (WTD) is bringing a new brand, American Road Star, to the United States. American Road Star’s passenger tire line includes the American Road Star HP A/S, an all-season ultra-high performance tire; another ultra-high performance product; and the American Road Star Pro A/S, an all-season touring tire.
Offerings geared toward light trucks and SUVs include the American Road Star H/T, the American Road Star A/T and the American Road Star M/T. Medium truck tire products include the steer/allposition AR 1000 and the AR 11000, plus the AR 2000 and the AR 2200.
WTD also sells Arroyo brand tires. “We have a very good distribution base with Arroyo and will build on this with American Road Star,” says Patrick Hyland, vice president of sales, wholesale and marketplace for WTD.
The new American Road Star brand includes consumer and commercial tires.
Photo: MTD
GREENBALL EXPANDS KANATI LINE
Greenball Corp. says its new Kanati Overland RTX light truck tire was designed “for drivers of pickup trucks, CUVs, full-size SUVs and Jeeps who enjoy off-road adventures, yet desire a smooth and comfortable ride on the highway.”
The Kanati Overland RTX is available in four 20-inch sizes and four 22-inch sizes. A 16-inch size, 18 17-inch sizes, one 18-inch size and another 20-inch size are “coming soon,” according to a Greenball spokesperson.
In addition to an advanced rubber compound, multidirectional sipes and other features, the new tire sports “a more aggressive void ratio” than Greenball’s Kanati Commander RTX light truck tire. “Everybody wants an aggressive look in a street tire.”
The Kanati Overland RTX is available in four 20-inch sizes, plus four 22-inch sizes.
Photo: MTD
ALLDATA brought ALLDATA Inspections to the SEMA Show.
Photo: ALLDATA
ALLDATA TAKES DIGITAL INSPECTIONS CURBSIDE
ALLDATA brought its new suite of shop management solutions, ALLDATA Inspections, to the SEMA Show. e suite “gives shops the ability to jumpstart the customer check-in process and perform digital vehicle inspections curbside,” according to ALLDATA o cials.
“Using a tablet or mobile phone, service writers or technicians can launch ALLDATA Inspections to easily look up or add a new customer, check o a digital inspection sheet and email it to the customer, right at the vehicle.”
Satwinder Mangat, president of ALLDATA, says the company is “always looking for ways to help shops boost productivity and streamline the work ow process.”
OWNER OF VAN’S TIRE FOLLOWS IN FOUNDER’S FOOTSTEPS
By Maddie Gehring
This past August, L. Wayne Vanaman, founder of Van’s Tire & Service in Akron, Ohio, passed away, leaving his business for the next two generations of its ownership — his son and grandson.
Michael Vanaman, Wayne’s son, says his father provided wisdom and guidance when the younger Vanaman was ready to take over the dealership years ago.
And Michael is mentoring his son, Jesse, in the same way in order to provide an uninterrupted legacy of customer service.
THE ‘VAN’ IN VAN’S TIRE
Wayne Vanaman rst worked as a professional welder in the 1970s. In his spare time, he would nd deals on blemished tires and sell them out of the back of his Dodge van to small, independent auto repair shops in the Akron-Canton, Ohio, area.
“He earned a ne reputation of always having good tires at a good price,” says Michael.
“He also got the nickname ‘Van’ since he drove around and sold tires out of a van and his last name has the word ‘van’ in it. at’s why he decided to name his rst location Van’s Tire.”
Wayne’s rst store was in Alliance, Ohio, a suburb of Canton. He opened his second location in Atwater, Ohio, and then added other locations in and around Akron.
At his peak, Van was running nine busy stores.
Michael says that his father always looked for locations that were fairly close together so he could manage them in a hands-on way.
“He wanted to run the business and not let the business run him,” says Michael.
When they were ready, Vanaman made sure each of his three children took over a Van’s Tire location and helped them through the process.
Michael’s older brother, Wayne Vanaman Jr., ran the company’s Streetsboro, Ohio, location. (He later sold the store to a family friend.)
Michael got the Van’s Tire & Service store in Manchester, Ohio. His younger brother, Mark, became the owner of the chain’s Wadsworth, Ohio, location, which he sold years later to another tire dealer who rebranded the store under the Van’s Tire Pros banner.
His sister, Becky (Vanaman) Barnes, took over a Van’s Tire &
Wayne Vanaman began selling tires out the back of a van in the 1970s. He went on to open and operate nine Van’s Tire & Service locations in the Akron, Ohio, area.
Photo: Van’s Tire & Service
Service location on the east side of Akron, which also later became a Van’s Tire Pros store. e only Van’s Tire & Service locations that operate under the company’s original name and share the same website are the Manchester location, still owned by Michael; a location in Red eld, Ohio, which is owned by a family friend; and a store in Streetsboro, Ohio.
“Downscaling just happened naturally on its own, with the shops being sold or rented,” says Michael.
LEGACY OF SERVICE
Michael says it took some time for his father to convince him to take over the Manchester location.
“I liked working under my dad — just like my son, Jesse, likes working under me,” says Michael. “One day, (Wayne) basically came up to me and said, ‘You’re taking over. It’s your shop.’
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