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10 YEARS OF ON THE RISE
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Mike Manges By
ome things in the tire industry never change. That includes working as hard as possible to take care of customers.
In the July 1925 issue of Tires, this publication’s predecessor, then-editor Jerome Shaw wrote about L.C. Richards, an enterprising tire dealer located near Akron, Ohio, whose moxie, hustle and focus on customer service helped establish his dealership as a trusted source of tires for customers in and around the rip-roaring “Rubber City.”
Yes, hustle was the name of the game, even a century ago. In Shaw’s words, here’s a look at L.C. Richards and why he was successful:
“No wonder L.C. Richards is in the tire business. He can’t keep away from rubber. He has been working at it and in it for 14 years. The crackling of the big rubber mill calenders, the clank of the molds and the smooth red finish of the hot water bottles are all familiar to Richards, who for a number of years was calendar man, tire builder, sundries maker and pretty nearly everything else in the rubber line for Goodyear and Goodrich. And he’s been at the selling end of the business, too. That’s why at the end of the war, Richards decided to sell rubber — and he picked tires, a location in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and started in.
“Despite the fact L.C. is the proprietor, owner, service man and sales manager for the firm, he doesn’t lose any business because he lacks help and he keeps a long line of car owners coming and going all day long to and from the snappy service station at 82 North Front Street. Organization is partly responsible and the rest of the reason is Richards himself.
“Everything is just where he needs it. He doesn’t need to hunt for a tool, a certain size of tube, battery or repair. This saves time and steps. Then again, L.C. is a bundle of energy. Things move just as though there are two of him, instead of one. And so his cash register is jingling merrily, like a Swiss music box.
“Three monuments testify to the fact Richards is growing. These are the three places of business he has occupied since he started in selling, vulcanizing and maintaining a stock of batteries and accessories seven years ago in 1918.
“The present store is 20x28 feet in front where the sales and display room are and 20x28 feet in the rear, where the vulcanizing and battery work is done. The two windows are used to advertise the goods Richards sells and he advertises the fact that this is ‘Richards & Tire Supply Co.’ with a big painted sign over his door and a display sign on one side of his neat building.
“Inside the store, the tires are neatly racked. There are plenty of well-arranged shelves, neatly displayed counters and showcases. There is an excellent accessories line-up, too. Richards sells Ajax, Miller and Marathon tires and tubes.
L.C. Richards’ dealership may have faded into the mists of time, but the principles he adhered to still apply and provide a recipe for success today.
MTD
“Richards also has a greasing rack and sells motor oil and fuel. He has been able to build up a good radio battery and parts trade by selling later, earlier and on Sundays, when other stores are closed.
“In going after business, Richards has bent every effort to get the public to do trading at his store and not on the road through a service truck, although he will handle service calls when they are urgent. But he is educating his customers to trade at the store instead of running up a big expense on service car maintenance.
“He uses direct mailings once a month to get trade. He does personal selling. ‘Ninety-percent of getting commercial business is by means of personal contact,’ Richards declared and as they passed his place, he pointed out truck after truck he had equipped and was servicing — not only for tires but for oil, gasoline and accessories.
“Richards is doing a good business. On the corner location next to him is a gasoline and oil service station, but it isn’t injuring L.C.’s business in any way. That’s one of the advantages of knowing all about rubber.
“Another big advantage is that after a while, customers come to place so much reliance on his judgement in recommending the proper size of tire for the different weights of cars and trucks that there is little danger of losing their trade just because they might be able to get a slightly better price at some other dealer. This service keeps customers in line when they might be tempted to stray because of friendship or price.”
L.C. Richards’ dealership may have faded into the mists of time, but the principles he adhered to still apply and provide a recipe for success today. ■
If you have any questions or comments, please email me at mmanges@endeavorb2b.com.
Bend, Ore.-based Les Schwab Tire Centers Inc., one of the five largest independent tire dealerships in the United States, has acquired nearly 30 locations since June 2024 and expects to make more acquisitions, Mike Broberg, the company’s CEO, recently told MTD. In this exclusive, Broberg discusses Les Schwab Tire Centers’ acquisition strategy, the opportunities it sees and more.
“We’re adding more new stores than we ever have in the past,” says Mike Broberg, CEO of Les Schwab Tire Centers Inc.
Photo: Les Schwab Tire Centers Inc.
MTD: Les Schwab Tire Centers Inc. has made a number of major acquisitions over the past several years. Why has the company chosen to grow its footprint via this method?
Broberg: We, of course, want to grow. We have a tremendous business. We are very fortunate to have a business that’s built around treating employees and customers well and really built on the values that (founder) Les (Schwab) created and we want to continue to grow and provide opportunities for people and for customers and communities that we’re not in today. And we do that through same store sales growth, of course, but we also do that through new stores. We’re adding more new stores than we ever have in the past and yet we also recognize that acquisitions provide an opportunity for us to take care of a few different things. One, from our perspective, it allows us to move into certain markets faster than we otherwise would be able to. And two, there are people out there who are reaching a point in their careers where they’re ready to make a change. Sometimes they have someone they can pass the business onto and other times they may not. Where they don’t have that opportunity, we can be a great opportunity for them to have a landing place for their employees and customers that’s very positive. So all of those things together really make for a great opportunity for us in terms of growth and continuing to move our business forward, while continuing to also take care of people, which is really core to who we are.
MTD: What does Les Schwab Tire Centers look for in a potential acquisition? Are there certain metrics you want to see?
Broberg: Certainly when we look at an acquisition, we look at the same things we evaluate ourselves on. There’s always the core metrics around sales and profitability and wanting to make sure the
business is strong. However, we also look at how that business is doing with respect to their employees. We look at the tenure of their employees. We look at how efficient the workforce is. We look at the programs they have in place to take care of their employees. We look at their customers. We look at the tenure of their customers. We look at what services they’re providing to those customers. And all of that to say, ‘How does this match with us?’ When we look at metrics, we’re trying to make sure it’s not just values that somebody’s talking about, but rather values that are actually being manifested in the outcomes of the business itself.
MTD: Are there other things that are important to Les Schwab Tire Centers when making an acquisition or even after making an acquisition?
Broberg: I suppose we could talk about location and those kinds of things, but in the end, the things we focus on are the same things we run our business with. We want to make sure when we’re doing an acquisition, it matches. Our brand is built on great customer service and the way that we treat people, so it’s just that much more important to us to make sure that if we’re doing an acquisition that the people who come with that acquisition — the brand that comes (with it) — are going to match that same set of values we have. So we are selective. We are careful. We, of course, want to grow as fast as we can and as appropriately as we can and provide those opportunities, but we will be thoughtful and considerate about what that means, who we will be bringing on-board and making sure it will be a good fit.
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MTD: In some instances, Les Schwab Tire Centers has allowed the dealerships it has acquired to continue to operate under their existing names — sometimes even with existing staffing. What are the benefits of that strategy for the acquired property, for Les Schwab and for the customer?
Broberg: We kind of look at that on a case-by-case basis, whether or not we’ll continue to use the brand that’s on the building that we acquired. In the case of CMC Tire... it’s a very good example of one where we kept that brand and that was really driven by the strength of that brand, especially around the commercial business they provide. (Editor’s note: Les Schwab Tire Centers acquird CMC Tire, which had 11 locations in Nevada, Colorado and Utah, in June 2024.) We evaluated them. We looked again at all the things I just mentioned. They were a great fit for us and they provide again a focus on the commercial business and have a very strong reputation as it relates to those customers in the markets where they operate. And so we recognized that strength of their position and their brand and certainly wanted to make sure we took advantage of that. So we kept the brand for CMC. We did the same thing with Pete’s Road Service in southern California — also a commercial-focused business. (Editor’s note: Les Schwab Tire Centers acquired Pete’s Road Service, a commercial tire dealership with 10 stores, plus a retread plant and a distribution center, in February 2025.) So (with) the two of them... it made a lot of sense to
take advantage of that. Others we convert immediately to Les Schwab if they’re operating in a way that’s consistent with our brand, as mentioned before. And in some cases, we may even have dual brands for a period of time, if it makes sense.
MTD: What opportunities for additional acquisitions do you see in the market, including in some cases, longtime tire dealership owners who are looking to exit the business? You referred to that dynamic earlier.
Broberg: As you know, our industry is still very fragmented. We have a lot of players out there — some larger, some smaller — and we still have a very large number of founder-owned and operated businesses. Of course, we want to make sure we’re capturing opportunities where we can. It’s certainly a competitive landscape. We want to grow and take advantage of those opportunities, but do it thoughtfully. Geographic location is meaningful for us. We do look at that. We want to make sure that if we acquire a business, it’s in a place we can appropriately get product to and take care of customers in that location and employees. If there’s a single store in the Southeast, we may not be the right acquirer for that. But if it’s a significant brand that has a good base and a good brand, then we would certainly consider those kinds of acquisitions and maybe again, similar to CMC and Pete’s, we hold onto a brand for a little bit longer or keep it. And those would certainly be viable acquisition opportunities for us. We’ve evaluated some of those in
“I think businesses out there want to make sure they’re getting to a good landing spot,” says Broberg.
the past and will continue to do that going forward. We are selective. At the same time, we know there are many opportunities for us out there. We look forward to those conversations with people. We’ve had conversations with them already and in some cases, people are ready to make a change and others are looking a little bit farther down the road and want to talk with us about what that might look like when they do reach that point in time.
MTD: What’s your take on the general climate for tire dealership mergers and acquisitions and additional tire dealership consolidation during the rest of this year and into next year? What’s your forecast? What do you see and what do you anticipate?
Broberg: For sure, we would expect the current landscape of opportunities to remain in the coming years. We don’t expect everything to convert over to a smaller number of players in a short amount of time. There are aggregators, but also others who are looking at the tire business, recognize what a great business it is to be in and use acquisitions — or would like to us acquisitions — to be able to enter this industry. By the same token, I think businesses out there want to make sure they’re getting to a good landing spot. And we certainly want to be the kind of company that people recognize as being a good landing spot. — Mike Manges
Balkrishna Industries Ltd. (BKT) has named Jay Dhillon president of BKT USA and Minoo Mehta senior advisor for BKT USA’s truck and bus radial tire business. Dhillon will lead BKT USA to further grow its presence in the off-highway tire market. Mehta’s appointment will strengthen BKT’s strategy across the TBR tire segment in the United States, leading to “development and launch of new product lines,” according to BKT officials.
Sailun Tire USA recently announced its acquisition of Vogue Tyre. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed. The two companies “have maintained a manufacturing partnership” for more than a decade, according to Sailun officials. The acquisition “accelerates Sailun’s expansion into the premium segment.”
Six new Big O Tires franchise locations have opened in Arizona and Utah, giving Big O Tires more than 460 locations throughout 24 states. “Big O Tires continues to grow within its proven business model,” says Gary Skidmore, Big O Tires’ chief operating officer.
Canada Tire Inc. has opened a new distribution center in the Quebec City, Quebec, area, giving the wholesaler seven distribution centers in total. The new distribution center opened on Oct. 1 and spans 30,000 square feet. Canada Tire has warehouses in Quebec and the Maritimes.
Southern Tire Mart at Pilot Flying J (STMP) says it opened six locations during the third quarter, giving the joint venture more than 90 stores nationwide. The new outlets are in Houston and Burleson, Texas; Sulphur, Ky.; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Hudson and Sayre, Colo.
In the span of about a month, American Tire Distributors (ATD) has announced agreements with three tiremakers to begin stocking and distributing their products from the company’s 110-plus warehouses.
The newest additions are Giti Tire (USA) Ltd. products and Double Coin commercial tires. This comes on the heels of an early-September announcement that ATD would begin distributing Nokian products, as well.
The Giti agreement will include both Giti and GT Radial-branded tires. Enki Tan, executive chairman of Giti Tire, says the deal with ATD will make the company’s products more accessible and will also open new markets. “We are confident this alliance will yield significant benefits for both entities.”
Adding Double Coin brings with it the company’s full commercial lineup, including medium truck tires, as well as OTR tires. In ATD’s announcement of the Double Coin addition, ATD CEO Ira Silver noted, “This addition strengthens our ability to serve the evolving needs of the commercial market.”
Private equity firm Percheron Capital has closed on a $1.625 billion recapitalization of Big Brand Tire & Service.
Based in Moorpark, Calif., Big Brand Tire & Service has more than 250 retail stores, making it the sixth largest independent tire dealership in the United States, according to the 2025 MTD 100.
The recapitalization was completed through a single-asset continuation vehicle formed to accelerate the company’s next phase of growth. The transaction was significantly oversubscribed and co-led by funds managed by Blue Owl Capital, ICONIQ and Warburg Pincus.
Since Percheron Capital first invested in Big Brand Tire & Service four years ago, the dealership “has achieved transformational growth, expanding revenue more than tenfold and profitability more than fifteenfold.
“In partnership with Percheron, Big Brand advanced its proprietary EDGE Intelligence operating system into a powerful enterprise-grade platform, built a high-velocity programmatic M&A and integration engine and amplified its market-leading organic growth.”
“We are incredibly proud of what Big Brand has accomplished and are excited to continue building on this very successful partnership,” says Chris Lawler, co-founder and managing partner of Percheron.
“Big Brand exemplifies our investment model: proprietarily sourcing high-quality, essential services businesses in durable growth markets, building scalable infrastructure to support their acceleration and expanding them rapidly through high-velocity M&A and leading organic growth. A core element of our model is generating meaningful liquidity for our investors early in a fund’s life and we are pleased that this transaction reflects that discipline.”
“Big Brand is a clear demonstration of Percheron’s repeatable approach to operationally intensive value creation,” adds Chris Collins, also a co-founder and managing partner at Percheron. “Our singular focus on essential services allows us to deploy purpose-built teams, technology and capabilities that systematically create category-defining businesses in partnership with exceptional management teams. We are especially grateful for our continued partnership with Joe Buscaglia, CEO of Big Brand, and the world-class Big Brand team.”
Colony picks Interfit
Yokohama TWS’ Interfit division has announced a partnership with Edenton, S.C.-based Colony Tire Corp. that includes the opening of two new Interfit service centers in Spartanburg and Columbia, S.C. Interfit officials call the agreeement “a major milestone.”
BTS event raises money
A recent golf event hosted by Whiteville, N.C.-based Black’s Tire Service Inc. raised more than $272,000 for the Boys and Girls Homes of North Carolina. Nearly 300 golfers participated.
Straightaway names COO
Brian Bates is the new chief operating officer of Straightaway Tire & Auto.
Ken Langhals, founder of Delphos, Ohio-based K&M Tire Inc., received MTD’s 2025 Tire Dealer of the Year Award during Best-One Tire Group’s recent meeting in Indianapolis, Ind.
“Ken, over the last 55 years, has transformed K&M Tire, which started as a small, humble service station, into one of the largest, most respected and most successful independent tire distributors in North America, with more than 40 distribution centers stretching from Maine to New Mexico and from the Dakotas to Texas,” MTD Editor Mike Manges told attendees.
As part of the Tire Dealer of the Year Award program, MTD donated $18,000 to the Delphos Economic Sustainability Coalition, a nonprofit selected by Langhals. The donation was made possible through the generosity of K&M Tire suppliers. Established in 1993 to shine a positive light on independent tire dealers, MTD’s Tire Dealer of the Year Award is the longest-running, most prestigious honor of its kind.
Relevant statistics from an industry in constant motion
78%
Motorists who use winter tires in Canada — up 10 points from 2016
Source: Tire and Rubber Association of Canada 2024 survey
Photo: MTD
$191
Average hourly mechanical labor rate at new car dealerships
Source: National Automobile Dealers Association 2024 Profile Photo: 220247901 © Roman Chazov | Dreamstime.com
26%
4 Years it is expected for the automotive a ermarket to grow from $400 billion to $500 billion
Source: Joint Channel Market Size and Forecast 2025-2028
Photo: MTD
Share of repair shops that say they don’t get enough info on EV and hybrid developments
Source: 2025 IMR Sruvey on Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Trends
Photo: Hankook Tire America Corp.
15 MILLION
Units of medium truck tires retreaded in 2024
Source: MTD Facts Issue
Photo: MTD
The DL-CSD-R01 is a regional closed-shoulder drive tire engineered for ultimate durability and exceptionally long tread life. Its advanced KTM6 tread compound delivers a perfectly balanced performance with low rolling resistance for outstanding fuel economy. Your customers can cut operating costs and keep their fleet rolling with our 5-YEAR CASING WARRANTY. Contact us to become a Delinte Commercial tires dealer by scanning the QRC today.
John Healy By
ur recent industry check-ins with tire dealers indicate that retail sellout trends for the month of September remained in growth mode, but were slightly below August results.
Independent dealers highlighted average sellout increases of 0.8% in September, down slightly from a 1.6% increase in August, which brought the third quarter dynamic trend to growth of just under 1.1%. This compares to declines of approximately 0.6% in the first half of the year. All considered, we look at trends during the third quarter as a win for the industry, with three straight months of reported retail gains.
Looking closer at volume for the month of September on a regional basis, we note that geographies in the Midwest, Northeast, and Southeast all reported positive volume gains. Other regions saw flat or negative volume trends, with the Southwest seeing the weakest trends, down a moderate 1.3% year-over-year.
From our view, we saw summer trends that were positive and fall appears to have started strong with the leaves turning and the ongoing football season putting winter weather considerations and replacement activity higher on the consumer’s list of priorities.
Looking ahead, we note October has a softer comp, with October 2024 seeing retail sellout volumes down 1.7%. Given a healthy increase in September and the
weather beginning to change in some regions, we would not be surprised to see volumes flat or even slightly positive.
Given volatile industry conditions due to cost inflation and other macroeconomic factors, we look at several data points to assess the health of automobile travel demand, which correlates to tire usage and wear.
Looking to miles driven over the last month, which has a significant correlation with the need for a new set of tires, trends were down low single digits during September following a low single digit decline in the second quarter.
The third quarter showed average declines of 1.9%. More specifically, our Miles Driven Momentum Index registered a 1.1% year-over-year decrease in September, which followed a 1.1% decrease in August. We note that the month showed slight declines versus a healthy 1.2% comp in September 2024.
We continue to see miles driven trends ahead of pre-pandemic trends and expect to continue to see flat to slightly elevated trends.
Dealer commentary suggests consumer demand for PLT replacement tires was positive on a net basis compared to September 2023. We note a net 40% of independent dealer contacts saw positive demand trends during September, down sequentially from 44% in August.
Consumer deferment and trade-down have been consistent themes over the past
‘We
look at trends during the third quarter as a win for the industry, with three straight months of reported retail gains.’
several months and we believe that we may have seen it begin to soften as consumers start to think about winter weather.
We do note that consumers continue to trade down to tier-two and tier-three tires and see a positive rate of replacement year-over-year. But on the negative side, dealers continue to call out soft trends for premium tier-one tires.
Looking at the best and worst performers from a mix point of view, our recent survey of tire dealers indicates that tier-two and tier-three brands were the most in-demand from consumers during September. This marks the first time tier two has been the most in-demand segment since January of this year.
We continue to see weak trends in tier one, with a tough macroeconomic environment putting a level of strain on consumers leading to a trade-down dynamic. With tier two and tier three being on top of our survey, we continue to believe that consumers opted for less-expensive tires in September.
We do see a high level of volatility in our month-to-month tier rankings, but expect tier two brands to be the most in-demand segment long-term, offering consumers a balance between cost and performance. ■
John Healy is a managing director and research analyst with Northcoast Research Holdings LLC, based in Cleveland, Ohio. Healy covers a variety of subsectors of the automotive industry. If you would like to participate in the monthly dealer discussions, contact him at john.healy@ northcoastresearch.com.
Every tire gets balanced. What are you using? Choose the perfect weight. Choose Perfect.
IBy Kevin Rohlwing
n 1967, a World War II lm told the story of 12 military convicts who were trained as commandos for a suicide mission in occupied France. They were enticed by the promise of a full pardon if they survived, which added to the tension during training and the actual mission. “ e Dirty Dozen” is a classic war lm that has been recognized as one of the greatest military thrillers of all time.
In the world of tire dealerships, the Dirty Dozen refers to 12 areas where businesses are putting themselves at risk. It could be something they are doing wrong, something they are not doing or something they should be doing. In every case, they represent areas where dealers must recognize the importance and the consequences, so they don’t learn these lessons the hard way. Here is my Dirty Dozen for tire dealers.
It should come as no surprise that the lack of technician education would be number one on my list. At the retail level, failure to train technicians is going to result in higher costs to repair the damage to vehicles, wheels and tires. If technicians do not know how to properly lift a vehicle, then they will eventually damage one.
Aluminum and alloy wheels require a higher level of precision when demounting and mounting tires, so the lack of training on tire changing machines is going to result in cosmetic damage. Torn beads are another consequence of poor training in the retail space and like wheels, it adds to the operating costs.
Commercial tire dealers face some of the same consequences when vehicles, tires and wheels are damaged as a result of poorly trained technicians.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) training requirements apply to every technician before they are allowed to service a tire. Failing to comply can be costly. However, the most important consequence of failure to train technicians in the commercial space is the fact that the price could be the life or limb of an employee.
Truck, earthmover and ag tire service create unique hazards that technicians must be able to identify. Failing to recognize the risks leads to shortcuts that can have tragic results. Good technicians are hard to find and even harder to keep. When they are poorly trained and regularly injured, good technicians are going to look for an employer that provides safety training. No one goes to work expecting an injury. Failure to train is a common cause of workplace accidents and higher operating costs so that’s why it’s number one on the dirty dozen list.
While it has some overlap with failure to train technicians, the lack of standard operating procedures is number two for various reasons. First, it’s going to result in poor quality control for companies with more than one location. Store A should be following the same procedures as Store B. If one location follows industry recommendations for tire repair and another does not, it’s going to be an issue at some point in time. Likewise, if one store uses a torque wrench and another store uses torque sticks, problems should be expected.
The price of negligence is high and getting higher. If tire dealerships with multiple locations have no standardization when it comes to service procedures, that is not going to play out well in front of a jury. Depositions are the great equalizer in civil litigation and when the plaintiff gets different answers from employees in different locations, it’s easier to prove that the company is negligent, which leads to nuclear verdicts.
More companies are turning to the Tire Industry Association (TIA) for standard operating procedures because following industry guidelines is a great defense when faced with an accident. With 28 years of results and more than 230,000 people trained and certified, TIA has the credibility to refute the claims of a plaintiff expert who only has an opinion on what they thought should have happened. TIA tire and wheel service procedures are consistent with guidelines set by the manufacturers and other industry organizations. Dealers don’t have to defend their standard operating procedures when they follow TIA. They just have to follow them.
Margins on new tires and retreads are tight, which is why some tire dealers are drawn to the used tire business. It’s tempting to take that tire with 2/32-inch or more tread depth and set it off to the side for a customer who is looking for one
For fl eets running thousands of miles a week, tire choices aren’t about trends — they’re about trust. Every driven mile and minimizing downtime costs matter more than ever. That’s the environment Sailun engineers had in mind when developing the 70' Series family of commercial truck tires designed to deliver dependable, repeatable performance across steer, drive, and trailer positions.
At the heart of the SFL70 EFT , SDL70 EFT and STL70 EFT models is a focus on balance — pairing fuel efficiency with tread life, and traction along with longterm durability. Each tire uses Sailun’s EcoPoint³ compound and Slim Bead casing technology , developed to help fl eets run more effi ciently without compromising reliability.
EVERYDAY CONFIDENCE IN THE STEER POSITION
As the fi rst point of contact with the road, a steer tire sets the tone for handling and ride quality. The SFL70 EFT was engineered for fleets that need predictable wear and consistent traction, mile after mile.
Its 230mm tread width , wide circumferential grooves , and micro-sipes are tuned for wet traction and steady handling , while a decoupling groove helps maintain even wear across the tread. The EcoPoint³ compound supports low rolling resistance and long tread life , and the Slim Bead design reduces casing weight to aid in fuel effi ciency — all without sacrificing the structure needed for multiple retreads.
TRACTION MEETS EFFICIENCY
For drive positions, the SDL70 EFT delivers mile after mile of durability and performance. With its 240mm footprint , 30/32” tread depth , and closed-shoulder design , it aims to combine traction and stability with extended mileage. It
also uses EcoPoint³ compound and Slim Bead technology to help lower rolling resistance.
With 3 Peak Mountain Snowfl ake (3PMS) certification and SmartWay verification, it’s built for fleets needing severe weather traction and fuel-effi cient operation across regional and long-haul routes.
Behind the steer and drive position, trailers demand tires that stay cool, wear evenly, and handle varied loads. The STL70 EFT brings those traits together with a shallow tread, decoupling groove , and micro-sipes designed to help dissipate heat and reduce irregular wear.
Built using the same EcoPoint³ compound foundation , it provides a balance of rolling resistance and mileage retention, while the Slim Bead casing supports lighter weight and easier retreading. Available for single and tandem trailer setups, the STL70 EFT was designed with fleet input to deliver consistency on interstate long-haul routes.
Instead of chasing trends, Sailun’s engineers focused on the issues that matter most to operators: wear uniformity, casing durability , and operating effi ciency . The result is the 70 Series—models designed not just to perform in testing, but to deliver measurable value on the road.
For fl eets seeking practical solutions and proven performance, the Sailun 70 Series models provide a dependable foundation — one built for today’s routes and tomorrow’s returns.
Find out more at the Sailun commercial / truck (TBR) tire page: gosailun.com/enus/tbr ■
tire and cannot afford a new one. Years ago, when I worked at the family dealership, I sold a ton of used truck tires to drivers who just needed a tire to pass a roadside inspection. They always said they would replace it when they got back to the shop. I’d see them weeks later and that same used tire would still be where we installed it.
Insurance companies have reached the point where many of them will not insure a dealership that sells used tires. Tire manufacturers would love to see the business go away altogether because a lot of their product liability cases are the result of used tire purchases. I’ve been involved in civil litigation where a customer purchased used tires that were far from new and were in fact, very used. When they failed shortly after installation, the name on the sidewall was named in the lawsuit. In too many cases, the used tire dealer or junk yard that sold and installed the tire had minimal, if any, insurance, so the manufacturer was left holding the bag.
If a dealer wants to be in the used tire business, there must be a documented inspection procedure in place to determine which used tires can be sold and which ones need scrapped. Guidelines need to be in place regarding tread depth, overall condition and forgive me for saying it, age. Controversy surrounding tire aging has been relatively quiet over the last few years, which is a good thing. Tires don’t expire like milk and cheese. That being said, most tire manufacturers have established 10 years as the point when a tire should be carefully inspected and removal from service is recommended. Dealers must keep that in mind before selling or installing a used tire.
When a customer purchases new tires and the vehicle has a direct tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) with valve stem sensors, they should sell a new service kit. If it’s a clamp-in sensor, the rubber grommet or O-ring and the aluminum hex nut should be replaced. It may not be leaking at the time, but oxidation takes its toll on all rubber products after years of exposure. Trying to save a customer a few dollars by skipping the service kit when installing new tires often results in more costly repairs down the road.
Education plays a huge role because you can’t sell what you can’t explain. When — not if — the rubber component reaches the point where oxidation starts to result in cracks, a slow leak will be the end result. Likewise, the aluminum hex nut is going to oxidize, especially in climates where road salt and ice-melting chemicals are used. Failing to replace the hex nut often results in a broken
valve stem when the rubber sealing component starts to leak and needs to be replaced. On a twopiece TPMS sensor, it’s not a big deal because the valve stem can be swapped out without purchasing a new sensor. On a one-piece TPMS sensor, an operational sensor must be replaced because the valve stem is damaged.
Rubber snap-in TPMS sensors are no different in that oxidation takes its toll over time. They are easy to replace and the extra cost to the consumer is worth it when the cost of replacing the tire is factored into the equation. A lot of expensive tires are run flat and destroyed because the valve stem wasn’t replaced.
Today’s consumers are not going to accept the old days of showrooms that smell like rubber and stale cigarettes. Curb appeal is another factor that matters and a poorly-lined parking lot and a dirty exterior will cause many drivers in need of tires or vehicle maintenance to drive past a tire dealership to one that looks more inviting. Waiting areas need to be clean and comfortable with some amenities. Back in the day, free coffee was the staple and enough for most people. Fast forward 30 years and things like free Wi-Fi, workstations and other comforts are needed to attract customers.
It’s equally important to dust the furniture, clean the windows and make every effort to keep the customer waiting area as neat and orderly as possible. It doesn’t have to reach the sterilization level of the doctor’s or dentist’s office, but it can’t look like it was last cleaned six months ago. Restrooms are another area where housekeeping is crucial, especially the ladies room. Women buy a lot of tires and maintenance services, so creating a waiting room and restroom that are inviting has an impact on their future business.
The shop area must also be relatively clean and orderly. People are going to think twice about trusting their vehicle to a tire dealership that doesn’t place any importance on the condition of its service bays. Image isn’t everything when it comes to a shop, but it is something. Again, painted floors and shiny equipment are not a requirement for many consumers, but the opposite creates a bad image. Failure to use floor mats, steering wheel covers and to wipe used oil off the bottom of the vehicle after an oil change are other ways that poor housekeeping can result in lost customers. There is an oil change location close to my house that left oil spots on my driveway because of poor housekeeping. I’ll never go back.
It’s a smartphone world and if motorists can’t find you in the palm of their hand, they probably won’t find you. Search engine optimization is crucial to reaching today’s consumer and having a good website on the other end plays an equally important role. Web pages have to be easy to navigate and clearly communicate the services that are available. It’s often called the 15-second elevator speech because that’s about how long you have to get a possible customer’s attention. If the person searching for tires cannot get a good idea of who you are and what you do in 15 seconds on your website, that potential customer is gone.
Social media plays an equally important role in attracting new customers and an even more important role in customer retention. Incentivizing social media engagement with discounts and giveaways is a great way to keep consumers engaged. Showcasing employees and promoting charitable causes demonstrate that the company cares about its people and its community. The smartphone generation is looking for more than just tires and auto maintenance/ repair. They want a relationship with a company they can trust that takes care of employees and gives back to the community.
Social media is a key marketing component, so it needs to be fun and creative. My local butcher is not the cheapest in town, but they use their social media channels to advertise specials, introduce new products and feature employees in fun and creative spots. It keeps me engaged and I look forward to what they’re going to do next. Tire dealers need to get outside the traditional marketing channels and find ways to make their social media channels more fun and engaging. When customers see something creative that promotes the business or a charitable cause, it builds on the long-term relationships that tire dealers need to survive.
YOUR BUSINESS. There are lot of keyboard warriors out there who can’t wait to give a bad review when they don’t like something. It doesn’t matter if it’s accurate, a misunderstanding or if someone is just looking for free stuff, online reviews matter and when they are bad, they cannot be ignored.
To start, someone within your company has to monitor them. The online space is vast and requires regular attention. If the keyboard warrior doesn’t get a timely response, they will double down so the whole world can see that the company doesn’t care. Most reasonable people understand
that no one is perfect. Things are going to go sideways from time to time and the end result often depends on the initial reaction. When the warrior posts a bad review, the company must respond as quickly as possible with an apology and an offer to resolve the problem. Letting a negative review live on the internet forever with no response is going to cause potential new customers to find someone else.
Like website and social media presence, this requires someone to constantly monitor the places on the internet where people can leave reviews. The star rating has a different degree of relevance for consumers because some believe in it and others do not. But a one- or two-star rating with unanswered complaints is the type of image a tire dealer does not want or need. Motorists have a lot of options for tire and vehicle maintenance services, so negative publicity in the form of bad online reviews can — and often does — result in long-term damage to the reputation of the business that’s difficult to overcome.
One of the most common calls I get from consumers happens when a dealer refuses to repair an injury in the shoulder area of a tire. If the motorist takes the time to perform an internet search, they will find that shoulder repairs are not recommended. On the other hand, if they take the time to call around, they will eventually find a tire dealer who will repair an injury in the shoulder and use it as evidence that the dealer who refused is just trying to sell them a new tire.
From a liability perspective, repairing an injury in the shoulder is a roll of the dice. It may or may not work. If there are any questions regarding the potential consequences, just do an internet search for “Mossy Ford tire repair lawsuit.” In July of 2006, a couple was fatally injured when their E350 van rolled over as the result of a faulty tire repair. Mossy Ford installed a repair in the shoulder of the tire and when it separated, the accident orphaned three young boys. It was a landmark case for tire repair failures and set the benchmark for future cases regarding faulty tire repair.
It was a slam dunk for the plaintiff because there are multiple industry organizations, tire manufacturers and tire repair material manufacturers who clearly state that injuries in the shoulder cannot be repaired. The Mossy Ford case set the bar at $22 million for failing to follow the industry guidelines for tire repair. When dealers repair an injury in the shoulder of a tire, they are
rolling the dice with the life of their customer and the future of their company. Refusing to repair a shoulder injury may result in a bad online review, but if the dealer responds by saying it’s against industry guidelines and creates a potentially unsafe condition that could result in a catastrophic failure, that should be enough for reasonable people to see that safety is the primary issue behind the decision.
There are still motorists out there who want custom wheels that are smaller or larger than the original equipment (OE) fitment. A quick internet search of “how much larger can tires be than the original size” identifies 3% as the limit, with some experts suggesting 4%. Years ago, tire manufacturers supported the 3% limit and published it in their fitment guides and/or service manuals. It has since disappeared, but the 3% guideline still remains for TIA because dealers need something to go by when upsizing or downsizing tires.
The 3% rule basically states that a replacement tire with a different size than the OE fitment must have a diameter that is within 3% of the original tire. TIA uses the Tire & Rim Association for tire diameters because all of the tire and wheel manufacturers approve the diameters for the tire sizes that are listed. Years ago, I testified in a case where a tire wholesaler was sued because the tire they sold to a dealer ended up being 0.15 inches over the 3% diameter. They ended up settling, but the 0.15 inches was enough to make a case for the jury, even though they had no idea what tire was being replaced.
When the diameter of the replacement tire exceeds the 3% limit of the OE diameter, safety systems can be affected. Additionally, the replacement tire must have a load index and speed rating that is equal to or greater than the OE tire. There are probably hundreds of thousands of pickup trucks with lift kits and giant tires, as well as cars and SUVs, with tires that are smaller or larger than 3% on the road. They are not illegal, but the modifications create additional liability for the installer that must be considered before making the sale. We haven’t had a Mossy Ford accident related to the 3% rule yet, but that doesn’t mean it
can’t happen. If a plus- or minus-size fitment is within the 3% limit and has a load index and speed rating that is equal to or greater than the original equipment tire that was installed, there is limited liability. Step outside that lane and it’s another roll of the dice.
This is a little outside the tire service and sales lane, but it can cost a tire dealer a lot of money when there is no employee handbook. Unfortunately, we live in a victim culture where personal responsibility is lacking, to say the least. The employee handbook makes it easier to defend claims of discrimination, harassment or other violations by clearly stating the policies of the business. When the handbook addresses things like habitual tardiness, excessive absences and perceived conflicts between management and employees, it ensures that rules and procedures are fairly applied to everyone.
Without an employee handbook that complies with federal and state labor laws and clearly outlines what is expected of employees, the inmates can run the asylum. How many times can someone be late before they are fired or suspended? If the handbook doesn’t address it, then it’s just a matter of time before someone plays victim and gets a lawyer when they are fired for being late for the 10th time in a month. They will claim they were fired for some other reason because there is no policy in place regarding tardiness. The employee handbook sets the baseline for everything from sick leave and vacation time to conflict resolution and benefits. It’s the primary line of defense in a labor dispute.
Every vehicle, tool and piece of equipment owned by a tire dealership requires regular maintenance. If a company-owned vehicle is in an accident and the subsequent investigation reveals that the brakes were worn, the alignment was out or some other mechanical defect was in place, the damages in a lawsuit are going to be higher. Torque wrenches that have never been calibrated are a nightmare in a wheel-off case because the dealer has no idea how much torque was actually applied. Inflation gauges on tire changing machines that are never checked become a major issue when a tire fails and the plaintiff can prove that the pressure on the machine does not match the actual pressure in the tire. And when a vehicle falls off a lift that has never been inspected or where damage is present, get out the checkbook.
Besides liability, there is a major safety component to maintenance. Poorly maintained tools and equipment are more likely to fail and cause an injury to an employee. You can fix a car when it falls off a defective lift, but you cannot fix an injured, crippled or deceased technician. OSHA knows exactly where to look after a workplace accident occurs and if the lack of maintenance is
attributed to the injuries, expect a violation. More importantly, technicians who are forced to work with defective tools and equipment are eventually going to find employment elsewhere if they believe their personal safety is not a priority. Safety is good business for both employees and customers. From an operational perspective, preventive maintenance helps tools and equipment last longer. A poorly maintained compressor will eventually fail and probably at the worst time. The same can be said about vehicle lifts, tire changing machines and balancers. Regular preventive maintenance identifies the tools and equipment that are on their last legs so the business can plan to either repair or replace them before they break. Waiting for them to fail can be extremely costly, especially when the replacement is not immediately available. Heating units, air conditioning, electrical and plumbing also require maintenance and last-minute repairs or replacements are almost always disruptive and more expensive.
The 12th and final member of the Dirty Dozen is waiting for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) to have an impact on your business. Starting in the model year 2030, all vehicles sold in the United States must have autonomous emergency braking or AEB. AEB is a form of ADAS, like lane assist, adaptive cruise control and park assist, but unlike those features, AEB will eventually be required by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 127. Since it is a federally mandated safety system, the make inoperative provision of 49 USC 30122(b) applies. If that sounds familiar, it’s because 30122(b) also applies to TPMS and prohibits the dealer from knowingly making it inoperative.
Tire dealers need to start educating themselves on ADAS and AEB. There has been a lot of discussion related to ADAS recalibration and it’s necessary. As I see it, dealers who make standard placard tire replacements will not be in danger of violating 30122(b). They are not altering the vehicle, so an AEB recalibration would not be required by law. I believe the same can be said for alignments, steering and suspension repairs and brakes. The vehicle is not being altered, so failure to recalibrate the AEB would not constitute a violation of the make inoperative provision.
However, we are already finding out that AEB is a precision component and the slightest changes to vehicle geometry may have an impact on the effectiveness of the system. It will probably come down to an interpretation of inoperative. Consider this excerpt from FMVSS 127, which mandates AEB:
“Section 30122 does not require repair shops to restore safety systems damaged in a collision to a new or pre-crash condition. Instead, under section 30122, when any repair to a vehicle is completed, the vehicle must be returned to the customer with the safety systems capable of functioning at least as well as they were able to when the vehicle was received by the repair shop.”
If a collision shop doesn’t have to restore the safety system after a crash, then a tire dealer should not have to restore the AEB after repair work that does not alter the vehicle. On the other hand, a plus- or minus-size fitment could be considered an alteration and we know that if the OE ride height is changed, the ADAS is affected and will become less effective. If less effective is considered inoperative, then a recalibration would be required after every plus or minus fitment.
As I have said, there are more questions than answers at this point, but AEB will be here with the 2030 models. Industry organizations like TIA and the Specialty Equipment Market Association are already
considering the impact on the industry so they can advise their members on how to proceed when AEB is a required safety system and therefore subject to the knowingly make inoperative clause in 30122(b). It’s my hope that tire dealers can continue with placard tire replacements and standard repair work without the legal obligation to require an ADAS recalibration and add hundreds of dollars to the repair bill.
There you have it: the Dirty Dozen that all have an impact on profitability. Many of them also have an impact on safety for your customers and employees. Safety is just good business, while a lack of safety will eventually cost a business money in the form of lawsuits, repairs and higher workers’ comp premiums, plus more employee turnover. In many ways, the Dirty Dozen is a scorecard that will help tire dealers identify areas in need of improvement. Checking every box doesn’t guarantee profitability, but every box that isn’t checked will definitely increase costs at some point. ■
Kevin Rohlwing is chief technical officer of the Tire Industry Association. He can be reached at krohlwing@tireindustry.org.
2025 MARKS 10 YEARS OF ON THE RISE, the tire industry’s only program dedicated to celebrating the good work and bright minds of young people in the tire industry. In the last decade, we’ve highlighted and introduced readers to more than 250 young men and women who are working to uplift every corner of the tire industry. This year, we add 28 more young leaders to this exclusive club.
And like every year since the start of On the Rise, these young people are pouring new ideas, energy and promise into the tire industry. Get to know them here and find their complete profiles online at www.moderntiredealer.com/ontherise. — Joy Kopcha
Davis Adams-Smith PAGE 38
Mario Aguirre PAGE 36
Darren Bakkestuen PAGE 48
Cole Benton PAGE 38
Jenny Brown PAGE 50
Ben Chambers PAGE 50
Kelsey Chapin PAGE 42
Ellsworth Clark III PAGE 34
Angie Cox PAGE 36
Russell Disalvo III PAGE 40
Kyle Dolgner PAGE 52
Scott Estes PAGE 46
Manolo Galang PAGE 50
Alex Gobble PAGE 44
Seth Godley PAGE 51
Samantha Johnson PAGE 42
Sheh Kadir PAGE 40
Brennan Kelso PAGE 48
Parker McClain PAGE 48
Elizabeth Moctezuma PAGE 46
Derek Potter PAGE 52
Andrew Rick PAGE 36
Patrick Roarty PAGE 52
Omar Shafi PAGE 44
Dustin Smith PAGE 42
Logan Spores PAGE 46
Cole Strandberg PAGE 40
Anthony Umezinwa PAGE 53
Ellsworth Clark III
President | Atlantic Tire Center Inc. | Stuart, Fla. | Age: 39
What was your first job in the industry?
I started working for my dad at the age of 16, helping out on the counter. He is the one who started the company.
Tell us about your current job and responsibilities. How do you spend your work day?
I’m typically at work from 6:30 a.m. until we close officially at 5:30, but often closer to 6 p.m. My role covers a wide range of responsibilities, including managing the team, handling payroll and bookkeeping, selling services and building client relationships. In our small town, many of our clients have my personal cell number, so my phone stays busy throughout the day. Whether it’s problem solving, supporting the team or ensuring customers have a great experience, I’m always available and fully engaged in the business.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career?
One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced was purchasing a commercial property, tearing down the existing building, rebuilding and then moving our operations into it. I coordinated most of the process, which meant long days and very little sleep, but I learned an incredible amount. Commercial properties are hard to come by and through dedication we were able to secure an off-market deal and bring it to life. It was an intense, high-pressure experience, but it allowed me to apply my skills in a completely new context and proved that persistence pays off.
In the next 10 years, what will be the biggest change in the tire industry? Over the next 10 years, I think the biggest challenge in the tire industry will be balancing quality service and fair pricing with maintaining a healthy compensation plan for employees. With the cost of living continuing to rise, especially here in
JIM FLECKNER
Tire Discounters needed a complete redesign of their top off road tire and it had to be on shelves for fall selling season. We sourced options, reviewed designs, fast-tracked engineering and even got customer performance data. In two months, the tire made it to market just in time for their fall rush.
YOUR CHALLENGE?
Florida, it will be essential to nd ways to keep employees motivated and fairly compensated while still delivering value to customers.
Mario Aguirre General manager | Southern Tire Mart LLC | Mansfield, Texas | Age: 36
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career?
We moved our Dallas-Fort Worth wholesale warehouse from Grand Prairie to Mans eld, Texas, but we only had one month to do it. We were able to accomplish the goal without the help of any outside contract labor and we didn’t skip a day of doing business.
Who has had the biggest in uence on your career?
Marty Windham and Keven Haddox. My rst interview was with Keven and ever since that day I have had the utmost respect for the way he is able to handle himself and the responsibilities he has for Southern Tire Mart. Marty taught me everything I know today about the wholesale business and I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for him. ose are the two hardest working men I know in the industry.
Tell us about your current job and responsibilities. How do you spend your workday?
I manage our DFW wholesale distribution center — from operations to sales, all the way to what type of toilet paper we buy. Most of my mornings are spent making my rounds in the warehouse to talk to my supervisors and make sure everything is running smoothly with deliveries and inbound. I usually run multiple reports each day to look at sales, inventory and route e ciency and then I will repeat that cycle in the a ernoon when our next shi comes in for outbound operations.
If it was your job to persuade new people to join the tire industry, what would be your best selling point? My selling point would be that there is a position for almost everyone. is industry touches so many professions that you can almost nd a spot for any candidate.
Pick a celebrity and explain why you think he/she would be a great tire dealer.
Leonardo DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort from " e Wolf of Wall Street." If he can sell penny stocks, he can sell tires.
Andrew Rick
Director of key accounts | McCarthy Tire Service Co. Inc. Wilkes-Barre, Pa. | Age: 37
What attracted you to the industry? My father-in-law was a customer of McCarthy Tire for a long time and when I was transitioning out of the military as an active-duty military recruiter (Go Army!), he told me about an opening in sales with McCarthy Tire that sounded interesting to me, so I gave it a shot and here I am, almost 10 years later.
Who has had the biggest in uence on your career?
Customers. I’ve learned so much through our customers, whether it’s a phone conversation or a face-to-face meeting. Whether they decide to partner with us or not, the feedback and information a customer provides has been essential to helping me grow, think di erently and ultimately make the best decision for not only our company, but most importantly, the customer.
Tell us about your current job and responsibilities. How do you spend your workday?
No workday is ever the same for me.
However, I am typically out on the road or ying somewhere throughout the country every week to meet with current customers, our stores, our sales team or new potential customers. Moving up within McCarthy Tire, I’ve de nitely learned to manage my time and prioritize.
What’s one thing you would change about yourself?
Sometimes I wish I could just “turn the switch o ,” but this has also helped me get to where I am because of my care for customers, teammates and my relentless drive to succeed.
Tell us about your family.
I am happily married to my wife, Rachel, of 12 years, and we have four amazing children: Ella, 14, Cory, 12, Cecilia, 9, and Wesley, 6.
Vice president of marketing | Straightaway Tire and Auto Li leton, Colo. | Age: 39
What attracted you to the industry? I was drawn to the automotive industry because it felt like a space where marketing was still very traditional — and I saw that as an opportunity. I wanted the challenge of bringing new, innovative thinking to a space that hadn’t fully embraced digital yet. What really excites me is helping shop owners and brands understand why it’s so important to modernize their marketing approach. Customers are online, researching, comparing and making decisions digitally. If we’re not showing up there in meaningful ways, we’re missing the mark.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career?
One of the biggest challenges in the industry is balancing the need for modernization with the reality that
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many businesses are still operating with legacy mindsets or systems. The customer journey has shifted. People expect seamless, digital-first experiences, but many shops are still relying on outdated marketing tactics or operational processes. There is also a lot of noise in the market, so standing out requires not just good service, but smart branding, strong local engagement and consistent digital presence. Bridging that gap between traditional operations and modern expectations is where the real work and opportunity lies.
What moment in life would you like to live over again?
The early days of becoming a mom. It was overwhelming, but also the most meaningful and life-changing time. Experiencing those first moments of connection again would be something I’d relive in a heartbeat.
Pick a celebrity and explain why you think he/she would be a great tire dealer. Tim McGraw and Matthew McConaughey. I can also see Reese Witherspoon as half-owner.
Cole Benton
Management and business development | Black’s Tire Service Inc. | Leland, N.C. | Age: 25
What is the most essential professional skill for someone in your job?
Customer service and relationship-building are the most essential professional skills in the tire industry. Establishing trust and strong connections with both customers and team members is what drives long-term success and loyalty.
Tell us about your family. Growing up, I was always involved in different parts of our family business, Black’s Tire. My grandparents, Ricky
and Dianne, taught me early on the importance of family and the value of the relationships our business has built over the years. I’ve also been fortunate to learn directly from my dad, Rick Benton, and my uncles, Ryan and Jeremy Benton, whose leadership has played a major role in our company’s growth. Today, my twin brother, Cody, and I are proud to be working full-time in the business, continuing to grow and build on our family’s legacy. Looking ahead, my older brother, Trey, also plans to join the business in the future, further strengthening our family’s involvement.
Tell us about your current job and responsibilities. How do you spend your workday?
I am currently focused on driving sales volume and increasing tire sales within our retail stores, while ensuring we provide the highest level of customer service.
What’s one thing you would change about yourself?
One thing I would change about myself is learning to be more patient, especially when things don’t go as planned. I’m always eager to improve, but I know slowing down can lead to better decisions.
What hobby or activity helps you unwind?
Golf is my sport of choice for relaxation, helping me recharge, stay focused and enjoy time outdoors. Also I enjoy spending time with my wife and family.
Davis Adams-Smith Director of public relations
Bridgestone Americas Inc. | Gainesville, Ga. | Age: 38
What was your first job in the industry? Technically, I had a blog in college called, “Davis in the Drivers’ Seat,” which I’ve now archived away. I
also had an internship in college at 22Squared, the advertising agency that handles a lot of Toyota’s work in the Southeast. However, my first real job in the industry was at Brandware PR, where I had clients ranging from Porsche and Vespa to Consumer Reports and Manheim.
What is your biggest accomplishment in the industry?
The one that sticks out most today is the establishment and formalization of the PR department at Bridgestone. Not just because it’s something that I enjoy, but it’s really incredible to watch a team of brilliant PR professionals work so hard to make the public more aware of the complexity of our industry and the incredible engineering that goes into every tire that you see on the road.
Tell us about your family.
My husband and I live in Georgia with our dog and our entire extended family has moved into the area now, too. We’re close with our parents, grandparents, siblings and nephews and spend as much time outdoors as we can manage.
In the next 10 years, what will be the biggest change in the tire industry?
Process automation, AI and the rapid improvement of lower-tier products. Modernization is critical for the established players and I believe that consumers will have a harder and harder time differentiating the premium segment from more affordable options if those affordable options are made well.
Pick a celebrity and explain why you think he/she would be a great tire dealer. Taylor Swift. Look at what she’s done for football. Imagine what she could do (to) bring the masses into the tire world, too.
We believe we offer, quite simply, a better tire, while providing you greater customer satisfaction and profit. So what makes Vredestein better?
BETTER PERFORMANCE
Award-winning tires, as judged by independent testing groups.
RICH HERITAGE
Over a century of European innovation.
ELEVATED DESIGN Partner of Italdesign, founded by the legendary designer Giorgetto Giugiaro.
Sheh Kadir
Financial analyst | Sun Auto Tire & Service | Mesa, Ariz. | Age: 31
Tell us about your current job and responsibilities. How do you spend your workday?
I’m a financial analyst at Sun Auto Tire & Service. I spend my day diving into data, spotting trends and creating reports and dashboards that help the team make smart decisions. It’s all about turning numbers into insights that keep the business running smoothly.
If you could start a new career tomorrow, what would you do?
I’d pick the same one. I love the challenge, the growth and being part of big business decisions. Getting to combine that with my passion for cars makes it the perfect fit for me.
If it was your job to persuade new people to join the tire industry, what would be your best selling point? The tire industry offers a unique combination of stability and innovation. You’re part of an essential business that’s evolving rapidly with new technologies and there’s a lot of room to grow and make a difference.
What’s one thing you would change about yourself?
I value learning and growth, so I’m always striving to improve. I focus more on what i can learn or change each day rather than wishing I were different. I try to be better today than I was yesterday.
Pick a celebrity and explain why you think he/she would be a great tire dealer.
I’d pick Steve Carell because of how he sold paper on "The Office" as Michael Scott. Selling is all about connecting with people and making the experience memorable and he nails that.
Russell Disalvo III
Store manager | Chabill’s Tire and Auto | Houma, La. | Age: 35
If it was your job to persuade new people to join the tire industry, what would be your best selling point?
The unlimited opportunities for a career path. You can essentially choose what you want to do and under the right company, like Chabill’s, they will help you excel in the area you want to pursue as long as you put the work in to make it happen.
What is your biggest accomplishment in the industry?
I started with Chabill’s when I was 20. I worked my way up to a service advisor by age 22 and then to a manager when I was 26. In doing so, I was able to win the Service Advisor of the Year award three times and Manager of the Year twice with two different locations.
Tell us about your current job and responsibilities. How do you spend your workday?
My day consists of managing workflow, taking care of customers and estimates. If we are behind or shorthanded, I’ll work in the back if that is what it takes to not only assist my crew, but to get our customers taken care of.
Tell us about your family.
I’m married to my beautiful wife, Brittany. I also have two beautiful kids, a 10-year-old son named Cohen and a 7-year-old daughter named Charleigh. We also have a very spoiled bernedoodle named Cosmo.
What is the most essential professional skill for someone in your job?
I feel like having a whatever-it-takes type of mentality. I feel like with those types of skills, it allows someone to look past excuses and find solutions to make things happen.
Cole Strandberg
Managing
director
| FOCUS Investment Banking | Parkland, Fl. | Age: 32
What is the most essential professional skill for someone in your job?
While many people think of mergers and acquisitions as purely financial, the real X-factor in investment banking is storytelling. For us as bankers, deals come frequently. But for the business owner — the seller — this may very well be the only deal they’ll ever do. To be truly effective, you have to put yourself in their shoes, understand what matters most to them and then optimize the story through that lens. Empathy allows you to build trust, capture the essence of the business and tell a more compelling story that resonates with both the client and the market.
In the next 10 years, what will be the biggest change in the tire industry? No matter how much the automotive landscape evolves, tires will remain a necessity. Over the next decade, I see the biggest change coming from the rise of autonomous vehicles and EV fleets. These technologies won’t reduce tire demand. If anything, they’ll shift where the demand comes from. Fleet accounts, in particular, will become an increasingly important piece of business for tire dealers. As more companies operate autonomous delivery vehicles or large EV fleets, they’ll look to dealers who can service them consistently, efficiently and at scale.
Pick a celebrity and explain why you think he/she would be a great tire dealer.
If I had to pick a celebrity to make a great tire dealer, I’d go with Taylor Swift — with a little help from her fiancé, Travis Kelce. Taylor already sings about “mud on your truck tires” and “brand new tires,” so clearly she understands the importance of a quality set of tires.
Add Travis, and you’ve got the perfect family business.
Taylor would handle the marketing (“Are You Ready for It? New Tires Today” practically writes itself), while Travis would bring his grit, leadership and Midwestern work ethic to the shop floor. Together, Swift & Kelce Tire Co. would combine brand power, authenticity and community spirit — everything that makes a tire dealer successful.
Samantha Johnson Service Manager | Al’s Tire Mart | Effingham, Ill. | Age: 33
What attracted you to the industry?
I always had a passion for cars and horsepower. I loved going to the drag strip/race track in our local area and tinkering in the garage with friends on the weekends. I always hoped for a career in the automotive industry.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career?
Being a woman in a male-dominated field will always present a challenge. Not getting taken seriously or treated as an equal in the beginning, I could get discouraged pretty easily. I was lucky enough to have a super-supportive group of shop guys and co-workers backing me.
What’s one thing you would change about yourself?
I doubt myself more than I should. Lucky for me, I am surrounded by a great support system.
Tell us about your current job and responsibilities. How do you spend your workday?
I am the first person you make eye contact with when you walk in the door. I handle all the day-to-day operations, tire sales and I help you make the best decision on your vehicle and walk you through the repair process.
Tell us about your family. I very recently got married to my husband Dylan. He is a lineman and together, we have three kids: Mack, Lilly and Luke. We also have three dogs.
In the next 10 years, what will be the biggest change in the tire industry?
I’m excited to see what happens with the Tweel. We have started seeing them on ag equipment in this area. It’s a pretty cool concept. SEMA had a set-up for color changing tires, which would be interesting for people wanting to really make show cars stand out.
Dustin Smith
General
manager
| St Louis Wholesale Tire | St. Louis, Mo. | Age: 36
If it was your job to persuade new people to join the tire industry, what would be your best selling point?
My best-selling point would be the combination of stability, innovation and variety. This is an industry where you get to solve real-world problems and see the tangible impact of your work every day. There’s also room to grow whether in technical expertise, sales or leadership, making it a career with both challenge and reward.
If you could start a new career tomorrow, what would you do?
If I could start a new career tomorrow, I would still choose to work in the tire industry. It’s an industry I have grown to love and I genuinely enjoy the combination of technical knowledge, problem solving and helping customers find the right solutions. Growing up, I saw the impact a well-run business could have on people’s lives and now being part of a family owned company, I love that I get to carry that forward every day. Even if I started fresh, I’d be drawn to the same challenges and opportunities that make this business so rewarding.
What hobby or activity helps you unwind?
Fishing is my go-to way to unwind. Being out on the water lets me disconnect, clear my mind and recharge. I even keep a small picture of the first fish I ever caught with my grandfather on my desk.
Pick a celebrity and explain why you think he/she would be a great tire dealer. I would pick Tim Allen for his practical, hands-on approach and everyman persona.
Kelsey Chapin
Product marketing manager
Bridgestone Americas Inc. | Nashville, Tenn. | Age: 32
Tell us about your current job and responsibilities. How do you spend your workday?
As the product marketing manager for consumer replacement tires at Bridgestone, I lead the go-to-market strategy for all consumer product segments and launches. My day typically involves collaborating with cross-functional teams — including sales, planning, engineering, legal and supply chain — to ensure our product launches are innovative but also strategically positioned to resonate with both dealers and consumers.
What is the most essential professional skill for someone in your job?
Cross-functional collaboration is absolutely essential. Product marketing sits at the intersection of many teams — sales, planning, engineering, legal, supply chain and external agencies — so being able to align diverse stakeholders around a shared vision is key. Whether it’s launching a new product or refining a go-to-market strategy, success depends on clear communication, mutual understanding and the ability to bring people together to move the business forward.
What moment in life would you like to live over again?
If I could relive any moment, it would be my senior year of college. It was such a special time — being surrounded by close friends, making memories and enjoying the last bit of freedom before stepping into the real world. I’d love to experience that sense of connection and carefree fun all over again.
What hobby or activity helps you unwind?
Golfing with my husband is my favorite way to unwind. It gets us outside and lets me completely disconnect from the day. Whether we’re playing a round or just hitting balls at the range, it’s the perfect mix of fun and relaxation.
Alex Gobble
Director of strategic accounts | S&S Tire | Killen, Ala. | Age: 36
What was your first job in the industry?
I joined S&S Tire in 2017 as an auto dealer specialist on a newly formed team dedicated to serving new automotive dealerships. After three years learning the intricacies of this channel and the needs of the customer, I was promoted to leading the team as a business development manager.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career?
I take pride in my ability to execute at a high level and S&S Tire continues to entrust me with significant responsibilities, which is not something I take lightly. My biggest professional challenge is balancing time away from home for work and dedicating quality time to my young family. My wife and children are my priority and I insist on being a dedicated husband and father.
What is the most essential professional skill for someone in your job? Being an efficient and effective com-
municator has served me well in my career thus far and is one of the most critical skills for someone in my role. To create value for our customers, I have to understand their needs and priorities and ensure our sales and operations teams can execute them as expected. I work with such a broad scope of people both internally and externally and that requires we’re all on the same page. Strong communication is crucial.
Do you live by inbox zero, or inbox disaster?
100% inbox zero. I am also a bubbleclearer on my phone.
What moment in life would you like to live over again?
Any moment with my grandmother. She was one of the most loving women I’ve ever known.
Pick a celebrity and explain why you think he/she would be a great tire dealer.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. "The Rock" has built his brand on strength, reliability and consistency — exactly what people want in a tire dealer. If he tells you these tires will grip the road, you’re going to believe him.
Omar Shafi Senior brand manager | TBC
Corp. | Fayetteville, Ark. | Age: 34
Tell us about your current job and responsibilities. How do you spend your workday?
I lead the medium radial truck category at TBC, which means I’m responsible for growing the business and managing our tier-three and tier-four exclusive brands across different customer channels. I spend a lot of time working with teams like sales, purchasing, finance and channel strategy
to make sure we’re aligned and executing strong brand strategies. I also help drive product innovation and lead go-to-market launches, making sure new products hit the market smoothly and with impact.
What is the most essential professional skill for someone in your job? The most essential professional skill is strategic thinking with strong cross-functional collaboration. You need to be able to see the big picture — understand market trends, customer needs and long-term business goals — and then translate that into actionable plans. However, having a plan isn’t enough. You need to work across teams like sales, finance, purchasing and supply chain to bring those plans to life. No one can do it alone.
On a practical level, that means being comfortable with data, making informed decisions and communicating clearly with different stakeholders. It’s a mix of leadership, problem-solving and relationship-building.
What song takes you back to high school?
“Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin. I really got into classic rock during high school.
In the next 10 years, what will be the biggest change in the tire industry? I believe the biggest change in the tire industry over the next decade will be driven by artificial intelligence. AI is set to transform how manufacturers and distributors interact with their customers, making processes faster, smarter and more personalized. From inventory management and quality control to predictive maintenance, AI will reshape the entire supply chain.
Pick a celebrity and explain why you think he/she would be a great tire dealer.
Charles Barkley. He’s authentic, outspoken and really funny. Charles would be very honest about what tires you would need — what he likes about certain tires (and) what he does not like about certain tires. People would come into the shop to have an honest assessment and a laugh.
Scott Estes
Regional operations manager | McCarthy Tire Service Co. Inc. Huntersville, N.C. | Age: 38
If it was your job to persuade new people to join the tire industry, what would be your best selling point? There’s career and compensation growth no matter your educational background or experience. Keep hustling and stay focused. It will always pay off in this industry.
What attracted you to the industry?
I was attracted to the commercial tire industry because it’s a critical part of keeping transportation and logistics running smoothly. Nearly every sector of the economy depends on commercial vehicles and tires are at the core of that reliability and safety. I’m drawn to the combination of hands-on technical work, problem-solving and the opportunity to directly impact customer uptime and safety.
What was your first job in the industry? Front counter commercial sales.
Tell us about your current job and responsibilities. How do you spend your workday?
I currently have full operational control over 14 McCarthy Tire locations. Most days are spent on the fundamentals of safety, financial performance, inventory management, staffing, fleet management and sales/service growth.
What is the most essential professional skill for someone in your job? Being able to compartmentalize tasks and assignments. This business can throw plenty of curve balls and things move fast. So being able to break every situation down will reduce becoming overwhelmed, improve focus and increase productivity.
If you could start a new career tomorrow, what would you do? Sports agent.
Elizabeth Moctezuma Accounting clerk
|
Atturo Tire
Corp. | Round Lake Beach, Ill. | Age: 28
What is the most essential professional skill for someone in your job?
I believe the most essential professional skills for someone in this job are staying organized, staying focused and having patience. Organization is key when you are handling multiple accounts, payments and customer records. Focus helps prevent errors and ensure small details are accounted for. Also patience is very important when resolving discrepancies or working with customers who may be frustrated or confused.
What moment in life would you like to live over again?
I would love to be a kid again and see my parents be young again and reunite with all my family members more often as we did then.
What’s one thing you would change about yourself?
One thing I would change about myself is becoming more comfortable with visibility. Since I was young, I always tended to avoid being the center of attention, but I know that putting myself out there could open up bigger opportunities.
What attracted you to the industry?
I became a car enthusiast about seven years ago after being introduced to the world of automotive customization by my now-husband. Over time, that interest grew into a passion I never knew existed in me. As I started getting hands-on with car projects and having a deeper understanding in car customization, I developed a deeper
understanding of vehicles. This naturally led me to the tire industry.
Pick a celebrity and explain why you think he/she would be a great tire dealer. I would pick Zendaya because she is young, relatable and has a big influence on the younger generation currently. She has a versatility in her character and is very likeable.
Commercial tire tech | Pomp’s Tire & Service Inc. | Cedar Rapids, Iowa | Age: 22
What attracted you to the industry?
I had a teacher in automotive class that told me I would make a good tire technician one day and a friend of the family happened to work for Pomp’s Tire, so he put the word in and got me hired.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career?
Adapting to the speed of the industry and the competitiveness between the other techs to be the best.
What is the most essential professional skill for someone in your job? Safety first! This is a very dangerous job that needs to have my full attention. Pomp’s has a slogan: "Safety First, Safety Always." Pomp’s makes sure we are doing everything as safe as possible.
In the next 10 years, what will be the biggest change in the tire industry?
Probably the run-flat technology that is working its way into every application.
What’s one thing you would change about yourself?
I really like me the way I am and I’m pretty happy with how far I’ve come.
Pick a celebrity and explain why you think he/she would be a great tire dealer. Keanu Reeves. He’s honest, humble
*MAIL-IN REBATE WITH QUALIFYING CONTINENTAL TIRE PURCHASE OFFER: Valid only with qualified purchase made in the 50 United States, Washington, D.C., or Puerto Rico between 11/07/2025 and 12/07/2025 or while supplies last. Void where restricted or prohibited by law. No rain checks. Submission must include copy or original, dated, paid, itemized receipt and invoice for the purchase of four (4) new qualifying CONTINENTAL TIRES from a participating retail dealer and a completed rebate form. For online purchases, an original, dated, itemized proof of installation also must be submitted. Offer may not be combined with any other offer, discount, rebate, or promotion. Tires must be purchased in a single transaction. Rebate form must be postmarked or submitted online by 01/07/2026. Offer not valid on purchase by wholesalers, dealers, fleets, OEM customers, or other commercial entities or on returned merchandise. Requests from those with an invalid or undeliverable mailing address will be denied. Limit two (2) Continental Tire Prepaid Mastercard cards per person, household, email or address. The Prepaid Mastercard is given to you as a reward, refund, rebate and no money has been paid by you for the card. Physical card is issued by Pathward®, N.A., Member FDIC, pursuant to a license by Mastercard International Incorporated. Mastercard and the circles design are registered trademarks of Mastercard International Incorporated. No cash access or recurring payments. Card can be used where Debit Mastercard is accepted. Card valid for up to 6 months; unused funds will forfeit after the valid thru date. Terms and conditions apply. Not responsible for late, lost, stolen, misdirected, illegible, mutilated, or postage due to mail or inability to connect to the website. Any taxes, fees, or costs, including but not limited to installation, are sole responsibility of the recipient. Allow 8 to 12 weeks for fulfillment. Each time you use the card, the amount of the
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and doesn’t look down on people. He’s always trying to help other people.
Brennan Kelso
Store manager/ag expert | Moore Tires | Victoria, Ill. |Age: 32
What is the most essential professional skill for someone in your job?
The most essential skill to have would be just good working knowledge of mechanics. You have to be self-reliant when you’re out on the road. You have to be handy and quick on your feet to figure out how to fix stuff as you go.
Tell us about your current job and responsibilities. How do you spend your workday?
Currently, I’m a store manager and our southern ag expert in the company. I manage our Monmouth location and I oversee the day-to-day operations of our store. I’m also overseeing all the service calls in our southern region — anything from building the ticket to advising our service truck drivers when they get into a pinch and need a different perspective. I organize our drivers’ days by priority of the call and map out a route for them to maximize efficiency.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career?
Falling victim to the status quo. Don’t just assume the way we’ve been doing it forever is the only way to do things!
If you could start a new career tomorrow, what would you do?
If I could start a new career tomorrow it would likely be as a chef. I love to cook good food and entertain.
If it was your job to persuade new people to join the tire industry, what would be your best selling point? This job makes you feel proud. I think of the old-school men and women who built this country, from steel mills to
farming and everything in between. They worked with their hands and they were proud of it. I’m old-school at heart. I’m proud to be an American tire professional who keeps this country rolling down the road.
Parker McClain
Market manager — outside sales | Southern Tire and Wheel Memphis, Tenn. | Age: 35
What attracted you to the industry?
I’ve always enjoyed vehicles and tires as a kid. Having a project on a vehicle was always something that happened. After the first few weeks of being in the warehouse, I saw a totally new side that I was very interested in.
Tell us about your current job and responsibilities. How do you spend your workday?
The majority of the time is spent faceto-face with our customer base. I cover about a 120-mile radius roughly in and surrounding the greater Memphis area. If I am not in front of a dealer, I am usually on a phone call. Taking orders is part of the job, but being on the front lines interacting with customers is the best part of my job. I am confident when I say we know almost everyone we do business with personally.
If you could start a new career tomorrow, what would you do?
I’d probably try to do something in sports again. I went back to school in between working in the tire industry and I got a degree in sports management. This allowed me to work with the Memphis Grizzlies for two seasons. It was a great job, but having a family made the hours hard to stick with it. But I enjoy the tire industry now too much to make a change.
In the next 10 years, what will be the biggest change in the tire industry?
I think online sales will be great for a lot of people and it will be very beneficial for the convenience of the individual. I believe this will allow people to be better and more savvy buyers. But I think it will hurt the wholesalers and retail shops in the end. Individuals are going to focus more on pricing and cheaper labor rates rather than quality and service in a storefront (at a) local, hometown business.
Environmental health and safety manager | Nokian Tyres Inc. | Dayton, Tenn. | Age: 39
Tell us about your current job and responsibilities. How do you spend your workday?
I oversee all environmental, health and safety functions for Nokian Tyres in North America. Because our manufacturing presence here is still relatively new, much of my work has involved building systems from the ground up — developing policies, procedures and processes and then ensuring employees understand their roles and responsibilities. On the environmental side, permitting has been a major focus, while on the safety side, the greatest challenge has been onboarding hundreds of new employees over the past five years. Many came without manufacturing experience and some without any industrial background at all, so preparing them for safe and successful careers in tire production has been a central part of my role.
Do you live by inbox zero, or inbox disaster?
There was a time when I aimed to clear out my inbox by the end of every week, but eventually, I hit the point of no return. Now, I rely on search more than zero and it works surprisingly well.
Pick a celebrity and explain why you think he/she would be a great tire dealer.
The only correct answer to this question is obviously Tommy Callahan, i.e. Chris Farley, but it would have to be a package deal with both him and Richard (David Spade). It’s not hard to picture a re-imagined version of "Tommy Boy" where they travel across the country selling tires instead of brake pads. Sure, he’s not the smoothest salesperson at first, but what makes him great is that he never quits, he believes in his product and he wins people over with genuine enthusiasm. Customers don’t just buy from a business. They buy from people they trust and enjoy working with. Tommy shows that if you lead with heart, humor and honesty, you can build lasting relationships. Plus, who wouldn’t want to buy tires from someone who could make you laugh the whole time?
Human resources and payroll manager | Ziegler Tire & Supply Co. | Canal Fulton, Ohio | Age: 39
What attracted you to the industry?
The tire industry plays a critical role in transportation and logistics, which appealed to me. I was excited by the idea of working in a field that keeps businesses, people and goods moving, literally! Even though it was new to me, I saw the value in supporting something so fundamental to everyday life.
In the next 10 years, what will be the biggest change in the tire industry? I see the tire industry evolving significantly over the next decade, especially in terms of becoming more sustainable and eco-friendly. With increasing environmental awareness and regulations, manufacturers are developing tires using recycled and bio-based materials and focusing on reducing the carbon
footprint of production. I’m excited about these changes because they reflect a commitment to innovation and responsibility, both of which are crucial for the industry’s future.
Who has had the biggest influence on your career?
The biggest influence on my career has been my mother. She’s always modeled the importance of hard work, staying grounded and never becoming complacent. From a young age, she instilled in me the value of giving your best effort, no matter what the task, while also remaining humble and open to learning. That mindset has shaped how I approach my career — always pushing to grow, while staying true to my values.
Do you live by inbox zero, or inbox disaster?
I’m definitely an inbox zero kind of person. I like to stay organized and keep my inbox clear so I can prioritize tasks effectively and respond promptly. It helps me stay on top of my responsibilities and reduces stress.
Ben
Chambers
Regional sales director for National Tire Wholesale | TBC Corp. | Dickinson, Texas | Age: 38
If it was your job to persuade new people to join the tire industry, what would be your best selling point? This is an industry with so many opportunities. Tires are the only parts of the vehicle that come in direct contact with the road and new tires can make a big difference in the quality of a driver’s experience, as well as their passengers’ safety. Being in this industry, you can be part of that difference — in creating a solution for people and impacting their lives for the better.
What’s one thing you would change about yourself?
I’d love to be able to multitask more efficiently, but have really leaned into being precise and thorough, knowing my limitations.
Pick a celebrity and explain why you think he/she would be a great tire dealer.
Vin Diesel. Who wouldn’t trust Vin with his suggestions on safety and performance? And of course, he’s got the last name to go with it!
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career?
One of the biggest challenges I faced in my career was during Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Being based in Texas and serving customers in the area, the storm hit close to home, both personally and professionally. While a challenging time, I worked closely with my team to maintain sales operations and serve customers while also attending to familial needs following the disaster.
In the next 10 years, what will be the biggest change in the tire industry? With the development of AI and other technological advancements, manufacturing will likely become an easier process and will open the market to new brands and product lines. It will also create an opportunity to go to market with products with very precise consumer targeting.
Sales | Balado National Tires Miami, Fla. | Age: 29
What attracted you to the industry? The opportunity to work with family and grow Balado’s legacy attracted me to the industry. Balado National Tires was founded by my wife’s great-grandfather in 1949.
What was your first job in the industry? The entirety of my career in the tire
industry has been with Balado National Tires. I have worked in numerous capacities within the business. In the early days, I spent a lot of time serving as the muscle of our tire operations. I got well-acquainted with the process of finding tires, loading and unloading trucks and managing inventory.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career?
The biggest challenge to my career has been learning how to speak Spanish and sell tires in Spanish. My co-workers and a majority of our customer base in Miami primarily speak Spanish.
If you could start a new career tomorrow, what would you do? I would work as a photojournalist in the surfing or music industry.
If it was your job to persuade new people to join the tire industry, what would be your best selling point? I would sell them on a fast-paced, ever-changing work environment that
sharpens your mind through constant stimulation, challenges and opportunities to grow as a person. There is a great deal of character development that takes place as a result of working in such a setting.
Pick a celebrity and explain why you think he/she would be a great tire dealer.
Matthew McConaughey. I believe that he is a natural storyteller which directly translates into sales and developing connections in the professional world.
Seth Godley Marketing manager |
Alma Tire Companies | Alma, Mich. | Age: 36
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career?
One of the greatest ongoing challenges in our industry is finding talent that is truly workforce-ready. This need has led us to actively engage with resource groups and establish strong partnerships with local trade schools. Through these relationships, we have begun building a pipeline of young talent from area CTE programs. In addition, we have developed apprenticeships for automotive technicians and are preparing to launch
a similar program for heavy-duty technicians.
In the next 10 years, what will be the biggest change in the tire industry?
I believe non-pneumatic tires will become more prevalent within the next decade and I look forward to the opportunity to see how retreading may evolve to support them. It will also be fascinating to watch how new technologies emerge in response to the rise of electric vehicles and the accelerated tire wear they create.
Tell us about your family. I come from a modest family background. My mother has operated a daycare center for more than 35 years and my father owns a local flower shop. I have two sisters, a brother and four nephews. This October, my wife and I celebrated 10 years of marriage and earlier this year we welcomed our first child. We enjoy spending time outdoors with our two English Setters.
Who has had the biggest influence on your career?
I often say that I inherited my work ethic from my father and my empathy from my mother. Combined with the unwavering encouragement and drive I receive from my wife, these qualities have consistently guided my career in the right direction.
Kyle Dolgner
Customer service representative
Atturo Tire Corp. | Kenosha, Wis. | Age: 35
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career?
Overcoming (the idea) that there is always someone better than you.
Tell us about your current job and responsibilities. How do you spend your workday?
Answering customer questions, entering orders and solving problems that pop up.
What is the most essential professional skill for someone in your job? Kindness.
Do you live by inbox zero or inbox disaster?
Straddle the fine line between.
If it was your job to persuade new people to join the tire industry, what would be your best selling point?
The speed at which you learn.
Pick a celebrity and explain why you think he/she would be a great tire dealer.
Fred Durst.
If you could start a new career tomorrow, what would you do?
Be a guitar tech or luthier.
Derek Potter Vice president/office manager
Warren Tire Service Center
Queensbury, N.Y. | Age: 36
What attracted you to the industry? It’s my family’s business so I’ve been around it for most of my life.
Who has had the biggest influence on your career?
My dad. He’s the hardest worker I know.
Tell us about your family. I work with most of my family. My grandfather started Warren Tire in 1983 (and it) is currently owned by my uncle. My dad is a store manager, my mom does accounts payable, my wife does accounts payable and my cousin does payroll. I also have a daughter.
What moment in life would you like to live over again?
Time has been going by so fast that if I look back, I’ll miss what’s happening right now. I’m looking forward to the future.
What is the most essential professional skill for someone in your job? Flexibility.
Pick a celebrity and explain why you think he/she would be a great tire dealer. Gordon Ramsay. He’s thorough but also very understanding, after he gets through his ranting.
What's one thing you would change about yourself?
I'd like to be a little more outgoing.
Patrick Roarty
Vice
president of sales
| ESTI Warehouse Inc. | Cinnaminson, NJ | Age: 29
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career?
Finding new ways to differentiate myself and my company in the eyes of tire dealers. When multiple people are selling the same thing, it’s often the most creative go-to-market strategy that wins out.
What is your biggest accomplishment in the industry?
The creation and execution of a new division within our company. In February 2025, ESTI Warehouse Inc. officially launched its OTR division. What started out as an idea has quickly grown into a new, hands-on approach to training, education and ultimately the sale of OTR tools, products and materials. Order-taking is in the past. This signaled a new approach of consultative-selling to an industry that we felt was craving it.
What attracted you to the industry? The family atmosphere many companies
still maintain to this day. As I’ve heard many times before, “Once you’re in the tire industry, you can never get out.”
Who has had the biggest influence on your career?
My father, Ed Roarty, has been the biggest influence on my career. He is the reason I am in the industry in the first place. Between relentless work ethic and an ability to identify the right customers to grow with, I have only scraped the surface of knowledge he possesses.
What was your first job in the industry?
Territory route salesperson providing inflation, balancing, lifting and safety equipment to tire dealers throughout northern New Jersey. As I began to gain a following, I started building the northeast Pennsylvania territory with key commercial tire dealers.
Anthony Umezinwa Managing director | Tyrepublic Lagos, Nigeria | Age: 22
If it was your job to persuade new people to join the tire industry, what would be your best selling point? Everybody depends on tires, whether they know it or not. Tires will never go out of demand.
In the next 10 years, what will be the biggest change in the tire industry?
Affordability, durability and accessibility.
What attracted you to the industry? I was born into it.
Tell us about your current job and responsibilities. How do you spend your workday?
I manage the day-to-day, overall activities of the company.
What is your biggest accomplishment in the industry?
Successfully pulling 50-plus customers in three months.
What hobby or activity helps you unwind?
Driving. ■
Eldorado
By Madison Hartline
he growth of online sales has caused a shi in the way some consumers purchase tires. We turned to executives from tire manufacturers to ask how the online sale has a ected shopping behavior and what independent tire dealers need to do to adjust.
When asked how online tire purchasing and direct-to-consumer sales a ected traditional retail relationships, Brandon Stotsenburg, vice president of the automotive division for American Kenda Rubber Co. Ltd., says online environments make it more di cult to do the “traditional ve steps to a tire sale. For the retailer, seeing the vehicle and asking the key questions will o en allow a better solution for the consumer in a traditional environment. Consumers are
doing their own research and will o en miss key performance elements, which are discovered in a properly conducted, face-to-face sales environment.”
Michael Mathis, president at Atturo Tire Corp., agrees that online tire sales have “put a distance between the local tire dealer and consumer.”
Mathis says this prompts consumers to make their own choices for tires through online channels, bypassing the “personalized expertise of the local dealer.
“ e dealer is relegated to being the point of installation,” says Mathis. “Without su cient engagement between the consumer and dealer — even if only for installation — the quality of the overall tire purchase may not be the same as when the tire is purchased directly from the dealer who is also installing it.”
“Some consumers simply prefer to buy online and that can still be a profi table transaction for the tire dealer,” says Michael Mathis, president of Atturo Tire Corp. “Offer your expertise and do not cut corners on the service.”
Photo: Atturo Tire Corp.
Mike Park, assistant director, market intelligence and pricing, Tireco Inc., says he is seeing stronger price anchoring and customers arriving at tire dealerships armed with more research.
“Each consumer will have different requirements, whether it’s mileage, handling, wet performance, etc., that will help determine the best tire for them to purchase,” says Shawn Denlein, president of sales and marketing for Kumho Tire USA.
Photo: Kumho Tire USA
According to David Wang, managing director of Gripmax Tires Inc., convenience is king. Customers want options like “ship-toinstall” and mobile tire fi tting services as part of their buying experiences.
Photo: Gripmax Tires Inc.
The Alenza Prestige tire has been precision-tuned to provide an elevated driving experience. Plus, QuietTrack™ technology is embedded in the tread to help minimize disruptive road noise, while a wide center rib maintains smooth, constant contact to help reduce vibrations. Because what really matters is enjoying premium performance every time you hit the road.
KC Jensen, senior vice president of sales at Hankook Tire America Corp., says no matter where the sale occurs, success comes down to knowing customers and their specifi c needs.
Corp.
“Your competitive advantage is the people on your team and the building you are working in,” says Rob Montasser, vice president of Radar Tire, Omnisource. “If a customer is looking at tires online, show them why they should buy your tires from you.”
Photo: Omnisource
Mike Park, assistant director of market intelligence and pricing for Tireco Inc., says online discovery has pushed some shoppers into a “research-online, install-locally journey.”
is aligns with what David Wang, managing director at Gripmax Tires Inc., believes has shi ed in traditional retail relationships and consumer behavior.
Wang identi es four points of change: greater price transparency, shi in decision-making power, reduced reliance on dealer recommendations and hybrid buying behavior.
“Many consumers buy tires online, but still rely on local retailers for installation, creating a new service-driven relationship,” says Wang.
Backing up this claim with some statistics, KC Jensen, senior vice president of sales at Hankook Tire America Corp., shares numbers from Hankook’s latest Gauge Index survey, elded in August 2025.
“We found that the rst place most consumers go when researching new car tires is online search engines,” he says.
“However, the second most popular answer was getting a recommendation from their repair shop or mechanic — meaning those traditional retail relationships are still as important as ever.”
price in mind,” says Rob Montasser, vice president of Radar Tire, Omnisource.
“Because many tier-three and tier-four brands lack minimum advertised price policies, their online prices are often extremely low. The result: customers come in expecting to pay less than what a local shop can realistically o er.”
James McIntyre, senior vice president of sales, Canada and North American product development, for Sailun Tire Americas, adds that shoppers are more research-driven and price-sensitive and they expect conveniences like online booking and local installation.
“For dealers, this means less control over the sale and tighter margins, but also new opportunities to position themselves as trusted service providers who deliver the expertise and customer care that online platforms can’t match.”
Agreeing that the shi in the landscape provides tire dealers with other opportunities — like focusing on service — is Nick Gutierrez, territory sales and marketing director for Sentury Tire USA.
“ is gives salesmen the opportunity to continue the relationship with the consumer through service or installation, o er recommendations for future products and answer any additional questions they may have in real-time,” says Gutierrez.
Shawn Denlein, president of sales and marketing for Kumho Tire USA, agrees that although there’s been growth in the online retail options, he has seen that traditional regional and national retailers still “have control over the market from a volume perspective.
“Service, speed and trust are all critical to winning the e-commerce and omnichannel experience for customers moving forward,” says Josh Benson, vice president at First Choice Sourcing Solutions.
“Because online tire sales have increased, we are committing to serving our distributors even more through marketing and easy distribution.”
First Choice Sourcing Solutions
“Consumers still trust their neighborhood tire dealer and appreciate direct contact with the representative to get their questions answered and help select the quality product they are looking for,” says Denlein.
Dylan Lindsey, territory sales manager for Tire Group International LLC, says tire dealers should lean into the service aspect of this new consumer purchasing landscape.
“While online platforms compete on price, local dealers can compete on expertise, service speed and trust.”
Online tire buying
Another shi in online tire purchasing has made it so that consumers “demand transparency on price availability,” says Gianluca Grioni, vice president of sales for Momo Tires.
He encourages dealers to “sharpen both their product knowledge and pricing strategies to earn business.”
“has created pressure on traditional retailers to adopt digital tools and omnichannel strategies,” says Gianluca Grioni, vice president of sales for Momo Tires.
Grioni explains that this has placed additional pressure on traditional tire dealers to adopt digital tools and omnichannel strategies.
Grioni says retailers who don’t integrate online visibility risk “losing customers before they ever enter the store.
“Most customers who walk into a tire shop still don’t know which brand they want, but more and more arrive with a
Online tire shopping and buying has also inspired shi s in preferences, as well as purchasing patterns among consumers.
“With more access to information than ever before at consumers’ ngertips, they are arriving at shops with thoughtful questions about brands and performance and are making more research-based decisions,” says Jerode Padilla, vice pres-
ident of marketing and merchandising for Big O Tires, a retail franchise owned by TBC Corp.
“Price sensitivity is up, brand loyalty is so er and convenience is critical,” says Josh Benson, vice president at First Choice Sourcing Solutions.
“The best thing a dealer can do is to be confi dent in the value they bring to a customer,” says Dylan Lindsey, territory sales manager for Tire Group International LLC. “Value doesn’t mean being the cheapest price out there, because anyone can go lower on price. True value comes from expertise, trust and the experience you create.”
Photo: Tire Group International LLC
Sentury Tire USA’s Gutierrez encourages tire dealers to nd ways to make what they o er “look attractive to consumers by o ering prompt service or throwing in a free tire service if they purchase tires directly from you.”
Wang of Gripmax agrees that price sensitivity is up and brand loyalty, in some cases, is down. He also mentions that an emerging trend is premium versus budget polarization.
“While some consumers are drawn to low-cost online options, others use online research to justify investing in premium brands for safety and durability,” says Wang.
Atturo’s Mathis agrees that price is a leading factor in how consumers make tire purchase decisions.
“What most surveys do show is that brand preference is lower among online tire shoppers,” Mathis adds.
“ is speaks to the wider range of tires o en available from an e-commerce seller than a typical retail dealer.”
Hankook’s Jensen again turns to the company’s latest Gauge Index survey.
“With more access to information than ever before at consumers’ fi ngertips, they are arriving at shops with thoughtful questions about brands and performance and are making more research-based decisions,” says Jerode Padilla, vice president of marketing and merchandising for TBC Corp.’s Big O Tires group.
Photo: TBC Corp.
consumers have realized a higher price tag doesn’t always equal a better product.” Lindsey of TGI is seeing a decline in brand loyalty, as well, because of the number of brands consumers have the option to choose from when they shop.
Sentury Tire USA’s Nick Gutierrez says online tire shopping and sales open the door to “continue the relationship with the consumer.”
“Beyond price, the Gauge found that this year, performance ratings, safety ratings and brand reputation are the top three most in uential factors for drivers when purchasing tires.
“ e rst two may come as no surprise, but brand reputation has leapt in importance.
“Even if a customer had a major tire brand in the past, they are open to trying a new brand if it can save them money on their replacement costs,” he notes.
“Online sales tend to be focused on a ordability over everything.
“People shopping online are looking for the best price they can nd, while still getting a tire that’s reliable and safe.”
“In 2024, only 7% said brand reputation was the most important factor when purchasing tires. is could indicate that consumers are putting more value on word-of-mouth and brand reputation as online sales rise.”
Transparency shows up again when it comes to online tire buying.
Photo: Sentury Tire USA
“Online and directto-consumer tire sales have changed the landscape by making pricing more transparent, giving consumers greater choice and shifting many purchases away from traditional dealers,” says James McIntyre, senior vice president of sales in Canada, North American product development for Sailun Tire Americas.
Photo: Sailun Tire Americas
Denlein from Kumho is seeing something di erent. He says many consumers are picking tires that support their lifestyles, regardless of the brand or price.
“Tire brand loyalty has been declining for years and that trend has only accelerated in the post-COVID-19, post-tari market, where higher prices have forced consumers to reevaluate their choices,” says Montasser of Omnisource.
“At the same time, lower-tier brands are now delivering performance levels comparable to many tier-one and tiertwo brands.
“It’s hard to place the blame solely on online retailers.
“While they’ve certainly increased price transparency, the bigger shi is that
Tireco’s Park says that customers “arrive with a number in mind from search results, so the ‘good-better-best’ story must be crystal clear about what extra dollars buy in mileage warranty and other features and bene ts.”
Another trend is the importance of convenience.
“Convenience — easy ordering, delivery and installation — now strongly in uences purchasing decisions, meaning dealers need to emphasize expertise, service and trust to stay competitive,” says Sailun’s McIntyre.
Kenda’s Stotsenburg encourages tire dealers to provide an overview of the performance features and bene ts a tire o ers.
“For the traditional tire retailer who is also online, the best action is to assure consumers that you will be happy to install online-selected tires in store, but will also be happy to answer any questions about tire or brand options to help (them) get the best product for their vehicle and lifestyle.”
Grioni from Momo advises tire dealers to focus on these things: consistency, differentiation, trust and service.
Consistency refers to aligning in-store and online pricing and messages.
Differentiation refers to carrying brands that “aren’t oversaturated in the marketplace, which helps preserve margins and reduces head-to-head competition.”
While price may get the consumer to click on a tire, Grioni says that “customer loyalty comes from expertise, speed and a reliable in-store experience.”
Mathis at Atturo says dealers must answer one important question as part of their online tire sales strategy.
“Dealers need to decide if they are willing to install consumer-provided tires
or parts of any type. If so, a great process would be to require the consumer to confirm their tire choice in advance with the shop. Make sure that the tire they selected is right for the vehicle and the driver’s expectations.”
He says dealers should not cut corners on service and should charge appropriately for a technician’s time and knowledge.
Padilla of Big O Tires says in order to meet and exceed customers’ evolving expectations, tire dealers must embrace a “customer-first mentality,” while striving for clear communication between dealer and customer, “especially around product availability, warranties and installation timelines.”
Clear communication can encompass many different things. For Tireco’s Park, it means translating technical language into plainly understood benefits.
“For example, siping density becomes shorter stops on wet surfaces or a 70,000mile warranty means an extra year of driving for the average driver,” says Park.
Each customer will prioritize some-
“We encourage online retailers to provide the best overview of the performance features and benefits for tire options,” says Brandon Stotsenburg, vice president, automotive division, American Kenda Rubber Co. Ltd.
thing different, says Kumho’s Denlein. Whether it’s “mileage, wet performance, etc., that will help determine the best tire for them to purchase.”
TGI’s Lindsey says, “Anyone can go lower on price. True value comes from expertise, trust and the experience you create for your customer.” ■
By
Dennis McCarron
What makes you different from the competitors in your town? Do people want to go to your dealership or do they have to go to your dealership?
In the tire and auto service business, selling products with pull abilities aren’t the only part of the equation. Sure, there’s name recognition and the parts and tires have to perform to standards. But many of the products you install on a customer’s vehicle aren’t even visible to them. “No one forms a line outside your dealership when the new whitewalls come out,” an old mentor once said to me.
There will always be customers who demand a certain brand of motor oil or
some will ask for a specific tire and by all means, do what they ask. It’s an easy sale. But the majority of customers don’t even know the name of an automotive part, let alone the function or brand.
Don’t believe me? Go ahead and ask a random couple of customers what an oxygen sensor does. Customers don’t care about ohms and cycles. They care about the check engine light. Specific features of parts and tires sell a product to knowledgeable consumers — namely you, the owner of the tire dealership. They provide you with the confidence to present solutions to customers’ problems. Features are what a product is: an all-weather tire, an American-made wiper blade and brake pads that don’t squeak when new.
The vast majority of customers are very open to using brands that you recommend.
Photo: MTD
It works like this. Customers come in with a complaint that their vehicle is not doing the same thing it was before: operating without problems — be it a light reminding them of an oil change, a low tire or an audible or visual issue like a vibration or squeal. The customer doesn’t even know what the name of the thing is, let alone the procedure to rectify the problem. All they know is when they come into your place, it’s either going to be a battle or an intelligent conversation about how to make their vehicle “get back to normal.”
Don’t get me wrong. Competitive advantage in our industry does include parts and tires — to a degree. The majority of customers, however, are very open to using brands that you recommend because the real advantage is not the point-ofsale materials at your counter or in your showroom.
Your reputation is your competitive advantage.
It’s easy for people who work in a tire dealership every day — 350 days a year for a decade or more, in some cases — to forget how terrifying getting a vehicle worked on really is. Customers’ vehicles are a yoke to their paycheck and enable daily family functionality. It’s how they make money and go places to spend it. You “borrowing” a car for a few hours is stressful enough. Paying to get it back is frustrating enough. If getting it back doesn’t go smoothly — think of an argument or a failed repair — that can send some people over the edge.
Let’s hope your reputation is based on more than simply installing products that work. Let’s hope it’s more than warrantying your work when something goes wrong. Your competitive advantage isn’t what you have in common with others in your field. It’s those things that make you different.
One of your biggest hurdles in thisbusiness is the fact that larger companies do the exact same work, often at a lower cost of goods. Everybody sells tires. Everybody changes oil or replaces brakes. That’s a feature of your business — not a benefit. Your business has to offer something more.
‘Truth, action and trust aren’t always about price.’
In addition to a monetary exchange for features — the things you sell or do — a small business must offer extra. Some benefits can become expensive quickly. Shuttle service, for example, is a great idea if the customer works or lives near your dealership. But if you’re shuttling one or two customers in and out of a sprawling suburban bedroom community, you need to charge a fare. Doing it for free is not sustainable.
Other tangible benefits like a comfortable showroom or a kids’ play space are nice touches, but your customers aren’t going to choose you over a competitor because you have those. The same goes for free coffee and popcorn. These are nice gestures and it isn’t wrong to offer them.
They just aren’t competitive advantages. Your competitive advantage, as a small business, is intangible. It’s not a thing. It’s a feeling. It’s the ability to provide assurance in moments of truth. A moment of truth is when a transaction needs a decision. It doesn’t have to be a major decision. A moment of truth is any moment where trust has consequence. It’s based on an accumulation of dialogue and all the previous moments of trust. Have you and your team followed through when a customer has placed his or her trust in you? Did you speak the truth and act on it? The moment of truth is the conversion of saying what you’re going to do and following through.
This includes delivering bad news and the occasional “no” as a response. It’s well-known that an honest “I’m sorry” is extraordinarily powerful. Admitting mistakes — along with attempting to fix the mess the mistake caused, not just refunding money — can often commit a customer to your business for life. More often than not, a business relationship is built on the trust generated by recovery from an initial error and so can a wellplaced and proper “no.” For example, it’s not against the rules for a customer to ask for a discount. It’s against the rules to state a fair price for service to a customer and then offer a lower price later in the conversation. That destroys trust. Sure, you’ll get the sale — probably. But the customer has the advantage now and your dealership is on terrible footing.
This isn’t the worst part, though. The terrible footing has been created because the customer has learned that your first stated price was a lie and that with enough discomfort, your price is negotiable. How much trust can be built from a lie? Every future vehicle issue will become a hotbed of negotiation, with the customer angling for less dollars and a service advisor trying to keep the conversation from lowering the price.
What’s your competitive advantage again?
Truth comes from spending time with the customer. And telling them the truth means you’ve already weighed the options. You’ve already spent time understanding what was going to be a pain point and you sought less-expensive options — or more expensive but faster options — and have explained the tradeoff or you’ve explained why you can’t offer
the service at that price point. And this can’t be a conversation that occurs during the presentation or the close.
Truth, action and trust aren’t always about price. Committing to having the customer’s vehicle ready at a specific time is just a trust-builder. It also can turn into a trust-breaker if you can’t meet that commitment. Waiting for the customer to call to check in on the progress of a repair can be a trust-breaker, too.
Some of your competitors may present cheaper prices or longer hours to try and make things easier for customers. But don’t confuse easy for convenience. Easy is something of little effort. Convenience is the quality of saving time, effort and energy. Convenience comes at a premium. Easy is a trade-off.
Customers who trust you do so based on the hard work you’ve put in — work that’s already been done and effort that’s already been invested. Customers listen to advisors they trust. They wait to pounce on those they don’t. They look for discrepancies. They measure every comment, because their expectations are already low.
Not every transaction carries the weight of the world. Sometimes a car is dropped off for an oil change or a set of new tires early in the day and it’s ready two hours before scheduled pick-up. When the customer comes in to pick up the car, there’s not a drop of oil inside the vehicle. They just see that the check oil light has turned off and there’s a new reminder sticker on the windshield. Maybe your technician puts a small bottle of water in the vehicle’s cup holder or a dryer sheet under the seat. These are all nice touches that build trust.
And sometimes, the customer knows to drop off their car for that oil change early on a Saturday or Friday morning. Because they’ve had all three of their cars serviced at your dealership for years and after getting to know your store’s manager, advisor and some of your techs, they know how busy it can get on that day. And since they have no other worries to deal with, they know the work will get done. Why? Because it always does. That’s how you know you’ve delivered successfully on those moments of truth. That’s when you know you have developed your own competitive advantage. ■
Optimal resilience comes by empowering the people closest to the situation to make decisions, then supporting them.
Photo: MTD
By J. Mark Jackson
Tari s, uctuating retail sellout, deferred purchasing by consumers — there are a number of challenges facing tire dealerships. But with those challenges come opportunities for resilient organizations.
While competitors are hunkered down in a defensive posture, the resilient organization capitalizes, bene ts and pro ts during challenging times. It’s survival of the ttest and the resilient organization is the ttest.
What makes an organization resilient? Much has been written about resilience. The vast majority references personal resilience, which is a person’s ability to bounce rather than break under stress and adversity. Organizational resilience is a completely di erent beast, but strives for a similar outcome.
A resilient organization is not about having a team of personally resilient members, though that does not hurt. Personal resilience is a tool kit of responses to stressful situations — sort of “break the glass in case of emergency.” A resilient organization is an ethos and strategy baked into the organization’s DNA well in advance of any crisis or chaos. e nature of a resilient organization is to mitigate or nullify crisis or chaos, so impacts are less signi cantly disruptive and can be turned into opportunity. Does this sound like a place you’d like to inhabit? What follows are ideas and concepts for building greater organizational resilience.
The acronym VUCA stands for an environment that is volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. e U.S. State Department and U.S. armed forces train and live in a VUCA environment and so do businesses. e tire industry is not static. ink back on the past 15 years of mergers, bankruptcies, tari s, consolidations, personnel and regime changes. It’s the de nition of a VUCA environment.
A resilient organization is one that acknowledges the presence of a VUCA environment, embraces it and learns to manage it. There are five axioms that help overcome a VUCA environment by providing tools that allow an organization to respond positively and e ectively. ese axioms help counteract volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity.
When discussing these ve axioms, know there is a sliding scale, say from one to 10, with one being weakness and 10 being strength. Your organization sits somewhere on the sliding scale for each axiom already, so this is not an all-new concept that’s di cult to implement. e goal is to achieve incremental gains in each of the ve axioms. e greater the gain, the more resilient the organization. You determine your current levels and what levels of resilience your organization desires or can handle.
ere is a cost of admission for resilience. e greater the resilience, the more your business’ mentality must change. The thought of foundational change may frighten a traditional organization, steeped in decades of precedence and procedure. But the upside of resilience is being able to absorb an organizational body blow and amaze the competition by outperforming them.
Let’s look at each of the ve axioms and the considerations that allow incremental gains:
Shared vision. This says who we are, what we do, how we do it, what we hold sacred and where we want to go. e operative word here is “shared.” e resilient organization either develops its vision together or at least gets some sort of vote that approves the vision. Top-down visions, at best, get compliance when the real goal is commitment. If we nd ourselves trying to get buy-in or overcome resistance to a vision, chances are strong that the vision is already failing. A shared vision animates the entire team and actions/decisions are gauged against how they interact with the vision. It becomes “the invisible hand” that serves as the intent when situations are new, novel or risky.
trust in business relationships. Building organizational resilience asks for deep and broad trust throughout the organization. Trust welds an organization together when we believe others support us, are competent and hold the vision as sacred as we do. Teams must trust leadership, leaders must trust their people, departments must trust other departments and all members must trust the motives of all their teammates.
If there is a link or person that breeches the “trustworthy test,” we must x them fast or let them go. Lack of trust is poison for organizational resilience, while strong trust bonds are a lubricating elixir against friction. When team members are aligned on the vision as a crusade and a worthy direction, trust ourishes. However, if some team members are more driven by personal bene ts and goals, trust su ers. Realizing that humans are humans and driven by self-interest, we are calling out those who are exceptionally self-focused at the expense of the organization. We all have examples of those people from our careers. I am guessing several faces popped into your head, reading this now. ey are trust risks.
Unconstrained ow of information and ideas. This could be called open communications, but that term has been so abused and overused that it has lost meaning. Enhanced organizational resilience asks for an untrammeled ow of information — data, ideas and concepts — up and down, as well as across, the organization. is becomes a no-judgment zone and ideas and information must be honest, with no fault attached. What is passed throughout the organization, whether it’s news or the data, might not be what anybody wants to hear, but sugar-coating it before sending the information breaches trust and commitment.
Trust. In a previous MTD article, I discussed the value of
But unconstrained ow of information goes beyond just “the news.” Equally important is the ow of concepts and ideas for opportunities, no matter where in the organization they originate. It gives free reign to thinking, “What if we were able to…?” or “What could we become if…?”
Organizational resilience requires that we never become comfortable with the status quo and are always posing “whatif” scenarios and sharing the ideas and concepts across the breadth of the organization, without fear of shaming or retribution. Further, it is not critical who gets attribution or kudos for ideas. ere isn’t ownership for good concepts. e entire organization collectively owns success. Energizing culture. An energizing culture encompasses the customs, institutions, achievements, stories and lore about an organization that sets the tone and environment which members embrace. It is a collective identity revolving around who we are, what we do and how we do it. Leadership shapes the culture, but the entire team perfects it. e culture that bene ts organizational resilience is one that is curious and promotes trying new approaches continuously. It’s a culture that encourages novel thinking and doesn’t punish failure if a new approach doesn’t work. It has a bias toward action rather than stasis.
Optimal resilience comes by empowering the people closest to the situation to make decisions, then supporting them. e most responsive cultures delegate crisis decisions to the team rather than expecting salvation from the top leadership cluster. Waiting for leadership’s solution to a VUCA situation wastes time. Usually, the answer comes from people closest to the situation anyway. Positive culture is why people decide to stay with an organization. Engineering that culture for resilience makes the organization robust and sturdy.
Agility. is is what defines an organization’s collective ability to shi thinking, devise a response and implement actions e ectively and swi ly. is is a measure of organizational limber-
ness and flexibility. You may see that each of these five axioms builds on each other and would not work as well without the ones before it. Therefore, agility blossoms once shared vision, trust, unconstrained flow of information and energizing culture are present and working within the organization.
Agility is a practiced skill. Gaining agility means practicing responses to “what-if” situations — developing muscle memory so during a crisis the organization knows how to respond with confidence, based on experience. Stress-testing the organization and running simulations are ways to gain experience and confidence when handling potential problem scenarios or crisis. What if the competition expands rapidly or goes bankrupt? Run that simulation. What happens if your store’s point-of-sale system crashes? Run that simulation. What if the cost of tires rises rapidly or inventory becomes scarce? These are just some examples of “what-if” scenarios we can investigate with the entire organization. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of potential situations to “game.” Collective agility grows as the team feels competent and empowered to handle all situations, great and small. VUCA situations do not always telegraph themselves or give early warnings. Practicing beforehand builds agility, which helps an organization remain calmer in adversity.
resilience: we build the ability to handle problems and opportunities more smoothly, with less disruption. We stay ahead of the competition because we can react faster and more efficiently to situations. We also become the organization others benchmark because we seem to possess magic. Resilience is the multiplier and the magic. ■
‘Building organizational resilience takes time and constant effort.’
Building a resilient organization is a never-ending campaign — not the result of a one-time meeting or memo. Building organizational resilience takes time and constant effort. We never truly reach a comfort point when we are resilient enough. Employee turnover, retirements, promotions and the nature of the VUCA environment mean the graphic of organizational resilience looks more like a circle than a straight line. We never reach the end.
That sounds frustrating, but think of the upside as we continue our quest for
J. Mark Jackson is a 30-year veteran of the tire industry and a founding partner of Guidon LLC, a leadership and resilience training/consulting organization. A former U.S. Army officer, he was awarded the Bronze Star for combat service in Afghanistan. He has mentored senior government executives and all levels of industry personnel in leadership, resilience, sales, marketing and business planning. He is a professor at Flagler College. Jackson can be reached at jmarkjackson238@gmail.com.
Mike Manges By
Russ Devens, incoming president of the Tire Industry Association (TIA), has spent his entire career in the safety business.
Devens hired into Wilkes-Barre, Pa.based McCarthy Tire Service Co. Inc. around 11 years ago as a safety manager — his entry into the tire industry. Prior to joining McCarthy Tire Service, he worked in the insurance industry for about a dozen years. Before that, he was a police officer. (“The tire industry is basically my third career,” he says.)
As McCarthy Tire Service’s director of safety and risk management, Devens is laser-focused on making sure that his employer’s technicians make it home safely each night. As TIA president, he will prioritize technician training and safety for all of the association’s members.
MTD: As director of safety and risk management for McCarthy Tire Service, how will your position and experience inform the direction you want TIA to take during your term?
DEVENS: We’re one of the largest commercial tire dealers in the country, but we don’t only do commercial. We do just about everything there is in the tire industry. We do retail. We do industrial tires. We do farm and ag. We do wheel reconditioning. Having that experience will assist me with TIA because I can relate to pretty much every aspect of the tire industry.
MTD: Technician training and safety are huge priorities for TIA. During TIA’s OTR Conference this past February, TIA mentioned updates it has made — and is continuing to make — to various tire technician training programs. Can you recap some of those updates and what the association is planning to do in 2026?
“When I first came on, most of our training was in analog format and couldn’t be easily changed,” says Russ Devens, incoming Tire Industry Association president. “Everything is now digital.”
Photo: MTD
DEVENS: I’ve been on the board for eight years at TIA. I’ve been chair of the training and education committee for six years. When I came on as the chair of the training and education committee, I worked closely with TIA’s staff to ensure that we had a five-year plan, continually updated every year. We’ve updated Basic ATS, which is Automotive Tire Service. We’ve updated Basic CTS (Commercial Tire Service.) We’ve just about finalized basic earthmover tire training. And we’re going to continue to focus on updating the rest of the programs. When I first came on, most of our training was in analog format and couldn’t be easily changed. Everything is digital format now, so we don’t have to (film) an entire program all over again, going forward. Because everything is now digital, we can add, take out ... as technology changes, we can make changes on the fly.
MTD: What are some of the most pressing issues facing the association and in particular, its tire dealer members?
DEVENS: I would say acquisitions, consolidation. Our numbers continue to grow. We’re still getting new members who have been dealers for a while who never joined or maybe joined, dropped out and came back again.
MTD: Is increasing tire dealer membership in TIA a priority?
DEVENS: Yes. We always want to continue to grow our membership. When I first came on, our membership was 8,000. Now it’s up to 13,000. (Editor’s: note: that 13,000 figure represents total members, including tire dealers.)
MTD: TIA continues to fight on behalf of tire dealers. Are there any legislative issues that TIA will focus on in 2026?
DEVENS: Right to Repair is always a big thing and has been for several years now. Thats going to continue to be one of our main focuses on the government side. There’s some new legislation that was introduced as far as protecting roadside service (technicians). That’s something that’s close to my heart. We had a fatality back in 2019. One of my technicians was struck and killed by a drunk driver on the side of the road. We’re going to continue to work to increase penalties for not following move-over laws and things like that.
MTD: Why is it beneficial for tire dealers to get involved with TIA?
DEVENS: To stay on top of what’s going on, as far as changes in training. The networking aspect is very important, as well. The networking aspect of belonging to TIA is probably one of the biggest things.
MTD: What are some headwinds and opportunities you see within the tire industry coming up next year and how will TIA approach these issues?
DEVENS: The biggest one is still the economy and tariffs and how that’s impacting our members and how that’s impacting manufacturers, as far as pricing. I think from the training perspective, we’re in a good place. I want to make sure the people who are going to follow me on (TIA’s) board continue to focus on the mission of TIA. ■
The Direct Drive system integrates the wheel balancer motor and spindle into a single, factory prebalanced assembly with ZERO noise and a 10 year direct drive motor warranty.
The E900 utilizes a diagnostic roller and ProMatch feature to measure radial runout and address wheel and tire shape and defect issues before weights are applied.
By
Kim Klimas
According to a recent analysis from S&P Global Mobility, the average age of a vehicle in the U.S. in 2025 is 12.8 years old. Those older vehicles can be a bit needy when it comes to vehicle maintenance. That can be a good thing for independent tire dealers, who can appeal to this market with season-specific or in-demand winterization services like battery, brake, cabin filter or battery and power supply solutions.
Automotive services experts Jim O’Hara from Clore Automotive and Scott Sullivan from Bosch Mobility Aftermarket share strategies and tips to help tire dealers increase revenue in a seasonal market.
MTD: What seasonal products are often overlooked, but can be profitable for independent dealers?
SCOTT SULLIVAN: senior marketing communications specialist, Bosch Mobility Aftermarket: Cabin air filters are one profitable yet occasionally overlooked product area that independent dealers should consider covering in their winterization service offerings. Driving with a clogged cabin air filter in the winter can expose drivers to increased levels of airborne impurities, inefficient flow of warm air through the car’s HVAC system and a decreased ability to defrost fogged windows — leading to impaired comfort, visibility and even health while driving.
Gasoline direct injection, combined with turbocharging as a technology, has resulted in OEMs recommending spark plug changes at more frequent intervals. What used to be recommended to change every 100,000 miles is now recommended at 40,000 to 50,000 miles, even with iridium spark plugs from the factory. These updated recommendations,
“Perhaps the biggest challenges in selling and/or stocking winterization products are awareness and availability,” says Scott Sullivan, senior marketing communications specialist, Bosch Mobility Aftermarket.
Photo: Bosch Mobility Aftermarket
along with the tendency for worn spark plugs to struggle with igniting amid cold conditions, emphasize the profitability and importance of offering spark plug replacement as part of pre-winter service.
As we head into the wet season with rain, ice and snow in the forecast, windshield wiper blade replacements are essential for drivers as they are quick and highly profitable for dealers. Dealers should opt for blades tested for peak performance in a variety of climates. Be mindful not to overlook rear wiper blade offerings.
Finally, don’t forget to ensure your customer is headed into the winter driving season with brakes capable of withstanding increased moisture and salt — a recipe for corrosion and therefore, progressive brake failure.
JIM O’HARA: executive vice president-merchandising, Clore Automotive: Having a quality power supply is critical all year round, but especially critical in winter. That’s because most power supplies usually also feature battery charging capability and charging is typically required more in winter.
MTD: Are there ways to cross-promote/ cross-sell/or bundle certain services or products that can lead to higher returns?
SULLIVAN (Bosch): One great way to yield higher returns on a very popular type of winterization service is to start bundling tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) service with winter tire installation. Corrosion is always a risk for TPMS sensors and inclement winter weather can exacerbate that risk considerably. Technicians should recommend replacement of older sensors to mitigate this risk of erosion and ensure accurate reading when cold temperatures cause tire psi to drop. Since TPMS valve stems can be prone to breaking during tire replacements, be careful when performing the service. Bundling spark plugs with ignition coil replacements and a fuel system cleaning into an ignition performance package is another great way to maximize returns. Just make sure that any fuel system cleaning is performed while the old spark plugs are installed to avoid damaging the precious metal on the new spark plugs. Dealers can also increase basket size by bundling driver, passenger and rear windshield wipers together.
O’HARA (Clore Automotive:) Our products help the tire dealer perform their task more efficiently and more effectively. As such, they aren’t geared toward promotion to the end customer or vehicle owner.
MTD: Are there emerging technologies, tools or products dealers should consider investing in?
SULLIVAN (Bosch): High efficiency particulate air filters are more relevant now in the post-COVID-19 timeframe than ever, thanks to their ability to trap even microscopic airborne pollutants.
O’HARA (Clore): Due to the ever-increasing number of electronic modules on today’s vehicles and the conversion of many vehicle systems from analog to electronic control, many tasks performed on the vehicle require power support to prevent the vehicle’s battery from excessive discharge. For instance, while performing an alignment, resetting the steering angle sensor on many late-model vehicles places high demand on the battery, which can cause it to go dead. ■
By
Dennis McCarron
There are several analogies regarding the importance of letting something go. They all have one thing in common: it’s against human nature to do so, but often survival requires it.
In the first analogy, we have an angler out in the ocean trying to catch fish. This person is disappointed when a fish is too small. But he revels in motivation when a large fish gives him a fight and proudly tells anyone who will listen how big the fish is that he caught. He even has photos on his phone as evidence. But the angler can’t see too deep in the ocean.
If he hooks a minnow, he might barely be able to tell anything is on the hook. But if he hooks a shark, the fight is on. The pulse quickens and adrenaline pumps. If caught, that shark will be measured, weighed and talked about for generations. Yet if he hooks a whale, the whale will likely take him to a watery grave deep below.
The second analogy is a hot air balloon tethered to the ground. It’s a wondrous site, but the tether breaks free. In a panic, the pilot grabs hold of the rope. The balloon rises three feet. It’s here the aviator should realize that either letting go of the rope or getting in the basket is the only logical choice. But at this moment, climbing in seems very difficult and letting go seems like giving up. The balloon is worth money and would be ruined. At six feet off the ground, the pilot may rationalize that letting go now would hurt. At 20 feet, the damage would be excruciating. Thirty feet is certain death. Climbing in is no longer an option.
Why did I present both of the above situations? Because our brains often rationalize the avoidance of pain. We need a jolt to break us loose. Imagine the angler, bow of his ship dipping into the ocean and somehow the rod not breaking. He will continue to fight even though the boat is taking on water. But if the whale were to suddenly dive and yank on the rod forcefully, the same angler might let go simply from the shock of a sudden change in pattern. In the case of the hot air balloon, maybe someone grabbed the pilot’s leg and begged him to let go.
One common thread in these analogies is how close the decision-maker is to the problem. Someone who is too close to the problem will usually rationalize that the pain of change is too great. They dismiss the pain of not changing because that’s something in the future. “What if I let go? What if it doesn’t work? I don’t think I can afford to make a mistake.”
But what if you do let go? What if you finally figure out addition by subtraction? What if this does work? What if you miss the opportunity to improve?
Decisions to change things about your business are difficult. Decisions to make changes while working in your business are even more difficult. Sometimes your choices only range from bad to worse to terrible and you simply have to pick the less awful
Take control of your balloon and pilot it to the correct position, using all the tools you have.
30003441 © Rozbyshaka | Dreamstime.com
one. You need to let go of the idea that continuing forward along the same path is the least painful way. It will be the most painful because time will make the problem worse — more complicated, more difficult and more costly.
Decisions in business are always guided, first and foremost, by financials. Most people don’t run a business to save the world or prevent people from becoming unemployed. Most run businesses to help customers with problems they can’t solve on their own. And we profit from it — fairly. Without profit, a business closes. This means no problems solved, no customers and no employees.
As the year begins to wind down and the winter tire season ebbs and flows as it’s prone to do in the Northeast, where I live, and you have diligently prepared your budget planning, ask yourself what’s weighing down your business. Is it a process? Is it a personnel issue? What are all the choices at your disposal to solve them? Begin by eliminating the choices that present no practicable business reasons. You will then be left with emotionally delayed decisions and viable business solutions that make financial sense. Would you rather wrestle with a shark or a whale?
Finally, which choices give you the ability to start fresh and give you a chance to soar to new heights? Think of that unmoored hot air balloon. Stop dangling on the side of the basket. Get in or let go. Take control of your balloon and pilot it to the correct position, using all the tools you have. Just don’t dangle. ■
Dennis McCarron is a partner at Cardinal Brokers Inc., one of the leading brokers in the tire and automotive industry (www.cardinalbrokers.com.) To contact McCarron, email him at dennis@cardinalbrokers.com.
Cole Strandberg By
HOW TO MAXIMIZE VALUE WHEN YOU HAVEN’T PLANNED AHEAD
f you’ve been around the world of M&A long enough, you’ve heard this advice: start planning for a sale years before you actually want to sell. It’s true. Early planning gives you time to strengthen operations, diversify customers and position your business for the highest possible valuation.
But what if you’re already at the finish line? What if you’ve decided it’s time to sell and you haven’t spent years preparing? At that point, that whole “planning ahead” advice doesn’t help you, does it?
The good news is that there are still value levers to be pulled. While nothing replaces early planning, there are still meaningful moves you can make in the home stretch that improve your positioning, will excite buyers and in some cases, will boost your valuation multiple. Here are levers you can pull:
Lever 1: Acquisitions. This is one of the most powerful tools you can use late in the game and there are multiple ways they can add value:
• Close them. If you complete an acquisition before selling, you take full advantage of multiple arbitrage. For example, if your company trades at x EBITDA and you acquire a smaller shop that trades at 1/2 times that, every dollar of earnings you add is immediately worth more in your hands than in theirs. Buyers may very well pay for that upside.
• Get them under LOI (letter of intent). Even if you don’t close on a given acquisition before you sell, having acquisitions under LOI can carry significant weight. There is precedent for sellers getting credit — sometimes partial, sometimes full — for deals they have in progress. If the story makes sense and the buyer can step in to close them, it can elevate your multiple.
• Merger of equals. Sometimes the best move isn’t buying smaller, but merging with someone of similar size. A merger of equals can increase scale, expand geography and push your business into a valuation range where buyers pay higher multiples, even if there isn’t explicit arbitrage at play. Typically, the bigger your organization is, the more potential buyers or investors it will attract. And with a bigger buyer pool, you increase the likelihood of a competitive process.
• Build a pipeline. Even if you’re not executing today, building and presenting an acquisitions pipeline shows buyers the road ahead. It paints a picture of how they can grow, average down their multiple and accelerate value creation. That pipeline may not add dollars to your sale proceeds directly, but it strengthens your story and makes you more attractive.
The common thread is this: acquisitions — whether closed, pending or just mapped out — help buyers see growth and scal-
‘Position yourself not just as a business that did well yesterday, but as one that is set up to thrive tomorrow.’
ability. And in M&A, growth stories are what command premiums.
Lever 2: Operational cleanup. Even at the finish line, you can take steps that improve perception and ease the path for buyers. Clean financial reporting is at the top of the list. Buyers only pay for what they can verify. If your books are sloppy or unclear, it raises doubts. Bringing in an accountant to tidy things up before you go to market is money well spent. We’re seeing more and more companies benefiting from doing a sell-side quality of earnings (QoE) before going to market. This creates confidence from buyers that the numbers you’re presenting are legitimate, increasing the likelihood of closing and even in some cases, shortening the diligence process.
Physical presentation matters, too. A facility that looks cared for, with modern equipment and clean branding, sends a strong message. Small improvements — some fresh paint, signage updates or repaired equipment — won’t change your P&L, but may change how buyers and their lenders view your business. These cosmetic and operational “finish line fixes” help tell a stronger story.
Lever 3: Storytelling and vision. Ultimately, M&A isn’t just about numbers. It’s about a tire dealership’s story. Premium valuations go to businesses that look like a great horse, being ridden by a great jockey, headed toward the promised land. If you’re at the finish line, your role is to make that story as compelling as possible. If you had unlimited capital and unlimited runway, what would you do with this business? Some of those ideas you may still have time to execute. Others you can leave as upside for your buyer.
This forward-looking story is what separates good outcomes from great ones. Buyers pay for today’s earnings, but they get excited about tomorrow’s vision.
Planning years ahead is always optimal. But if you’re ready to sell today and haven’t prepared, you’re not out of options. Focus on acquisitions — closed, under LOI, mergers of equals or pipelines — tighten up your operations and tell the best possible story about your dealership’s future.
Buyers pay for numbers, but they love vision. Position yourself not just as a business that did well yesterday, but as one that is set up to thrive tomorrow. That’s how you maximize value, even at the finish line. ■
Cole Strandberg is a managing director with Focus Investment Banking’s automotive aftermarket team, specializing in mergers, acquisitions and capital raising for multi-location tire dealerships and automotive service businesses. Email him at cole.strandberg@focusbankers.com.
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Randy O’Connor By
f we’re paying attention — really paying attention — valuable lessons are everywhere. They’re in the shop, in conversations, in the morning rush and in the silence that comes after a tough day. Operators who perform at a high level — the ones who build sustainable, profitable, people-first businesses — have this in common: they know how to learn from their environment. They find rhythm in chaos.
In elementary school, I started learning to play the drums. I was obsessed with trying to nail one simple thing: the basic backbeat, that kick, snare, hi-hat — boom, bap, tss — played with the right spacing, at the right time, with each limb working independently. I practiced every day. On the school bus, I’d tap it out on my legs or on my books. What I didn’t know then — and what I see now — is that I wasn’t just learning music. I was learning rhythm. And rhythm, it turns out, is a foundational piece of leadership.
When I was practicing that backbeat, it would go like this: I’d get my right hand and left hand working together, but my foot would fall off. I’d fix my foot and then my left hand would fall apart. It was always this dance, with one thing working and another breaking, over and over. Sound familiar?
If you’re running a tire dealership, you’re living this rhythm every day. One department is clicking and another is struggling. One tech is flying and another is off his game. Your numbers look good, but the culture feels off. You’re constantly tuning.
That’s rhythm.
Rhythm is not about perfection. It’s not some fantasy where everything is clicking 100% of the time. Rhythm is positive movement. Rhythm is a fair balance between time and space. You can be busy, but still be in rhythm. You can be slow and still be off. Rhythm is a feeling, but it’s also something you can observe and build.
Let’s get specific. In your dealership, every decision you make is like a musical note. Every pause you take is just as meaningful. I learned, through music, that rests are not the absence of sound. They are sound’s partner. That applies to leadership, too.
The time you take before responding to a frustrated employee? That’s a rest. The deliberate delay before launching a new service process? That’s a rest. The moment you let someone speak fully before jumping in? That’s a rest. And these rests matter as much as action.
Running a tire dealership isn’t just about torque specs and tread depths. It’s about your workflow, your people and your customer experience. It’s about how those things interact and play off one another. Just like in music, each component has to hold its space and know when to yield.
The most successful operators I work with don’t chase speed or volume for their own sake. They build systems that create a sustainable pace. They allow breathing room in their process. They honor
structure, but leave room for improvisation. That’s rhythm. So how do you apply this practically? Tune your workflow. Every shop has its own rhythm. The mistake is assuming that just because you’re busy, you’re operating at a high level. Activity is not productivity. Are your processes predictable? Are the hand-offs smooth? Are your people clear on their roles?
Look at your workflow like a drummer looks at his drum kit. How do the pieces interact? Is each one adding to the groove or muddying it? Observe your pauses.
Are you building in time to reflect on decisions, to talk to your people without an agenda and to just step back and observe the flow of your shop? A moment of silence can sometimes teach more than a day of action.
‘The next time your shop feels chaotic, take a step back. Listen. Observe. Where’s the beat?
What’s falling out of sync?’
Train for independent strength. Just like each limb on a drummer needs independence to serve the whole rhythm, your team members need the ability to function autonomously while staying in sync with the greater team. That takes coaching. That takes trust. Don’t just give your people tools. Help them build feel. That’s where rhythm lives.
When you find a groove, a system that’s working or a team dynamic that’s clicking, protect it. Don’t rush to change for the sake of change. Find the line between innovation and stability. Honor the groove.
Here’s what I know: rhythm creates confidence. When a team is in rhythm, you feel it. Communication flows. Customers sense it. The shop breathes. When something’s off, you don’t panic. You adjust, like a drummer correcting tempo mid-song. You find the beat again. That’s leadership.
In music and in business, rhythm is how you know you’re moving in the right direction — not perfectly, not without a struggle, but with intentionality and purpose.
The next time your shop feels chaotic, take a step back. Listen. Observe. Where’s the beat? What’s falling out of sync? What needs more space? What needs more time? If you can answer those questions, you can lead through anything. ■
Tire and auto industry veteran Randy O’Connor is the Owner/Principal of D2D Development Group (Dealer to Dealer Development Group.) He can be reached at randy@d2ddevelopmentgroup.com. For more information, please visit www.d2ddevelopmentgroup.com.
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Craig Van Batenburg By
With federal incentives for electric vehicles (EVs) canceled, EVs will have to stand on their own merits. There are many things we can worry about today. If similar events can be found in the past, we can study those and we can learn from them.
Let us go back to beginning of hybrids (HEVs) in America and look at incentives. In December 2000, Honda introduced a special Bridgestone tire, made for their new Insight hybrid. The design was already in use on the Toyota Prius in Japan, but that hybrid had not made it here yet. All models of the Prius were right-hand drive and the high-voltage battery pack, using round cells, took up a lot of trunk space. The Prius made it here about eight months later as a model year 2001, with the steering wheel moved over and a smaller battery pack — same voltage and amp hours — in the trunk. The Bridgestone tires were a bit wider than those on the Insight.
There were no incentives to drive sales and only two OEMs to compete with each other. They sold in small numbers at first. The Energy Policy Act of 2005, signed by President George W. Bush, provided a federal income tax credit of up to $3,400 to hybrid buyers. Ford introduced their Escape HEV at that time. With the incentive and more choices, many fleets and consumers were moving into a high-voltage world. Sales went up.
June 2008 saw the price for a barrel of oil hit almost $150 and gasoline price signage changed almost daily. Hybrids were in big demand. The market had shifted almost overnight. Oil prices settled down and so did sales of hybrids.
In 2010, all the federal incentives for hybrids went away. What about sales? They continued. EVs were on the horizon. In late2010, I ordered two all-electric Nissan Leafs, one in Oregon and the other in California, as they were not for sale on the East Coast.
Alan Nagle, a General Motors trainer from Canada, called me to see if I liked the Leaf. That led me to a purchase a Chevy Volt at a dealership on Long Island.
A mid-trim Volt was just shy of $45,000. Alan was doing me a favor, but they wanted all the money the next day. I took delivery soon after.
In model year 2011, the $7,500 incentives were added to all EVs. EV sales climbed up. 2017 was a pivotal year, as the Telsa Model 3 went into production and the race was on. Incentives have been used for years.
My older brother, Scott Van Batenburg, worked for the United States Treasury after graduating from Clark University in Worcester, Mass., and Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif. Being only four years apart, our conversations were often about business and taxes. I learned a lot from Scott. One discussion was tax incentives and interest rates. This was in the late-1960s. It went like this: “If we need more homes built, lower the home mortgage rate. More roads needed to be built? Raise the tax on a gallon of gasoline.”
‘Stay away from EVs and you will slowly lose your customers and your future growth.’
I was learning at a young age more about business. Little did I know I would start my business in 1977. Scott knew stuff.
A good technician cannot fix a complex problem on any vehicle without discipline based on science, logic and reason. Without that outlook and an education, parts are swapped and prayers are said.
If EV sales go the same path as HEVs did, consumers will still buy them. Used ones will be sold and the same pattern will develop. Do you want to be a part of that? I definitely would!
Did you know that at the end of September 2025, the federal government also ended the $4,000 incentive on used EVs and plug-in hybrid vehicles?
Automotive Career Development Center, my HEV-EV technician training company, added one more plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) vehicle in September, a 2018 Honda Clarity plug-in hybrid. It is unique on many levels in terms of advanced systems. The regenerative brakes and transmission are Honda advancements. Even the fender skirts at the rear wheels provide advantages — little things that add up to better range.
EVs will continue to be sold. Prices will come down for base EV models. EV tires also will improve. Research engineers are working on new technologies that will reduce tire wear, improve range and make tires quieter. Stay away from EVs and you will slowly lose your customers and your future growth. ■
Craig Van Batenburg is the CEO of Van Batenburg’s Garage Inc., dba Automotive Career Development Center (ACDC), which is based in Worcester, Mass. A 50-year automotive service industry veteran, Van Batenburg provides training for facilities that service — or want to service — electric and hybrid vehicles. For more information, see www.fixhybrid.com or email him at craig@fixhybrid.com.
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Mike Manges By
The Nexen N’Priz S is Nexen Tire America Inc.’s first EV-compatible tire. Nexen dealers and distributors recently tested the N’Priz S and another new tire, the N’Fera Sport, at a ride-and-drive event in Joliet, Ill.
Nexen Tire America Inc. has launched two new tires, including a product that’s been designed for use on both electric and gas-powered vehicles
The N’Priz S grand touring all-season tire is Nexen’s first EV-compatible offering.
Available in 48 sizes, fitting wheels ranging from 15 inches to 20 inches in diameter, the N’Priz S targets EVs and internal combustion engine sedans and features a reinforced center block and enhanced footprint “to deliver high torque smoothly to the road,” according to Nexen officials.
Other features include Nexen’s 4D Compound Technology, which “ensures driving stability in every season;” 3D
The N’Fera Sport premium ultrahigh performance summer tire is available in 63 sizes, fitting wheels ranging from 17 inches to 21 inches in diameter.
sipe technology for optimal braking and handling; and more.
In addition, the tire has been engineered using Nexen’s AIxVI Technology, which “combines AI (performance prediction) and VR (virtual driving simulation.) AI analyzes noise patterns and road surfaces, while VR tests virtual prototypes to refine tread shapes for a quieter ride, better handling and reliable braking.”
“Customers will be able to start ordering the N’Priz S” this month, John Hagan, executive vice president of sales for Nexen, told MTD during a recent ride-and-drive event in Joliet, Ill. “We’ll launch it in January. We’ll have it in our warehouses.”
Nexen rolled out an EV-compatible tire rather than an EV-specific tire for several reasons, said Hagan. “It helps consumers understand the line. It helps our customers carry fewer SKUs. You talk to any customer — the one thing they’re concerned about is the number of SKUs they have to carry. So we listened to them.”
The N’Priz S comes with an 80,000mile tread wear warranty. It replaces three tires: the Nexen Roadian GTX, the Nexen Aria AH47 and the N’Priz AH8.
Also new from Nexen is the N’Fera Sport, a premium ultra-high performance summer tire. Available now is 63 sizes, fitting wheels ranging from 17 inches to 21 inches in diameter, the N’Fera Sport replaces the Nexen N’Fera SU1.
The N’Fera Sport’s tread compound “is new,” said Aaron Neumann, head of Nexen’s technical center. “It’s more wet grip-oriented.”
Features include a four-channel groove design for optimal water evacuation; a slant shoulder block design for improved braking; an upgraded profile “using infinite analysis technology to reinforce handling, braking, performance and durability” and more.
“This is a tire designed for comfort, longer tread life and improved grip,” said Neumann. “It can also function in light snow. We want balanced performance in all areas. We’re trying to put ourselves in the position of the consumer, who still
wants value and options.” The N’Fera Sport comes with a 30,000-mile tread wear warranty.
Both the N’Fera Sport and the N’Priz S will be positioned as tier-two products, according to Hagan. And both will be available direct from Nexen and through Nexen distributors. “We have vendor transfer. Some people call it ‘secondary supply.’ We have those options available.” Nexen will provide point-of-sale materials and digital tools to help promote the new tires. Support materials “will come out in the December timeframe,” said Hagan. “We’ll do a welcome kit — a product showcase kit. We’ll also talk about them at the SEMA Show and will have more point-of-purchase materials to show there.”
Hagan told MTD that Nexen is working on future iterations of other products. “We have a roadmap that goes out to the year 2030,” he said.
“We’re always looking to refresh” Nexen’s product portfolio. ■
Mike Manges By
“We’re constantly evolving,”
Lindsey Beer, Best-One Tire Group’s chief strategy officer, told Best-One members at the organization’s recent meeting.
One of those evolutions is Legacy BestOne, a business entity that provides an off-ramp for Best-One dealers who want to retire.
“Legacy Best-One is an opportunity for our partners to take the businesses they’ve built and put them into an established, larger unit,” Beer told MTD before the start of Best-One’s annual meeting, which recently took place in Indianapolis, Ind.
She said that several years ago, the Zurcher family, which heads the BestOne Tire Group, saw the need to provide Best-One members with an exit option that would preserve and honor the businesses they’ve spent decades running. (Best-One was established by Zurcher family patriarch, the late Paul Zurcher, in the year 2000.)
Three Best-One dealerships — BestOne of Indy, Best-One of Kentuckiana and Southern Indiana Tire — folded into Legacy Best-One in January 2024. “They were the first” to join Legacy Best-One, said Beer. All three businesses and others that have since joined Legacy Best-One continue to operate under their existing names, she noted. (The Legacy Best-One name is not marketed externally, Beer told MTD.)
When a Best-One dealership joins Legacy Best-One, the Zurcher family takes on a bigger portion of its ownership. The size of the ownership stake “depends. We’ll either make an asset purchase and then move it into Legacy. In other cases, we’ll do mergers.”
“Legacy Best-One is an opportunity for our partners to take the businesses they’ve built and put them into an established, larger unit,” Lindsey Beer, Best-One Tire Group’s chief strategy officer (left, with Tina Zurcher, Best-One’s general counsel), told MTD before BestOne’s annual meeting, which took place in Indianapolis, Ind.
Legacy Best-One is “primarily owned by our family,” said Beer. “The industry, technology and business were pushing us in the direction” of creating Legacy BestOne and “there’s also the need to walk alongside our partners and help them plan their path to retirement.”
More Best-One locations are expected to join Legacy Best-One. Best-One of Monroe (Ind.), the location Paul Zurcher opened in 1948, joined Legacy Best-One this past September.
“It’s a pretty significant thing for us,” said Beer. “It really shows our partners that this is the direction we’re going in and that we’re all-in” on the Legacy BestOne concept.
“You don’t have to be part of Legacy to be part of Best-One,” which has 353 locations throughout 33 states, adds Beer. “We’re still in many, many traditional partnerships with amazing partners and we would never change that. But where it makes sense for partners who need
More than 450 people attended the recent Best-One Tire Group meeting.
somewhere to go, our family is providing Legacy as an option. It’s kind of like the best of both worlds. If the business you have needs to change or isn’t working for you for whatever reason, you now have another option.”
“The partners within our group specifically join us for our culture,” Tina Zurcher, Best-One’s general counsel, told MTD. “And when they retire, they’re looking for ways to keep that culture,” which makes Legacy Best-One an attractive alternative.
Best-One members who are retiring are also free to partner with other BestOne members, she noted.
There are no store count targets for Legacy Best-One.
“We have a pretty good idea what the size of Legacy Best-One is going to look like, but it’s not like, ‘By this date, we need to have this many,’” said Beer. “But what we can tell you is that it’s happening way faster than what we’ve anticipated.”
Best-One is moving ahead with several efforts to help enhance its members’ operational efficiencies. “What we’re doing right now is focusing internally on our partners and our own house,” said Beer.
“One of the initiatives we have is a onepage planning concept,” said Zurcher. “We have different members getting together in regional meetings. Each location works on their individual plan. You have a target you have to meet, then you have priorities — how to get there. That’s been a big push for us. There’s something about meeting with your peers” that sharpens best practices.
“Everything is all on paper and every 90 days you’re gauging how you’ve done,” said Zurcher.
Standardization of IT systems within Best-One is another priority. “We’ve put a lot of emphasis and focus on standardization,” said Beer. “We’re a group of partners and we’re in the in-between phase of balancing member autonomy with the benefits of standardization across the board. It can bring efficiencies.”
For example, Beer told MTD that Best-One is moving “onto a new (retread plant) software platform with Bandag,” its longtime tread rubber and retread shop equipment supplier.
When asked about the state of tire demand, Beer told MTD that the market “is flat to down, but we’ve also heard that things may be looking a little better. We’re seeing our retread units perk up again and that’s really good. We’re seeing commercial tire units start to move again and some retail units are starting to move better, too.
“But it’s been a flat year. That’s the best way to describe it. People are waiting to see what’s going to happen with tariffs. People are waiting to see what’s going to happen politically.”
On the commercial truck tire side, Best-One members are seeing an uptick in national account business at the expense of local book business. “This last quarter, we really started to focus on programs that we can put together, so our sales team
can get back out there into the market and start moving local units,” said Beer.
Wholesale distribution remains the biggest part of Best-One’s business “and I would say commercial and retreading would follow. Retail is still important to us. We want to give retail the glory it deserves.”
Both Beer and Zurcher told MTD that Best-One is looking beyond present-day challenges and that the organization’s continued success hinges on the quality and professionalism of its members and their employees.
“We’re more concerned with people than with profits,” said Beer. “Profits are important. We can’t do business if the profits aren’t there. But at the end of the day, we’re people-first. If they buy into your mission, your vision and your core values, you’ve hit a home run. That was our grandfather, Paul Zurcher’s, philosophy. That’s always been our family’s philosophy. We have a great opportunity to see from a 30,000-foot view what’s hap-
Joy Kopcha By
Matt Davis’ tire career began when he was 14. He had to make his mom a promise that he would keep his grades up if she allowed him to work at a local tire dealership after school. He kept his end of the deal and every afternoon he’d hop off the school bus to go to work at the small, one-bay shop.
He worked there all through high school and ultimately bought the struggling business. It was a small start to what Davis and his wife Ryan have grown into Davis Tire Co.
That first store moved a couple times and eventually relocated to Rincon, Ga., a small town outside of Savannah.
Steady growth led to three expansions, 10 service bays and more than $4 million a year in annual sales. With no more room to grow, the Davises in October 2025 opened their second location, a 20,000 square-foot modern store with 10 more bays in nearby Springfield, Ga.
Ryan says it took about two years to secure the property and city permits to build the new location.
“It was a little bit of a struggle,” Matt said. “They could not wrap their head around what we’re telling them and what we wanted.” Leaders couldn’t picture a tire dealership that looked like what the Davises were pitching. But once they saw the architectural drawings, “they couldn’t believe it. They gave us the blessing and we started building.”
The store features giant windows and glass doors that provide motorists with an easy view into the store’s interior. Once in the showroom, there are windows that give visibility to the offices too, so customers “see an owner or a manager there working,” says Matt. The store has high ceilings and modern, comfortable furnishings and features. Phone chargers are built into the lounge chairs.
“Do we need that? No. Nobody does. But I want you to sit and wait on your car. If your phone died, I don’t want you getting antsy.”
The new Davis Tire store features a coffee bar that’s branded with the Hercules Tire logo. Chris Jennings is a key account manager for American Tire Distributors, on left, and Ron Elliot, on right, is Hercules’ brand director. Both were on-hand for the store’s grand opening.
Photo: MTD
“We just tried to make it a very highend experience,” says Matt Davis of the new Davis Tire store he and his wife, Ryan Davis, opened last month.
Photo: MTD
Customers also have access to free soda, coffee and popcorn while they wait.
“The bigger it is, the brighter it is. It’s going to catch your eye.”
In the first two weeks the store was open, the Davises were planning for a soft opening. But they were met with a steady stream of customers. A Saturday mid-day grand opening event attracted hundreds of people. Some of that was due to curiosity and support for a new and growing business in a community, but Matt also says that while there are some other tire dealerships in the region, “we don’t really have competitors.”
Davis Tire covers all parts of the passenger and light truck tire business, but it specializes in lift kits, custom wheels and accessories. “If it bolts on, we do it.”
That covers a lot of territory, including toolboxes, steps, brush guards, deck systems, lift kits — and wheels and tires.
And while some tire dealers have stopped carrying an inventory of wheels, Davis Tire has done the reverse. He knows if he has it in stock, he can sell it.
Another unique feature of the new
Davis Tire store is what looks like a typical conference room. But the large computer screen at the front of the room is used with the vehicle visualizer that Davis Tire utilizes. A salesperson will bring a customer into the conference room and walk through the process of selecting a lift kit, wheels and tires for a vehicle. The tool allows the customer to select the specific make, model, trim level and color of the vehicle so the customer can see exactly what the upfitted vehicle would look like with any accessory.
“It’s been a big, big game changer for us,” he says.
Matt says his company installs at least one lift kit a day, if not two. There are other custom projects, too. Another customer picked up her Bronco with its new, custom hard top — and a lift kit with TIS wheels and new tires. “We try to sell them on that line (of wheels) first because they are a branding partner of ours.”
And while Davis Tire carries and sells a variety of tire brands, there are only three tires on display in the front showroom — all from the collaboration
between TIS and the Hercules brand from American Tire Distributors. (The TIS RT1, TT1 and UT1 are on display, and the design of the RT1 tire’s tread serves as the backdrop on the wall.)
“We’re stocking wheels. We’re stocking tires. We’re stocking lift kits because I want impulse buying. What I mean by that is, I don’t want to give the customer time to shop. I need the customer to come in, show them this (visualizer) and (respond), ‘That’s what I want, right there.’”
It takes five minutes to turn what the customer sees on the visualizer into a sales ticket.
Davis Tire has chosen to focus heavily on these custom projects. It’s a mindset, but it’s also a way to look at profitability, says Matt.
“There are two ways of looking at it. If I sell you wheels, what else are you buying? Tires. If I sell you a lift kit, what else are you buying? Wheels and tires, because (with) a lot of lift kits you can’t run factory wheels. You have to understand what can make more money. The wheels are going to sell themselves.” ■
Mike Manges By
Despite ongoing economic uncertainty, several of the largest independent tire dealerships in the United States have recently added stores.
Auburn, Maine-based VIP Tires & Service opened its new Wallingford, Conn., store on Oct. 21.
The five-bay outlet is a former Wallingford Tire & Auto store that VIP Tires & Service acquired. The location has been “a 41-year-old staple in New Haven County,” according to VIP Tires & Service officials.
“The acquisition was finalized earlier this year and the grand opening event will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony that features VIP leadership and members of the Wallingford community.”
“VIP is thrilled to officially open our new Wallingford location, a community staple in a wonderful Connecticut town with nearly 45,000 residents,” says VIP Tires & Service CEO Tim Winkeler. “Wallingford Tire & Auto has served this community for over four decades and we look forward to serving the local customers in the years ahead, building on a legacy of success. VIP’s Wallingford store not only grows our footprint in Connecticut, but also carries on the tradition of helping people in this great town that Wallingford Tire & Auto started.”
Sun Auto Tire & Service Inc. has opened a new Plaza Tire Service location in Fairview Heights, Ill. — the 11th Plaza Tire Service store in Illinois.
Overall, Sun Auto Tire & Service has 83 Plaza Tire Service outlets across a multi-state area.
Like other Plaza Tire Service locations, the new store has eight service bays and spans 6,500 square feet.
Sun Auto Tire & Service acquired Plaza Tire Service from longtime owners Mark and Scott Rhodes, past MTD Tire Dealer of the Year Award recipients, in 2021.
According to Rob Kingery, regional vice president, Sun Auto Tire & Service, “extending our reach further into Illinois
allows us to provide exceptional service to even more guests in the Midwest.”
Sun Auto Tire & Service officials say the expansion “reflects Sun Auto Tire & Service’s broader strategy of growing its national network through a combination of organic development and acquisition, positioning the company as one of the largest independent tire and automotive service providers in the U.S. Each new store strengthens the Sun Auto network, enabling operational efficiencies, enhanced brand visibility and an elevated guest experience across markets.”
Telle Tire & Auto Centers continues to expand, recently opening a store in Ballwin, Mo., and another in Chesterfield, Mo.
The openings give the Webster Groves, Mo.-based dealership 16 Telle Tirebranded locations in the St. Louis, Mo., area. Telle Tire & Auto Centers also operates three stores in the St. Louis market under other names.
The Ballwin store has five service
bays and six Telle Tire & Auto Centers associates, while the Chesterfield store has seven associates and 10 service bays. Both locations were former Tire Choice outlets owned by Monro Inc.
One of the largest independent tire dealerships in the U.S., according to the 2025 MTD 100, Telle Tire & Auto Centers has 67 overall locations.
Cincinnati, Ohio-based Tire Discounters Inc. has opened two new stores: one in Mableton, Ga., and another in its hometown.
The Mableton store is a former Pep Boys — Manny, Moe & Jack location and “is bringing Tire Discounters’ customer-first approach to Cobb County,” Ga., say Tire Discounters officials.
“The Cincinnati store underwent a complete rebuild and expansion, transforming one of the company’s busiest locations. The upgraded facility, also temporarily housed in a former Pep Boys, delivers a significantly improved customer experience with more service bays, expanded parking and a larger tire inventory of in-stock tires.
“With these openings, Tire Discounters now operates 202 locations across eight states, continuing its reputation for growth built on customer service, convenience and innovation.”
“Our growth is driven by one simple factor: the outstanding customer experience we deliver,” says Jamie Ward, CEO of Tire Discounters. “It’s an experience that keeps customers coming back and fuels our ability to expand into both new and existing markets.” ■
Mike Manges By
Rema Tip Top North America Inc.’s new virtual reality (VR) tire repair training program is scheduled to hit the market during the first quarter of 2026.
The Rema Virtual Reality Training Academy (REMA-VRT) is “our first virtual reality simulation module on tire repair training,” say Rema Tip Top North America officials.
Using Oculus VR headsets that immerse participants in “a fully interactive 3D” setting, REMA-VRT “combines immersive VR technology with industry-standard procedures to create a safe, hands-on learning environment without the risks or costs of physical equipment.”
In development by Rema Tip Top North America for nearly a year, REMAVRT walks technicians through each step of a nail hole repair.
“Learners can practice essential skills without exposure to heavy machinery, workplace hazards or consumable material costs.
“Every module follows proper tire repair standards, ensuring consistent, high-quality training.”
Participants can also be graded based on “built-in tests (that) track execution and provide actionable feedback, streamlining evaluation for instructors and boosting student confidence.”
Grades are administered using a points system, but can be modified to a pass/fail setting.
REMA-VRT is ideal for tire dealerships and technical schools and is designed to bridge the gap “between traditional classroom learning and hands-on shop experience,” according to Rema Tip Top North America officials, who will demonstrate the tool during this month’s SEMA Show.
REMA-VRT can be branded to fit any tire dealership that’s using the system, according to Lewis Whitfield, general manager, motion division, Rema Tip Top North America.
“We’re trying to connect to the newer
generation” of current or potential tire repair technicians who have “been raised with an iPhone in their hand and respond to this technology a lot better than the generation that’s leaving this business,” he says.
“We’re coming into a new group of techs,” says Adam Kennedy, south central territory manager, Rema Tip Top North America.
Using Oculus VR headsets that immerse participants in “a fully interactive 3D” setting, REMA-VRT “combines immersive VR (virtual reality) technology with industrystandard procedures to create a safe, hands-on learning environment without the risks or costs of physical equipment,” say Rema Tip Top North America Inc. officials.
Photo: Rema Tip Top North America Inc.
“They grew up with (video) gaming consoles. It’s the world we live in.”
“Bringing that next level of training in and helping (tire repair technicians) get up to speed faster and doing it with technology they’ve likely used since childhood makes sense,” explains Whitfield.
Rema Tip Top North America officials say REMA-VRT will also assist tire dealerships as they attempt to vet job applicants, providing an accurate assessment of a potential technician’s baseline knowledge.
“Dealers need to understand” an applicant’s experience and level of expertise “before they can get onto the shop floor,” notes Whitfield.
“This can assist in weeding out individuals you don’t want to waste your time on,” says Mike Frail, Rema Tip Top North America’s technical director.
If an applicant scores well, “you’ll be more comfortable with that individual on the floor (being) capable of repairing tires to industry standards.”
Whitfield adds that Rema Tip Top North America is looking at adding VR training for section repairs. ■
“We’re trying to connect to the newer generation” of current or potential tire repair technicians who have “been raised with an iPhone in their hand,” says Lewis Whitfield, general manager, motion division, Rema Tip Top North America Inc.
EL-52545 Tire Pressure Monitor
Sensor and RF Diagnostic Tool
The tire pressure monitoring system warns the driver when a significant loss of tire pressure occurs in any of the equipped tires. It allows the driver to display the individual tire pressures and their locations on the driver information center.
The Tire Fill Alert (TFA) (if equipped) feature provides visual and audible alerts (light flashes and horn chirps) to drivers to assist in inflating an underinflated tire to the recommended tire pressure without the need to check a gauge or the instrument panel.
TFA only functions once the tire pressure is low enough to trigger the telltale on the dashboard. When the driver starts filling the underinflated tire, the corner lamp nearest to that tire will begin to flash. When the recommended pressure is reached, the horn sounds once and the turn signal lamps will stop flashing and briefly turn solid.
If the tire is overinflated by more than 5 psi, the horn will sound multiple times and the turn signal lamp will continue to flash for several seconds after filling stops. When the recommended pressure is reached, the horn sounds once.
If a new sensor has been installed or tire rotated, the vehicle must be stationary for about 20 minutes before the system can start the process of calculating correct sensor locations. For this to happen, the vehicle will need to be driven at a speed greater than 12 mph for about 10 minutes. When the vehicle is stationary, the sensors’ internal shock sensor is inactive which puts the sensors into a stationary state. In this state the sensors sample tire pressure once every 30 seconds and do not transmit at all if the tire pressure does not change. As vehicle speed increases, the shock sensor pulses every wheel rotation, which puts the sensor into rolling mode. The remote control door lock receiver receives and then sends the tire pressure and temperature data to the body control module (BCM).
The BCM translates the data contained in the tire pressure sensor radio frequency transmissions into sensor presence, sensor mode and tire pressure.
Once vehicle speed is greater than 25 mph, the sensors begin to transmit once a minute keeping the pressure data up to date. Each sensor has its own unique identification code.
Once all four IDs have been learned and vehicle speed is greater than 25 mph, the BCM continuously compares IDs and pressure data in the received transmissions to the learned IDs and pressures to determine if all four sensors are present and if one or more tires are low.
If the BCM detects a low tire pressure condition, or a malfunction in the system, it will send a serial data message to the instrument cluster to request the appropriate tire pressure monitor indicator illumination and also to display the appropriate data message on the driver information center, if equipped.
When the tire pressure system detects a significant loss or gain of tire pressure, the tire pressure monitor indicator icon is continuously illuminated on the instrument cluster and if equipped, a check tire pressure type message is displayed on the driver information center.
Both the indicator icon and driver information center message can be cleared by adjusting the tire pressures to the recommended psi.
If power is disconnected from the BCM or if the vehicle battery is disconnected, each tire pressure sensor ID is retained but all of the tire pressure information is lost. To reactivate the sensors, the vehicle must be driven above 25 mph for at least two minutes.
Tire Pressure Sensor Learn with EL-52545 (Preferred)
The EL-52545 allows the tire pressure sensors to be learned without transmitting RF data between the tire pressure sensors and the vehicle. When using the EL-52545, each tire pressure sensor ID is learned to the EL-52545 and stored internally. The EL-52545 is then connected to the vehicle DLC using the OBD2 Interface Module, which is part of the EL-52545 kit. The stored tire pressure sensor information will then be loaded into the K9 Body Control Module. Using the EL-52545 to learn tire pressure sensors will prevent the Diagrams: Mitchell
vehicle from learning an errant nearby tire pressure sensor from other vehicles in a service facility environment, especially if the tire pressure sensor batteries are low. This is the GM recommended method to learn tire pressure sensors.
1. Turn on EL-52545. (Make sure the TPMS tool battery is sufficient to complete the TPMS learn process. Do not place the TPMS tool directly on the valve stem. The tool should be placed against the tire sidewall near the valve stem. The sensor learn activation procedure may have to be repeated up to three times before determining a sensor is malfunctioning.)
2. Select RDR from the on-screen display.
3. If available, scan the QR code on the vehicle’s tire placard or certification label. If a QR is not available, select MMY from the on-screen display and manually input the vehicle information.
4. Approach the vehicle starting with the left front tire and read each tire pressure sensor information by pressing the green trigger button with
Single
the EL-52545 located near the tire valve stem. Read each tire pressure sensor in the order identified on the EL-52545. (If any sensors display “Sensor Not Compatible” on the EL-52545 screen, you will need to
first make sure compatible sensors are installed on the vehicle.)
5. If any tire pressure sensors do not respond, replace the tire pressure sensor only after several attempts have been made to identify all sensors. Undetected sensor will be identified with “No Sensor Detected” displayed in the table. After sensor replacement rerun RDR procedure. If all tire pressure sensors do respond, proceed to the next step.
6. Verify the BAT value for each tire pressure sensor in the table on the EL-52545 is OK.If not OK, replace the tire pressure sensor and rerun RDR procedure.
7. Verify the pressure and temperature values are reasonable based on the ambient conditions and actual tire pressure. If either value is inaccurate, replace the tire pressure sensor and rerun RDR procedure.
8. Ignition On/Vehicle in Service Mode.
9. Connect the EL-52545 OBD2 Interface Module to the EL-52545.
10. Verify the OBDII icon is displayed on
the EL-52545 and the green com LED is flashing on the EL-52545 OBD2 Interface Module.
11. Connect the other end of the OBD2 Interface Module to the vehicle DLC.
12. Select OK on the EL-52545and follow the on-screen instructions.
When EL-50448 Tire Pressure Monitor Sensor Activation Tool is used in activate mode, it produces a low frequency transmission that activates the sensor. The sensor responds to a low frequency activation by transmitting in Learn Mode-Remotely Triggered. When the BCM receives a learn mode transmission while in Learn mode, it will assign that sensor’s ID to the location on the vehicle relative to the order in which it was learned.
In the event a particular sensor is activated and the horn does not chirp, it may be necessary to rotate the wheel so that the valve stem is in a different position because to the sensor signal is being blocked by another component.
Make sure the TPMS tool battery is sufficient to complete the learn process. Do not place the tool directly on the valve stem. The tool should be placed against the tire sidewall near the valve stem. The TPMS sensor learn activation procedure may have to be repeated up to three times before determining a sensor is malfunctioning.
1. Ignition On/Vehicle in Service Mode. Using driver information center buttons or scan tool (if available), initiate the Tire Pressure Sensors Learn mode. A double horn chirp will sound indicating the Learn mode has been enabled. The left front turn signal will also be illuminated.
2. Starting with the left front tire, activate the sensor by holding the antenna of the tire pressure monitor activation tool aimed upward against the tire sidewall close to the wheel at the valve stem location. Press and release the activate button. Ensure that the transmit indicator on the special tool indicates that the sensor activation
signal is being transmitted. Wait for a horn chirp. If the horn does not chirp, repeat the sensor activation sequence with the tool. Once the horn chirp has sounded, the sensor information is learned and the turn signal in the next location to be learned will illuminate.
3. After the horn chirp has sounded and the right front turn signal is illuminated, repeat that step for the remaining three sensors in the following order: Right front, Right rear and then Left rear.
4. When the left rear sensor has been learned and a double horn chirp has sounded, the learn process is complete and the BCM exits the Learn mode.
Sensor Replacement (Clamp in style) Single Use Fasteners and Components: Tire Pressure Indicator Sensor Cap, Tire Pressure Indicator Sensor Nut, Tire Valve Front and Rear Stem, and Tire Pressure Indicator Sensor Washer.
Removal Procedure
1. Raise and support the vehicle.
2. Remove the tire and wheel assembly
3. Remove and discard the Tire Pressure Indicator Sensor Cap as in Fig. 1.
4. Remove and discard the Tire Valve Front and Rear Stem.
Before the tire is removed from the wheel note the following items:
• When using the tire machine to separate the tire bead from the wheel, position the bead breaking fixture 90 degrees from the valve stem.
• When removing the tire from the wheel, ensure a tolerance is maintained between the tire machine fixture, or irons, tire bead, and the sensor.
5. Demount the tire from the wheel.
6. If a tire sealant product was used/ found within the tire/wheel, use a mild dish soap, clean water and shop cloths to remove the sealant residue from the tire and wheel surfaces.
7. Remove and discard the Tire Pressure Indicator Sensor Nut shows in Fig. 2.
8. Remove the Tire Pressure Indicator Sensor (1) as shown in Fig. 3.
9. Remove and discard the metal tire pressure indicator sensor washer (2).
10. Remove and discard the rubber tire pressure indicator sensor washer (3).
Installation Procedure
1. Ensure that the sealing surfaces of the tire pressure indicator sensor (1) and the wheel are clean of dirt and debris.
2. Install a new rubber tire pressure indicator sensor washer.
3. Install a new metal tire pressure indicator sensor washer. (The air passage of the tire pressure indicator sensor must face away from the wheel.)
4. Apply light pressure when installing the tire pressure indicator sensor nut to ensure its positioned correctly.
5. Install new Tire Pressure Indicator Sensor Nut and hand tighten. In Fig. 4 the wheel is transparent for clarity.
6. Ensure that the tire pressure indicator sensor is properly oriented and flush with the wheel surface.
7. Tire Pressure Indicator Sensor Nut: Tighten to 9 N.m (80 lb in).
8. Mount the tire to the wheel.
9. Install the new Tire Valve Front and Rear Stem.
10. Inflate the tire to the proper pressure as indicated on the tire placard.
11. Install a new Tire Pressure Indicator Sensor Cap.
12. Install the tire and wheel assembly.
13. Remove the support and lower the vehicle.
14. Perform the tire pressure indicator sensor learn procedure.
Sensor Replacement (Snap in style)
Single Use Fasteners and Components: Tire Pressure Indicator Sensor Bolt and Tire Valve Front and Rear Stem.
Removal Procedure
1. Raise and support the vehicle.
2. Remove the tire and wheel assembly.
3. Demount the tire from the rim.
4 SKUs = coverage for over 225 million vehicles on the road.
4. Insert an anti rotation pin through the cross-drilled hole in the valve stem.
5. Hold the valve stem to prevent it from rotating, then remove and discard the bolt from the tire pressure indicator sensor. (Do not twist the tire pressure indicator sensor to remove.)
6. Pull the tire pressure indicator sensor straight off the valve stem.
7. Cut the inner seal off the valve stem. Do not damage the clear coating on aluminum wheels with the tire changer. Scratching the coating could cause the aluminum wheel to corrode and the clear coating to peel.
8. Remove and discard the valve stem by pulling it through the wheel using a valve stem removal tool.
9. Clean all sealing surfaces.
Installation Procedure
The tire pressure indicator sensor is supplied assembled to a new valve stem. Separate before installation.
1. Remove the new bolt from the tire pressure indicator sensor and pull it straight off the new valve stem.
2. Apply lubricant to the new valve stem. (Note: Valve stems and bolts are single use items.)
3. Using a tire pressure valve stem mounting tool, pull the valve stem through in a direction parallel to the valve hole on the rim. (Ensure the flat surfaces of the tire pressure indicator sensor and the tire pressure valve stem are located correctly.)
4. Rotate the valve stem by hand to align the tire pressure indicator sensor. (Do not tighten the bolt at this stage.)
5. Assemble the tire pressure indicator sensor to the valve stem and install the new bolt hand tight.
6. Insert an anti rotation pin through the cross-drilled hole in the valve stem.
7. Hold the valve stem to prevent it from rotating and tighten the bolt to 1.4 N.m (12.4 lb in).
8. Check the valve stem (1) to ensure that it is fully seated on the rim (2) as follows: The rim hole edge has to be completely in the notch of the valve stem. And, the valve and the rim hole have to be concentric.
9. Make sure there is a parallel gap between the valve stem and the tire pressure indicator sensor. (The tire pressure indicator sensor must not be in contact with the wheel.)
10. When correctly positioned there will be a parallel gap between the tire pressure indicator sensor and the wheel. (Note: Tire pressure indicator sensors are shipped in the OFF mode. The sensor will exit its OFF state when the tire is inflated. The tire should not have contact with the tire pressure indicator sensor during installation to prevent damage to the sensor.)
11. Mount the tire to the wheel.
12. Install the tire and wheel assembly.
13. Remove the support; lower the vehicle.
14. Perform the tire pressure indicator sensor learn procedure. ■
Information for this column comes from the tire pressure monitoring systems data in ProDemand, Mitchell 1’s auto repair information software for domestic and import vehicles. Headquartered in San Diego, Mitchell 1 has provided quality repair information solutions to the automotive industry since 1918. For more information, visit www.mitchell1.com.
Transamerica Tire Co. Ltd. has launched the Covert Grip ASP, an all-season ultra-high performance tire. The Covert Grip ASP is the flagship tire model in Venom Power’s new Covert Grip series, designed with an asymmetrical tread design to adapt to diverse driving conditions. Other key features of the Covert Grip ASP include dual circumferential grooves to channel water and slush away for hydroplaning resistance, zigzag-shaped inner grooves to boost winter performance and more.
TRANSAMERICA TIRE CO. LTD. www.transamericatire.com
Sailun Tire Americas’ new Atrezzo 4S all-weather tire is designed to perform in a wide range of conditions. The tire, which is 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake-certified for winter driving, features a unique, directional, asymmetric tread pattern for consistent, optimized performance in dry, wet and snow conditions. A specially formulated rubber compound is responsive and remains flexible in below-zero temperatures to provide steady control and stability. The tire’s variable, angled siping reduces road noise and also provides a smooth, comfortable ride.
SAILUN TIRE AMERICAS
www.gosailun.com/en-us/plt/
Atturo adds sizes for three tires
Atturo Tire Corp. has added sizes to the Trail Blade MTS, the Trail Blade ATS and the AZ850. The Atturo Trail Blade MTS for mud-terrain applications is available in two new sizes: LT275/60R20 and LT315/75R16. The Trail Blade ATS, Atturo’s most aggressive all-terrain tire, is now available in eight additional sizes: 225/55R18 102H XL; LT275/70R17 124/121T; 33x12.50R18LT 1225; 33x12.50R22LT 117R; 35x12.50R18LT 1285; 35x12.50R22LT 123S; 35x12.50R24LT 123R; and 35x12.50R26LT 12IQ. The AZ850 now has 15 new sizes.
ATTURO TIRE CORP. www.atturo.com
Michelin reveals Michelin X Multi Z2
Michelin North America Inc. has unveiled its Michelin X Multi Z2, a regional all-position tire for durability and traction in challenging weather. The tire is designed to help regional fleets complete reliable deliveries. The new tire is SmartWay-verified and features Michelin’s Regenion technology, allowing for a more efficient tread design, mileage and rolling resistance gains and traction performance throughout the life of the tire. The Michelin X Multi Z2 is 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake-certified and its casing utilizes Powercoil technology for optimal durability.
MICHELIN NORTH AMERICA INC. https://business.michelinman.com/ freight-transportation
Bridgestone Americas Inc. has released the Alenza Prestige tire, a premium highway tire for CUVs, SUVs and trucks. The tire features a new, refined tread pattern and Bridgestone’s ENLITEN technology. It also comes with a 70,000mile warranty and offers precise wet performance. It features QuietTrack Technology, an in-groove feature that reduces tread pattern noise, and PeakLife Polymer components for long-lasting performance. With 47 available sizes, the tire is engineered to fit CUVs, SUVs and light trucks.
BRIDGESTONE AMERICAS INC. www.bridgestonetire.com
Yokohama drive tire comes in four sizes
Yokohama Tire Corp. has launched the new Yokohama BluEarth 718L SmartWay-verified premium drive tire. The BluEarth 718L is available in four sizes — 295/75R22.5, 11R22.5, 285/75R24.5 and 11R24.5 — and comes with a seven-year retread casing warranty. The tire is made to combine durability with fuel efficiency to meet trucking fleets’ long-haul requirements. The BluEarth 718L has an advanced compound and new tread pattern that reduce rolling resistance, deter irregular wear and also enhance traction. Its connected tread offers enhanced tread block stability. YOKOHAMA TIRE CORP. www.yokohamatruck.com
