Turnthom Tire Centers Inc. consolidated its two Klamath Falls, Ore., stores into a single new location in that city, May 1. Turnthom Tire is a member of the Northwest Tire Factory Group L.P., a 56-member buying and marketing group based in Portland, Ore.
Kent, Wash.-based Davis Tire & Wheel Inc. moved to a new location in that city this May.
The 35-year-old dealership performs no automotive service, said owner Dick Davis, and sales to car dealerships account for about 75 percent of the company's tire sales. Therefore, Mr. Davis said, his dealership did not have to be in a ``high-visibility'' location.
The lease for the new store, which is located in a commercial park, will save the dealership about $9,000 a year, he said.
Mr. Davis is a Washington State Tire Dealers Association board member and two-term past-president.
Transitions
A former Michelin North America salesman purchased Long Distance Tire in Holliston, Mass., from its former owner, Kevin Hayes, and reopened the retail/commercial/wholesale operation July 1st as Long Distance Tire Inc.
``I've always wanted to be my own boss,'' said new owner Kevin Conley, who had spent 15 years with Michelin. Mr. Hayes has left the tire business.
The dealership currently is operating one location, but could begin expanding as early as next year, Mr. Conley said.
Mr. Conley couldn't provide a precise breakdown, but said the majority of the dealership's sales are commercial, followed by retail and wholesale operations.
Consolidated Tire & Oil Co. (CTO) recently purchased the assets of the Tires Inc. locations in Gretna and Jefferson, La., from Sal Maggio, who retired. The two outlets are being operated with a third location in Picayune, Miss., as Premier Tire Co. (formally incorporated as Pinnacle Corp.).
The transition is the beginning of a test marketing strategy that features different brand name tires with ``Premier Tire'' serving as a common identity, according to Glen Yoes, co-owner of Denham Springs, La.-based CTO. The concept eventually could be offered to independent dealers in the New Orleans area next year, he said.
Mr. Yoes said the company has yet to decide how to market the four- to six-bay Premier Tire outlets to potential customers.
Milestones
Bandag Inc. recently honored 11 of its franchisees for more than 30 years of retreading service. The following businesses were listed in the May/June issue of the company's Bandagram newsletter:
35 years of service-
Bandag Tire Retreads of Buffalo Inc., Buffalo, N.Y.; Clingan Tires Inc., Liberal, Kan.; Del-Val Tire Co., Pennsville, N.J.; Miller Tire Co., Mexico, Mo.; Stan The Tire Man Inc., Mount Vernon, Ill.; Steepleton Tire Co., Memphis, Tenn.; Treadco Inc., North Little Rock, Ark.; Universal Tire Inc., Nashville, Tenn.; and Volk Tire Corp., Trenton, N.J.
30 years of service-
Boynton Brothers Inc., Bakersfield, Calif.; and Gretna Tire & Recapping Co., Gretna, Va.
Of Interest
Bob Grimsley, a heavy duty fleet salesman with Toledo, Ohio-based Shrader Tire & Oil was a grand-prize winner in the WIX Filters 1994 Points Race.
Mr. Grimsley received an expense-paid trip for two to the the Brickyard 400 NASCAR Winston Cup Race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. More than 1,400 people participated in the contest, according to WIX Filters, a division of Dana Corp.
The company is running the contest again, with the winners going to the Daytona 500 in February.
Dwight Meadows, owner of Cutino's Tire Center in Oakley, Calif., recently won election to the Contra Costa County Local Agency Formation Council, which is similar to a planning commission.