Tire Group International Inc. has taken over an additional 70,000 square feet of space in its 250,000-sq.-ft. Miami warehouse during 1994. The 2-year-old tire wholesale import/export company, which now stocks inventory in about 110,000 square feet of the building, is subleasing the remaining portion of the warehouse until it can fill the entire capacity, according to Antonio R. Gonzalez Jr., company co-owner and vice president of marketing.
The wholesaler conducts about 65 percent of its business in the Caribbean, Central American and South American markets.
TGI also has announced it is introducing the Astro private-brand bias and radial commercial tire line only to its export markets in 1995.
The Astro-brand tires are being manufactured in India and China, Mr. Gonzalez said.
Odessa, Texas-based Quality Truck Tires Inc. recently broke ground for its third retail outlet, which will be located in Andrews, Texas.
The 25-year-old company expects the outlet to be in business by the end of April, according to Operations Manager Bob Dickerson.
Two years ago, Quality Truck Tires opened its second outlet in Denver City, Texas.
Both locations, along with a fourth outlet the company plans to open in San Angelo, Texas, in about a year, will focus on retail tire sales and tire-related and front-end service, according to Mr. Dickerson.
Quality Truck Tires has been serving primarily commercial and wholesale accounts within a 100-mile area surrounding Odessa.
``We felt there was a lot of retail business out there that we were missing out on,'' Mr. Dickerson said, in explaining the company's expansion plans.
Scarborough, Maine-based New England Truck Tire Centers Inc. recently upgraded its Bandag retread shop with equipment capable of producing Eclipse retreads, according to co-owner John Stevens.
Bandag's Eclipse retread system uses a curved tread that wraps over the shoulders of the casing, resulting in a new-tire-like product, he explained.
New England Truck Tire, which operates commercial locations in Avon, Maine, and Hudson, N.H., in addition to Scarborough, finished upgrading its retreading equipment in October, Mr. Stevens said.
Transitions
Tharp Tire in Mesquite, Texas, is beginning to offer automotive repair service beyond the tire-oriented and front-end work it had been performing, according to owner Kathy Tharp.
She bought the dealer-ship-founded in 1955 by her father-from her brother, Danny, in November 1993. On Jan. 1 of this year, she became president of the North Texas Tire Dealers Association, a chapter of the Texas Tire Dealers & Retreaders Association.
Danny Tharp is pursuing other interests, Ms. Tharp said.
Honors
The Atlantic Tire Dealers Association inducted three founding members into its Hall of Fame in December, according to Executive Director Charles MacLeod.
Inducted were: Jack Clark, retired owner of Clark Tire Ltd., New Glasgow, Nova Scotia; Sumner Fraser, retired owner of Sumner Tire & Automotive Ltd., Moncton, New Brunswick; and Mel Pickings, retired owner of Goodwear Treaders Ltd., Bridgewater, Nova Scotia.
All three were responsible for founding the ATDA during the early 1970s, Mr. MacLeod said.