ORLANDO, Fla.-Stanley Hanin suffers from that peculiar ailment not uncommon among hard-driving former corporate executives. He wants to ``unretire.'' Simply put, he's got tires in his blood-not tired blood. And right now there doesn't seem to be any medical specialist or cure on earth for that malady, short of getting back into the tire industry.
Six years ago the former president and sole owner of Allied Tire Sales Inc. sold the Orlando-based dealership to two company officers who were backed financially by Dunlop Tire Corp., Allied's largest tire supplier.
Then the ``fairy tale'' began.
Since that day in 1989, Mr. Hanin and his wife, ``Frannie,'' long-time boating junkies, began living out their dream. After owning several of what he called store-bought boats, they commissioned an architect in San Diego and a boat builder in Seattle, then moved from Orlando to an apartment on the Puget Sound while supervising the construction of their self-designed 87-foot motorized yacht.
They made it their home, sailing from the Pacific Northwest down the coast, along the Gulf of California, through the Panama Canal, up the East Coast and throughout the Bahamas and Carribean.
The Hanins have three grown children and four grandchildren.
All seemed at peace in paradise. Then in the Jan. 22 issue of TIRE BUSINESS, a half-page advertisement from Mr. Hanin appeared, declaring in 100-point headline type: ``I'm tired of being retired!''
So now he's antsy to go back to work? He's kidding, right? It took all of two seconds to muster up the inevitable question: ``Why?'' He laughed at that one during a call from the sunny Bahamas.
``Why do I want to `unretire?' '' he repeated slowly in what sounded like a well-tanned and rested voice. ``Well, when I started Allied Tire in 1976 I wasn't broke. But I was so far underwater that by '79 I came up to being broke. Then in '89 I sold it all. We had 13 sensational years.''
He was 53-years old at the time. Young enough and healthy enough ``to see what else was going on out there in the play world.'' And he did, admitting, ``I've done everything I've wanted to do since I retired-I used the whole thing as an adventure.''
And it has been ``an absolutely perfect retirement. Just perfect!''
Lest he be accused of now being ``bored,'' he quickly discounted that interpretation of life on the high seas. ``I'm certainly not bored, especially with the responsibility I have in just running the boat.'' No crew to swab the decks or cook meals. Just he and his wife.
But now, Mr. Hanin said he's ``looking for a new challenge-and God knows there's some out there in the tire business. These six years have been just perfect for us. If the right scene comes along, great; if it doesn't, so be it.''
His advertisement implores, ``Call me if you're ready to sell your tire business. Or, call me with your best proposition. . .whatever it is.''
Since the ad hit the streets, he has received at least a couple dozen calls. ``It's really surprising,'' he said. ``It seems like everybody's business is for sale.'' Thus far, he's got ``plenty of possibilities.''
The tire business, he explained, was ``always very good to me. And it seems like the only thing I know. You sort of lean toward what you know.'' Though that's not saying he won't entertain something else ifthe right opportunity comes along.
While most working slugs would probably envy his so-called carefree life, Mr. Hanin said the funny thing is, to him, work was never a rat race or drudgery.
``I loved what I was doing,'' he said. ``I just said to myself, `It's time to do something else.' '' So he retired to begin what he called ``a fairy tale life.''
He'd consider buying ``a growing concern, or joining hands with somebody or taking a turnaround situation.''
But no more start-ups, thank you. Allied Tire, in fact, began from scratch, with Mr. Hanin literally selling tires from the trunk of his car. By the time he sold the then-40-store retail chain for an undisclosed chunk of change, it had become one of the largest tire dealerships in the U.S., as ranked by TIRE BUSINESS.
It's former longtime spokesman, Sam Behr, appearing as various humorous characters in TV and print ads, helped catapult the company onto the ``Good Morning, America'' airwaves, also garnering many awards along the way for Allied's marketing campaigns.
Ah, those were good years, Mr. Hanin said with perhaps a twinge of melancholy. ``It was a great time: We made money; we sold tires. It was a fun, fun time in my life.''
He said he has a ``wealth of experience,'' having ``seen and done an awful lot in the tire business.'' Currently, he still owns the real estate and is ``landlord'' of the majority of Allied Tire's sites, except in Jacksonville, Fla., where the company expanded after Mr. Hanin sold it.
As for his net worth, Mr. Hanin dodged that indelicate question with a chuckle: ``If you ask my wife that, she'll say, `On what day?' ''
So what happens if the former captain of industry doesn't find an offer he can't refuse?
``Oh, I'll continue my life,'' he declared. ``I won't be broken-hearted if things don't pan out.''
Then he added, perhaps only half in jest: ``I hope it's not one of those situations where, you know-`Be careful what you wish for because you might get it.'*''
The 87-foot yacht Altisa VII was custom designed and built by former Allied Tire Sales Inc. owner Stanley Hanin and his wife. Mr. Hanin is now looking to ``unretire.''
Hanin