Ganin Tire Co. Inc., of Brooklyn, N.Y., recently was honored for its contributions to New York City's economic development when it was named the 16th-largest business based on revenue in the boroughs of Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island. In total, the 50 largest companies accounted for $4 billion in sales, according to organizers of the 2nd Annual Bridges to Success Awards.
The Bridges to Success awards are sponsored by KPMG Peat Marwick LLP, Chemical Bank and St. John's University.
The awards also recognize the top 10 job-creating, top 10 women/minority-owned and top 25 fastest-growing companies in the area.
Expansions
Ted Storms Jr. and his wife, Shannon, opened a Big O Tires Inc. franchised outlet in Phoenix, March 18.
The Storms renovated the 7-bay facility, which had been the site of a Big O company-owned store. At one time, Mr. Storms had been an assistant manager at a Big O company outlet in Mesa, Ariz.
His father, uncle and brothers have operated Big O stores for the past 10 years-ever since the Storms converted a tire store they had operated since the 1960s in Lakeside, Ariz., into a Big O franchise, the company said.
The Storms family also owns franchises in Cottonwood and Payson, Ariz.
There currently are more than 380 company-owned or franchised Big O stores in 18 states.
Tires Plus Groupe Inc. is set to open its 71st store during the week of May 12. The 6,000-sq.-ft., eight-bay store will be located in Woodbury, Minn., a suburb east of Minneapolis.
Tires Plus operates its company-owned and franchised locations in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and North and South Dakota.
City Tire, based in Springfield, Mass., plans to open its first outlet in New Hampshire between April and May.
The seven-bay outlet, located in Keene, N.H., will give the chain eight stores in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, according to Bill Earley, who will manage the Keene operation.
The Keene store will provide ``20- to 30-minute, quality'' tire and undercar service along with offering alignment and fluid checks for customers who bring their vehicles back to the outlet every 3,000 to 5,000 miles, according to Mr. Earley.
The store also will run an emergency roadside service program.
Although the store will focus on the passenger car market, ``we are going to be doing every tire available,'' including industrial tires, Mr. Earley added.
City Tire also has plans to open an outlet in Vermont, and possibly a second location in New Hampshire, this summer, he said.
Flip Smith, the 1995 TIRE BUSINESS Tire Dealer Humanitarian Award winner and owner of Flip's Tire Center, opened his second outlet in March.
The new store, located next door to his original retail dealership, is called Flip's Performance Concepts and specializes in high performance sales and service and vehicle customizing.
Mr. Smith, who has owned his $5 million-per-year dealership for 25 years, said he is marketing the shop at his existing customers.
``In today's tire market, it's better to expand service to existing customers; marketing to bring in new customers is very expensive, and everyone is competing for the same dollar,'' he said. ``Buying tires or getting brakes done is a `have to' (purchase). Flip's Performance Concepts sells `want to' types of products-more fun and more gross profit.''
The dealership's showroom features a ``high-tech'' look, Mr. Smith said, displaying custom automotive wheels and products under neon lights.