Expansions
Mueller Tire & Brake opened its first store in Columbus, Ohio, in early January.
The Cleveland-based dealership plans to expand further in the Columbus area with three additional shops slated to open in 2001, according to CEO Joe Maher.
Mr. Maher said Mueller Tire decided to expand south because it saw growth opportunities within Columbus and didn't think the market there was oversaturated with tire and auto shops. He said the dealership is building all of its Columbus stores.
The 83-year-old Mueller Tire operates 15 locations in the Cleveland metro area and offers all major tire brands and basic undercar service.
Mr. Maher de-clined to comment on whether or not Mueller Tire plans to expand into the Dayton, Ohio, and Cincinnati markets.
Bauer Built Inc. opened a retread plant in the Milwaukee suburb of Waukesha in late November.
The 10,000-sq.-ft. facility is part of a larger complex that incorporates a warehouse and commercial tire location, said President Jerry Bauer. The new plant is capable of retreading 100-150 truck tires per day, he said.
Prior to this recent expansion, Durand, Wis.-based Bauer Built operated 27 commercial, retail and retread outlets. The dealership, ranked as the seventh-largest commercial dealership in North America by Tire Business, is a Michelin Retread Technologies Inc. franchisee.
John L. Sullivan Inc. (Sullivan Tire), a Goodyear Gemini dealership, broke ground this month on a new store to be constructed in Waldorf, Md.
John Sullivan, principal, plans to hold the store's grand opening July 1 and move his corporate office to that shop. He said the new location will be 6,900 square feet and have eight bays upon completion.
"It's kind of our own design because I like a deeper shop," Mr. Sullivan said, noting that the store will have 900 more square feet than the standard Gemini prototype. He said he wanted more room for stock and for his mechanics to work.
The Waldorf outlet will be Sullivan Tire's second in Waldorf. The dealership, which posts just more than $3 million in annual sales, also operates a shop in Clinton and one in Fort Washington, Md.
Relocation
K & M Tire Inc. is moving its Detroit warehouse to a facility double in size in Lincoln Park, Mich.
The new 150,000-sq.-ft. warehouse is slated to open in March and will employ 26, according to President Ken Langhals.
The firm, based in Delphos, Ohio, operates three warehouses and a four-bay retail store in Delphos. The Lincoln Park warehouse is the only new location planned for 2001, said Mr. Langhals, who founded K|&|M 31 years ago.
The company is part of the Best One Tire & Service marketing group rolled out last year by the Zurcher Tire Group. K & M carries Bridgestone, Firestone, Michelin, Uniroyal, BFGoodrich, General and Mastercraft brands.
Honors
M & M Tire Inc. in Temecula, Calif., recently was nominated by a couple of its customers for the annual "Business of the Year" award presented by the Temecula Chamber of Commerce.
Though the award went to another local business, M & M still received a special certificate of recognition, according to Kent "Mitch" Mitchell, owner and founder of M & M.
"I'm proud of my guys for getting somebody happy enough (to nominate) us," Mr. Mitchell told Tire Business.
The dealership is known in Temecula for using a mini limousine to drive its customers to work or home while their cars are being serviced and to pick them up when their vehicles are ready. Auto service accounts for 60 percent of M & M Tire's business.
"We're an honest shop," Mr. Mitchell said. "We've been in business for 14 years."
The dealership employs 12 and carries Toyo, Mastercraft and Maxxis brands, as well as some custom wheels.
Many of Mr. Mitchell's family members work at the store, including his wife, Carolyn, who is a bookkeeper; his sons, John and Danny, who are tire techs; his sister, Karen Hull, who is store manager; and his father, Jack, also a bookkeeper.