Flynn's upgrading wholesale

MERCER, Pa. (Jan. 15, 2013) — Flynn's Tire Group has replaced warehouses in Ohio and Pennsylvania with larger, more modern facilities in the past several weeks to improve service to its growing wholesale business.

Mercer-based Flynn's moved to a 60,000-sq.-ft. warehouse and office this past week in Carnegie, Pa., and late last year moved into a 50,000-sq.-ft. facility in Solon, Ohio, replacing a smaller warehouse in Brecksville, Ohio.

Both moves allowed Flynn's to more than double its inventory capacities, according to Shaun Fitzgeral, corporate general manager.

"The new Carnegie warehouse gives us the ability to increase the level of service we provide for our customers," Mr. Fitzgerald said. "We were able to find a warehouse that could house more inventory without having to move outside of the metro area and away from our current will-call customers, which was a main goal in finding a new location."

The company also operates warehouses in Greensburg and Mercer, Pa., and services customers in New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Wholesale represents about 40 percent of Flynn's Tire Group's annual sales.

Flynn's is a wholesale distributor for the Goodyear G3X, Yokohama Advantage, Nexen Nitro and Sumitomo Select programs. In all, it lists 16 brands for wholesale.

"This is a great opportunity for us to expand our services and tire selection to better serve our growing customer base," said Joe Flynn III, president of Flynn's Tire Group.

Denny Wilson is the manager of the Carnegie warehouse, while Kris Zukas manages the Solon facility.

Established in 1964, Mercer-based Flynn's Tire operates 18 retail tire and auto stores in western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, commercial tire service centers in Carnegie and Kittaning, Pa., Dover and Hubbard, Ohio, and Buffalo, N.Y., and a retread plant in Dover.