Pete's opens 'green' outlet in N.H.

(Pete's Tire Barns Inc. photos courtesy of Robin Turilli)
At the ribbon-cutting ceremony unveiling Pete's Tire Barn's new “green” commercial/retail outlet in West Chesterfield, N.H., are (left to right) State Representative William Butynski; Pete's Tire Barns store manager Wally Herzig; Pete's Tire Barns President and founder Peter Gerry; Pete's Tire Barns Vice President Arthur Leblanc; State Representative Paul Berch; and State Representative Lucy McVitty Weber.

WEST CHESTERFIELD, N.H. (Aug. 13, 2014) — Pete's Tire Barns Inc. has opened a commercial/retail tire store in West Chesterfield that's brimming with “green” features, such as geothermal heating and cooling, designed to cut energy use.

The dealership, one of the largest commercial dealers in New England, is also looking at solar panels, solar-tube lighting and waste-heat recapture technology, according to President Peter Gerry, who joined state and local officials in a ribbon-cutting at the store Aug. 8.

“This building was designed from the ground up to be ‘energy net plus,' meaning eventually we will produce more power then we consume,” Mr. Gerry told those attending the ribbon-cutting.

The use of geothermal allows the building to be heated and cooled without the use of fossil fuels, Mr. Gerry said, and the facility features long-life LED light fixtures that adjust automatically by monitoring the available natural light.

The dealership also is planning to use propane-powered service trucks, Mr. Gerry added.

Pete's Tire Barns did not disclose its investment in the 12,000-sq.-ft. property or say what, if any, state assistance it received for incorporating the green features into the building's design.

The location features four passenger and light truck tire service bays, three commercial tire service bays and a heavy-duty alignment machine, and is able to stock tires for all sizes of equipment from hand trucks to earthmovers.

Pete's Tire Barns Inc.'s new “green” outlet features geothermal heating/cooling and low-energy LED lighting technology and will be using propane-powered service trucks.

The dealership noted that the U.S. Department of Energy claims using propane as a vehicle fuel “increases energy security, provides convenience and performance benefits, and improves public health and the environment.”

The location is Orange, Mass.-based Pete's Tire Barns' second outet in New Hampshire. The dealership's footprint remains at 19 because it closed a smaller outlet in nearby Battleboro, Vt. It states on its website the Brattleboro site's business is now being handled by the West Chesterfield location in “tax-free” New Hampshire.

The company has four outlets in Connecticut, eight in Massachusetts, two in New Hampshire, one in Rhode Island and four in Vermont, plus a 130,000-sq.-ft. warehouse distribution center in Orange and two retread plants.

Annual commercial-related sales are estimated in excess of $60 million.

Employment stands at 200-plus, with a fleet of more than 130 service and delivery vehicles.

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