Skip to main content
EVENT TRACKER
Keep track of rescheduled, canceled industry events with our COVID-affected event tracker - Powered by Snap Finance
Close
Sister Publication Links
  • Rubber & Plastics News
  • European Rubber Journal
tb-logo
Subscribe
  • Login
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • OPINION
    • CORONAVIRUS
    • AUTO INDUSTRY
    • BUSINESS/FINANCIAL
    • COMMERCIAL TIRE
    • FACTORY FIXES
    • GOVERNMENT & LAW
    • INTERNATIONAL
    • MOTOR SPORTS
    • NEW PRODUCTS
    • RETAIL TIRES
    • SERVICE ZONE
    • SEMA/AAPEX
    • SMALL BUSINESS
    • TIRE MAKERS
    • SPONSORED CONTENT
    • New round of Paycheck Protection Program funding opens
      Vaccine may usher sense of normalcy
      Cover-up: More retailers requiring face masks to curb COVID
      USW alleges COVID-19 violations at Kumho plant
    • GM banking on 'BrightDrop' EV to build commercial van business
      Stengel promoted to president of NAPA parent Genuine Parts Co.
      Former auto exec Tyrone Jordan joins Cooper board of directors
      Bridgestone crafts virtual city to showcase sustainable-mobility initiatives
    • New round of Paycheck Protection Program funding opens
      H&H broadens precure OTR business with Continuum mold acquisition
      Apollo to raise prices of Vredestein brand, effective March 1
      Taiwan tire makers propose settlement of import duties case
    • Conti adding light-duty products to General Tire OTR tire lineup
      GM banking on 'BrightDrop' EV to build commercial van business
      Gary Price to head Love's Truck Care operations
      TA opens 6th Oregon location, bringing 50 jobs to area
    • New round of Paycheck Protection Program funding opens
      Taiwan tire makers propose settlement of import duties case
      Wireless auto data debate continues
      World rubber demand in 2021 to recover to 2019 levels — IRSG
    • Hankook gains OE fitments on Audi RS Q8
      General Tire Canada renews sponsorship deal with Raceline Network
      GRI expanding ag tire capacity at 3-year-old Sri Lanka plant
      Point S Canada adds 61 stores to network in 2020
    • Goodyear Racing staying on track
      General Tire Canada renews sponsorship deal with Raceline Network
      Indy Autonomous Challenge: High-speed, head-to-head, no drivers
      TGI secures Cosmo-brand naming rights at Fla. race track
    • Conti adding light-duty products to General Tire OTR tire lineup
      Goodyear-brand belts back on the market under licensing arangement
      Kumho launches commercial LT, performance tire lines
      The new One: Nokian unveils all-season passenger tire
    • Goodyear-brand belts back on the market under licensing arangement
      WTC hosting webinar Jan. 20 on load-capacity standards
      Bauer Built completes expansion at Neb. facility
      Point S Canada adds 61 stores to network in 2020
    • Shocks/struts maker KYB unveils video training series
      Bauer Built completes expansion at Neb. facility
      Marinucci: Basic steps to email efficiency
      Point S Canada adds 61 stores to network in 2020
    • WTC hosting webinar Jan. 20 on load-capacity standards
      Denver's Brian Sump named AAPEX Shop Owner of the Year
      DUB, TIS Wheels founder Myles Kovacs is SEMA Person of the Year
      AAPEX: Using social media to promote your business
    • Vaccine may usher sense of normalcy
      2020 Review: PPP loans give boost to small businesses
      Latest COVID relief bill includes $325B in small-business support
      AAPEX: Do more cars in the shop mean more profit?
    • Hankook gains OE fitments on Audi RS Q8
      Goodyear Racing staying on track
      General Tire Canada renews sponsorship deal with Raceline Network
      Apollo to raise prices of Vredestein brand, effective March 1
    • Sponsored By Yokohama Tire Company
      7 questions to ask consumers when they need tires for a crossover SUV
      Sponsored By Yokohama Tire Company
      Stocking Tires for Crossover SUVs
  • SHOP FLOOR
    • BALANCING
    • DEMOUNTING
    • SAFETY
    • TIRE REPAIR
    • TPMS
    • TRAINING
    • VEHICLE LIFTING
    • WHEEL TORQUE
    • Video: Balancing Tire
      Safety tips for wheel balancing
      An introduction to wheel balancing
      Wheel weights: Balancing form with function
    • Video: Demounting
      Tire changer types, tips and trends
      How to clear rim rust and corrosion
      An introduction to demounting, mounting and inflation
    • Video: Safety
      Customers
      Considerations for shop safety policies
      Introduction: Creating a culture of safety
    • Video: Tire Repair
      Essential tools, materials and equipment for tire repair
      An introduction to tire repair
      How to properly patch a puncture
    • Video: TMPS Service
      The life-saving work of TPMS
      An introduction to TPMS service
      The importance of proper relearn procedures
    • Video: Training
      Internship ideas to attract tech talent
      Choosing the right auto service tech school
      Intro: Finding and training technicians
    • Video:Vehicle Lifting
      The gravity of proper lift points
      Safety essentials when using jack stands
      An introduction to lifts and lift safety
    • Video: Wheel Torque
      The importance of torque specifications
      Introduction to proper wheel installation
      Torque check and recheck recommendations
  • Multimedia
    • VIDEOS
    • PHOTOS
    • PODCASTS
  • Events
    • ASK THE EXPERT
    • LIVESTREAMS
    • WEBINARS
    • SEMA LIVESTREAMS
  • Data
    • DATA STORE
  • Resources
    • DIRECTORY
    • CLASSIFIEDS
  • ADVERTISE
  • DIGITAL EDITION
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
October 26, 2015 02:00 AM

Big flurry of Openings

Bruce Davis
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print

    PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla.—Big O Tires L.L.C. franchisees in Arizona, California, Missouri and Utah, all with multiple stores, expanded their holdings over the summer with new stores in their respective marketing areas.

    In Arizona, long-time Big O franchisee Karl Gabbard opened a store in Surprise in partnership with his daughter Desiree Elliott and Ian Downing, another Big O fran-chisee.

    Mr. Gabbard is owner or part owner of six Big O stores through his business, DMS Enterprises Inc.

    The greenfield store, built in a new development in the northwestern Phoenix suburb near Arizona State Route 303, is equipped with five service bays, according to Palm Beach Gardens-based Big O Tires, the franchisor of the Big O concept.

    Ms. Elliott joined him in the business a few years ago and now manages the business' locations, according to a Q&A with Mr. Gabbard posted on Big O's franchise site. He's been operating Big O stores for 21 years.

    Mr. Downing is a separate Big O Tires franchisee who's a partner in this store. He opened his first Big O outlet in 1997, according to his LinkedIn page.

    “Big O Tires is proud to continue building our footprint in the Arizona market with great franchisees like Karl, Desiree and Ian,” said Kevin Kormondy, executive vice president and COO for Big O Tires, a business unit of TBC Corp.

    “We look forward to strengthening our new-store growth in 2015 and positively impacting the communities we serve.”

    DMS Enterprises' other stores are in Glendale, Goodyear, Sun City and Phoenix (two stores).

    The Surprise location is the 54th Big O Tires outlet in Arizona, according to Big O's website, including 26 in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area.

    In California, business partners Darrin Dolle and Todd and Ron Asher opened a Big O store in Folsom, their eighth franchised store in northern California. The Folsom store is a renovated Folsom Tire & Auto location with six service bays.

    The business partners, under their Asher/Dolle Group corporate entity, took over the lease on the location in June and converted it to Big O store specifications in a matter of weeks, according to Mr. Dolle. The store opened July 20 and the owners held a grand opening the week of Aug. 17.

    Mr. Dolle said he and his partners had been scouting the Sacramento area for another store for quite awhile and moved on this vacancy quickly once it became available. The partners prefer to own their locations, he said, but in this case leasing was a viable option.

    Messrs. Dolle and Asher have been business partners since the late 1980s; Ron Asher opened his first Big O franchise in the mid-1970s.

    Folsom is a city of about 72,000 about 20 miles northwest of Sacramento, Calif. There are a dozen Big O stores in the greater Sacramento area, four of which—Elk Grove, Folsom, Rose-ville and Sacramento (Folsom Boulevard) are owned by Messrs. Dolle and Asher.

    Their other stores are in Benicia, Danville, Pinole and Walnut Creek, in the San Francisco Bay area.

    In Missouri, MFA Petroleum Co.—which earlier this year bought out Big O Tires' 50-percent share of their BORE/MPC joint venture—opened a store in Branson, its 13th Big O outlet in that state and 15th overall.

    MFA Petroleum's new store is in a former Branson Muffler & Radiator location on State Highway 248 a few miles north of downtown Branson. MFA has a second Big O location nearby in Hollister just a few miles south of Branson.

    The store, which opened Aug. 25, features five service bays and is managed by Matt Smith. MFA acquired the location in mid-July from Wade's Automotive owner Wade Cantrell.

    MFA said it paid $585,000 to buy the property and $150,000 to renovate it to Big O standards.

    Rusty Coats, MFA's operations director, said the company had been scouting the Branson area for a second location and settled on the Branson Muffler site because of its size, age and “much higher” car count than another site it had under consideration.

    MFA has been a Big O franchisee since 1998, originally in partnership with Big O parent TBC Corp.

    Columbia, Mo.-based MFA is a farmer-owned cooperative that's been in business since 1929 supplying its 40,000-plus members with petroleum products and other key products and services.

    MFA expanded its Big O network into Arkansas in 2013 and plans to open a third store there, in Bentonville, next spring. It's also evaluating the potential of opening stores in Oklahoma, Mr. Coats said.

    MFA also operates nine Jiffy Lube auto care centers in Missouri.

    In Utah, franchisees Kory and Kent Coleman opened a Big O store in Bountiful, their first in the northern Salt Lake City bordering community and fifth overall in Utah.

    The store, which opened Sept. 1, is a new construction on the site of the former Triangle Tire/Goodyear Tires & Service location that the Colemans purchased. The new Big O store is a larger, brick-clad structure with nine service bays.

    The Coleman brothers, Big O franchisees since 2006, earned the International Franchise Association's Big O franchisees of the year award in 2014. They operate their stores under Big O Tires of Northern Utah.

    Kory Coleman and younger brother Kent Coleman bought their first Big O store in Murray, Utah, a Salt Lake City suburb. Since then they've added a location in Salt Lake City and two stores in Ogden, Utah.

    Kory Coleman provides financial guidance and operational expertise to the brothers' Big O business while Kent Coleman oversees the accounting and marketing and works with key people to manage the day-to-day operations of the stores.

    “We are pleased to continue growing the Big O Tires brand with great franchisees like Kory and Kent,” Mr. Kormondy said.

    Big O Tires is a subsidiary of TBC Corp.

    “They are top performing franchisees and assist the entire Big O Tires organization in fulfilling our mission to delight our customers through honest, worry-free tire and auto service.”

    Big O Tires now counts 392 stores in 19 states, including 40 in Utah, predominantly in the Salt Lake City area.

    To reach this reporter: [email protected] crain.com; 330-865-6145; Twitter: @reifenmensch

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Tire Business would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor Don Detore at [email protected].

    SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Newsletter Center

    Staying current is easy with Tire Business delivered straight to your inbox.

    SUBSCRIBE TODAY

    Subscribe to Tire Business

    SUBSCRIBE
    Connect with Us
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Tire Business is an award-winning publication dedicated to providing the latest news, data and insights into the tire and automotive service industries.

    tb-logo
    Reader Services
    • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • Site Map
    • Industry Sites
    • Order Reprints
    • Customer Service: 877-320-1716
    Partner Sites
    • Rubber & Plastics News
    • European Rubber Journal
    • Automotive News
    • Plastics News
    • Plastics News China
    • Urethanes Technology
    RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    • Terms of Service
    • Media Guide
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Classified Rates
    • List Rental
    • Digital Edition
    • Careers
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    Copyright © 1996-2021. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • OPINION
      • CORONAVIRUS
      • AUTO INDUSTRY
      • BUSINESS/FINANCIAL
      • COMMERCIAL TIRE
      • FACTORY FIXES
      • GOVERNMENT & LAW
      • INTERNATIONAL
      • MOTOR SPORTS
      • NEW PRODUCTS
      • RETAIL TIRES
      • SERVICE ZONE
      • SEMA/AAPEX
      • SMALL BUSINESS
      • TIRE MAKERS
      • SPONSORED CONTENT
    • SHOP FLOOR
      • BALANCING
      • DEMOUNTING
      • SAFETY
      • TIRE REPAIR
      • TPMS
      • TRAINING
      • VEHICLE LIFTING
      • WHEEL TORQUE
    • Multimedia
      • VIDEOS
      • PHOTOS
      • PODCASTS
    • Events
      • ASK THE EXPERT
      • LIVESTREAMS
      • WEBINARS
      • SEMA LIVESTREAMS
    • Data
      • DATA STORE
    • Resources
      • DIRECTORY
      • CLASSIFIEDS
    • ADVERTISE
    • DIGITAL EDITION