ST. LOUIS (July 8, 2016) — Community Tire Retreading has donated the $5,000 it won at the North American Tire & Retread Expo's (NATRE) retread apparance contest to a variety of causes, including the Gateway Wounded Warriors and Stray Rescue of St. Louis.
In addition, Community Tire manufacturing partners Central Marketing Inc. and Pre-Q Galgo Corp. contributed $2,500 each to the causes.
“We feel it is important to continue to support the tire industry,” said Michael Berra Jr., president, adding that the dealership also decided to donate $2,000 to the Tire Retread and Repair Information Bureau (TRIB) and $2,000 to the Tire Industry Association's (TIA) Educational Foundation.
Community Tire also donated $1,000 to the Gateway Wounded Warriors, a St. Louis chapter of the national organization that donates 100 percent of all contributions to various causes affecting the men and women who serve in the U.S. armed forces. The company also gave $500 to Stray Rescue of St. Louis, which rescues stray animals in need of medical attention, restores them to health and places them in adoptive homes.
The commercial dealership is using the remainder to set up scholarships, including a $2,000 scholarship fund at St. Louis University in honor of the company's founder Michael A. Berra, who died in 1999, and five $500 scholarships for college tuition for employees' children.
Community Tire's 20.5R-25 Unicure CL3 — the only tire entered — won the OTR tire retread appearance contest at NATRE.
“On behalf of my family, our company and our dedicated employees, we are honored to receive this award,” Mr. Berra said. “While we would have enjoyed additional competition, we nonetheless feel this victory is a testament to our commitment to the quality and appearance of our product line.
“We did not enter the contest for the money, but rather to show support for the retread industry.”