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
    • 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
      Ford, Hyundai earn 2021 top North American vehicle honors
    • 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
    • Gary Price to head Love's Truck Care operations
      TA opens 6th Oregon location, bringing 50 jobs to area
      Love's opens Speedco shops in Ariz., Calif., Ga.
      TIA adds more Spanish language training
    • 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
    • Point S Canada adds 61 stores to network in 2020
      New round of Paycheck Protection Program funding opens
      Ferentino Tyre opens Sri Lanka plant; eyes exports to U.S., Europe
      Sailun to expand Vietnam plant capacity over three years
    • TGI secures Cosmo-brand naming rights at Fla. race track
      Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg postponed until April
      MotoGP extends Dunlop race tire contract through 2023
      Revived Yokohama Drivers Cup to feature Ferrari, Porsche models
    • Kumho launches commercial LT, performance tire lines
      The new One: Nokian unveils all-season passenger tire
      Ford, Hyundai earn 2021 top North American vehicle honors
      BKT expanding its ATV/UTV lineup with Sierra Max Pro radials
    • Point S Canada adds 61 stores to network in 2020
      J.D. Power survey: Quick greeting key to customer satisfaction
      Apollo to raise prices of Vredestein brand, effective March 1
      Marko Ibrahim promoted to president, Bridgestone Retail Operations
    • Point S Canada adds 61 stores to network in 2020
      J.D. Power survey: Quick greeting key to customer satisfaction
      ASE opens registration for upcoming certification testing
      Bolt On, Global Payments aim for easier text payments for auto repairs
    • 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
      AAPEX: Road trips trending, commuting on the wane
    • 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?
    • Apollo to raise prices of Vredestein brand, effective March 1
      Taiwan tire makers propose settlement of import duties case
      Kumho launches commercial LT, performance tire lines
      Michelin completes rigid dump-truck tire lineup
    • 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
      Choosing the right balancing equipment
      Safety tips for wheel balancing
      An introduction to wheel balancing
    • Video: Demounting
      Demounting Equipment
      Making rims ready for a tight seal
      Tire changer types, tips and trends
    • Video: Safety
      Making friends with OSHA
      Ergonomics on the shop floor
      Customers
    • Video: Tire Repair
      Tire repair: Shining a light on visual inspections
      Staying safe when repairing a tire
      Essential tools, materials and equipment for tire repair
    • Video: TMPS Service
      Decoding sensor data for TPMS diagnosis
      Replacement TPMS sensor overview
      The life-saving work of TPMS
    • Video: Training
      Advantages of apprentice program partnerships
      Options and resources for CE tech training
      Internship ideas to attract tech talent
    • Video:Vehicle Lifting
      All types of lifts for all types of work
      Tips and recommendations for lifting safety
      The gravity of proper lift points
    • Video: Wheel Torque
      Using torque sticks to speed service times
      The danger of too much, too little torque
      The importance of torque specifications
  • 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
September 18, 2017 02:00 AM

A Major undertaking for father and son

Don Detore
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    Tire Business photo by Don Detore
    Members of the Major League Tire team include (from left) Rex Pennington, Curtis Pennington and Bob 'Bottom Dollar' Pennington.

    MASSILLON, Ohio — During his 44-year career in the tire business, Rex Pennington has performed most every job in a retail tire and auto repair shop and has worked for a variety of managers.

    Mr. Pennington never dreamed, that at age 62, he would be taking on a new role, under a new but very familiar boss.

    For the past year, Mr. Pennington has managed Major League Tire, a Northeastern Ohio dealership that operates three stores — one each in Mentor, Massillon and Hartville. On most days, he will be greeting customers at the counter of the Massillon store, but he also visits the other two locations occasionally, doing everything from mounting tires to performing alignments.

    And he works for a young owner who lives nearly 500 miles away, has visited just one of the three locations, and who is better suited for installing software than tires: Justin Pennington, his 32-year-old son.

    • This story appeared in the Sept. 11 print edition of Tire Business.

    "He's probably one of the best bosses I've had," the elder Mr. Pennington said. "I don't even think of him as my boss. It's more like we're working together than I'm working for him."

    The younger Mr. Pennington always has had the entrepreneurial spirit. Justin Pennington bought his first business when he turned 21, a movie theater and office building that he had hoped to convert into a live music venue.

    Though the endeavor didn't work — the movie theater has since been sold — it didn't stop the younger Mr. Pennington from pursuing the tire business, despite the fact he has no tire background "other than occasionally hanging around whatever location where my dad was working."

    Major League Tire photo

    Justin Pennington

    And Justin Pennington said the experience has lived up to his expectations.

    "Two of the three locations were existing shops, so I had a pretty good idea of what to expect," said the younger Mr. Pennington, a web developer who also owns Ceetus West Inc., a global web development company that focuses on IBM Corp.'s e-commerce platform, WebSphere Commerce. He is working on Sports Endeavors Inc.'s websites such as soccer.com; store.FIFA.com; lacrosse.com; and WorldRugbyShop.com.

    His dad's experience in the business helped to convince him that tires and auto service are a sound investment.

    "My dad has seen a lot of shops over the years," the younger Mr. Pennington said. "He has the first-hand knowledge to know what to look for, everything from finding a shop that is big enough where the employees don't feel cramped or crowded, but small enough where we aren't wasting money on utilities heating empty space."

    Industry experience

    Rex Pennington began his journey in the tire and auto service industry right out of high school in 1973, changing tires at a Goodyear-owned store in Medina, Ohio. By 1976, he was certified as an auto service technician, and eight years later, he was a certified master auto service technician.

    After six years at Goodyear, the elder Mr. Pennington joined Richard Ellwood's dealership, which had a location in Mentor and another in Strongsville, Ohio. When the Strongsville location was sold to Firestone, Rex Pennington began a run of working for several companies.

    He spent time with Bridgestone's Firestone retail store network and BP ProCare in various Northeast Ohio locations, before joining Terry's Tire Town.

    "I loved working there," Mr. Pennington said. "I thought, 'This was it.' I thought I'd work there until I retired."

    Mr. Pennington had been promoted to manage all retail operations when American Tire Distributors Inc. (ATD) acquired Terry's Tire Town in 2014.

    He then joined Great Lakes Best One Tire, where he was helping a friend and shop owner, James Brott, oversee the Massillon store.

    In the meantime, Mr. Ellwood, still the owner of the shop in Mentor, where Mr. Pennington once worked, was looking to sell.

    This seemed to be the ideal opportunity.

    The younger Mr. Pennington said the only other person he consulted about the purchase was his brother, Jason Pennington, an engineer at Northrop Grumman Corp., a global security firm in Dayton, Ohio, that services industries including underseas, aerospace and cyberspace.

    "My dad is not a risk-taker, and I tend to be willing to take more of a risk," Justin Pennington said. "My brother is not as conservative as my dad, so he was essentially the tiebreaker.

    "If he thought the tire business was too risky to get involved with, I would have been more likely to back out. However, he was all for it."

    The deal was consummated over lunch. It took five days for the younger Mr. Pennington to become owner of a tire dealership and Rex Pennington to become Justin Pennington's most valued employee.

    "My dad has been in the business for over 40 years, and we talked about opening our own store off and on for awhile," the younger Mr. Pennington said. "We were really close to starting something of our own about a year before we actually opened, but the deal fell through," the younger Mr. Pennington said.

    "After that, I got the feeling that maybe it wasn't meant to be, but when the Mentor location became available with a proven track record and a well-seasoned crew, the pieces fell into place."

    The Penningtons renamed the shop Major League Tire, opening in September 2016. Mr. Ellwood continues to work there, part of that well-seasoned crew.

    Meanwhile, Mr. Brott had come to realize that Great Lakes Best One Tire's Massillon store, primarily a retail location, did not fit his business model. So he approached the Penningtons about acquiring the business.

    Justin Pennington bounced the idea off his dad.

    "I said, 'Dude, are you kidding me? Do you know how old I am?' " the elder Mr. Pennington said. "I never dreamed that at this stage of my life, I'd be doing this. But I've done it my whole life. I had worked there when it was Terry's Tire Town, so it's not anything new."

    Thus, the sequel — Major League Tire II — was born, opening Dec. 1, 2016.

    "My dad and I talked originally about focusing on shops that were already up and running with a team and structure in place, and then applying our system to help unify each location," the younger Mr. Pennington said.

    "That way, new locations aren't a huge gamble to open since they were already existing shops, but at the same time, there is some consistency between our locations so any employee from one can spend a day at another without having to learn an entirely new process."

    Major League III

    Major League Tire III, otherwise known as the Hartville location, didn't follow that script.

    One of Rex Pennington's former employees, Tina Pritchard, approached the elder Mr. Pennington about opening a shop not long after the Massillon location opened.

    "She found an empty building, not exactly what we had considered doing, but the fact that it was Tina, I knew her and I knew we could trust her to run it made it work. She had a great following in Hartville," he said.

    Rex Pennington and Ms. Pritchard hired technicians they had worked with previously, brought in equipment and lifts and ordered signs. Not long after the doors opened on May 1 of this year, they had more cars than they could fix.

    Today, Major League Tire has 16 bays and 19 employees at its three locations, offering more than 200 years of combined experience. About 80 percent of the business in Mentor is auto service, while business at the other two locations is split equally between auto service and tires.

    "It's a great day when, at the end of the day, you've made money and made customers happy — they come in, spend their hard-earned money and thank you," the elder Mr. Pennington said. "When customers refer you to friends, and they're happy we're here, that's a good feeling."

    Justin Pennington may be a silent owner, but he and his dad talk often about the business, sometimes twice or more a day.

    "The biggest surprise about being the silent owner is how much people still care about me," the younger Mr. Pennington said. "Having an experienced team is the only way to make this work, but when it comes to vendors and payment processors, the team who will be there every day is less relevant than me.

    Tire Business photo by Don Detore

    Major League Tire has three locations, in Massillon, Hartville and Mentor, Ohio.

    "I constantly get asked for my credentials and a resume to verify I have the experience needed to do business with them."

    The most challenging part of being a silent owner, Justin Pennington said, is dealing with insurance, payroll and banking institutions that only want to deal with the owner.

    "We had extra hoops to jump through to get my dad access to make decisions for the company," the younger Mr. Pennington said. "As for the bank, we had to pick a bank that was regional to ensure there were branches outside of Ohio in case I had to personally go and sign something."

    Expansion possible

    The Penningtons are not looking to slow down.

    In fact, Justin Pennington said he and his father are seeking the "right opportunity" to open another location in Northeast Ohio. In five years, Justin said he sees the company expanding south in Ohio, to the Columbus and/or Dayton areas.

    "I"m happy with three," Rex Pennington said. "People who are looking to retire or move on are calling us (to buy). We've looked at several locations, but it's got to be the right deal. We have the right people in place."

    One of those people is Curtis Pennington, Rex's nephew and Justin's cousin, who has joined the business. Rex and Justin are training Curtis, who has been in the tire business for 10 years, to take over once Rex decides to slow down.

    "Not only is he very passionate about the business, he's my favorite nephew," the elder Mr. Pennington said.

    "Our goal is once it's time for me to hang up the wrenches, he'll just keep the machine moving."

    Rex credited his wife Rhonda for raising their son well. "Her son can boss me around and fire me if he wants to," he said, laughing. "I think she enjoys it.

    "I'm pretty confident my current owner won't sell me out."

    Rex Pennington said he and his son kicked around titles for him after their partnership began. They considered several humorous titles, including Supreme Allied Commander of the North American Forces.

    One, however, is best.

    "Father of the owner is my favorite title," Rex Pennington said. "That's the one I'm the most proud of."

    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