OUR VIEW: Leaving a legacy, and a discount, for all

It is easy to remember and commemorate the late Bruce Halle as the founder, builder and leader of the largest and arguably most successful independent tire dealership in the world. He was all that.

But Mr. Halle, who died Jan. 4 at age 87, also stands out among independent tire dealers and business leaders everywhere because of how he ran his company, treated his employees and conducted his life.

He started Discount Tire modestly in 1960 in Ann Arbor, Mich., with one location, six tires in stock and a goal of selling five tires a day.

His philosophies were simple: To "treat people fairly," to "just be nice," to "give customers a good deal" and to provide good service.

He chose the name Discount because "discount" implied a deal, and "everybody wants a deal," he told Tire Business in a 2008 interview.

He focused on selling tires only, later adding custom wheels to the mix, a practice that continues to this day. Auto services, which most tire dealerships offer today, did not fit well with Mr. Halle's approach of getting customers in and out quickly and back on the road, so he never added them.

That is, with one exception. Discount Tire stores provide free flat repairs to customers.

Why not charge for this service? Because while he might be able to make some money from it, Mr. Halle said he couldn't begin to advertise, market and promote "as much as we get from fixing flat tires for free."

As Mr. Halle opened more stores, he followed another of his philosophies — treat everyone, including employees, well. This led to the strict policy of promoting from within.

To this day, nearly everyone in the company starts out, or started out, changing tires in one of the dealership's stores. This includes most of the current top executives.

Why require this?

People who join Discount Tire and work hard will want to move up the ladder one day and become an assistant store manager or manager, Mr. Halle said, and he thought it only fair for them to compete solely with their co-workers for these opportunities.

Mr. Halle also was a philanthropist who gave to those less fortunate. He supported many charitable activities including in the regions in which his dealership has outlets.

Even with 976 tire stores in 34 states, 18,000 employees and more than $4.7 billion in sales, Mr. Halle continued to view his dealership as a family business.

And he never swayed from his basic business philosophies that served him, his employees and his customers so well.

He was a man of conviction, integrity, humility, kindness and drive who built a successful independent tire dealership doing it his way.