MFA Oil named 2022 Best Places to Work finalist

COLUMBIA, Mo. — In 2020, when COVID-19 closed businesses and slowed sales, MFA Oil Co. made a commitment to its Big O employees: no layoffs, no furloughs.

The franchisee kept that promise throughout the pandemic, choosing to take a hit to its bottom line rather than let anyone go.

"We had some cash in the bank and we decided we weren't going to let our employees go," Charlie Alexander, senior director of Big O Tires operations for MFA, said.

"We didn't think that was the right thing to do by them, with everything they've given to us. ... We didn't think it was fair to take a job away from them just because we didn't necessarily have the sales coming in," he said.

It's paid off, both in a subsequent year of great sales and a workforce that felt valued.

MFA is a finalist in Tire Business' 2021-2022 Best Places to Work competition. The company also earned that honor in the 2020 competition.

The Best Places to Work survey is conducted by Best Companies Group (BCG), an independent research firm specializing in identifying and recognizing great places to work.

In order to participate in the survey, each business must be a retail, commercial, OTR, retread or wholesale tire dealership in the U.S., and have at least 15 employees. Each owner submits an online survey detailing company policies, practices, benefits and demographics. Employees, meanwhile, are asked to complete, a series of questions,rating the company.

Tire Group International was named the overall winner, while other finalists include (in alphabetical order): Best One of Indy, Indianapolis; MFA Oil Co. dba Big O Tires, Columbia, Mo.; Monteith's Best One Tire & Auto Care, Elkhart, Ind.; SimpleTire L.L.C. of Trevose, Pa.; and Sun Auto Tire & Service Inc, Phoenix.

MFA is a farmer-owned cooperative that is among the four largest Big O franchisees and 50 largest independent tire retail enterprises in the U.S,, according to Tire Business data.

The company operates 22 Big O stores across Missouri and Northwest Arkansas with about 250 employees.

The franchisee finds ways to show employees its appreciation, with contests, giveaways and free lunches on Fridays. Alexander and territory managers also travel to stores to throw employee cookouts.

Once a year, stores will close early to allow employees to attend an annual banquet — the 2022 event is set for early April — with awards for top performers and thousands of dollars in prizes. The store of the year is presented with a championship belt, Alexander said.

It's a way of being invested in stores and in having happy employees, he said.

MFA also offers generous employee benefits, he said.

"Our health insurance is very, very good for the industry," Alexander said, adding that the company also offers a competitive time-off policy and a generous 401k plan that employees are vested in almost immediately.

The company used to offer a pension plan, but it didn't work for the Big O franchise.

"The way the world is today ... (employees) would rather have a 401k they can take with them, in case something does happen," he said.

MFA also pays for all employees' ASE certifications and related training and materials. If employees don't pass, that's OK; MFA continues to cover those costs for as long as it takes, he said.

MFA also strives to take care of employees by offering a competitive wage — employee pay isn't based fully on commission or flag hours — as well as profit sharing for a number of positions.

"When you're able to share what the store is making with the employees, it helps with ownership in the business. That's a big deal for us," Alexander said.

MFA also gives back to the local community. The organization is part of Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit that helps military families in need. The Big O stores hosts an annual fund drive where part of the cost of an alignment goes to the organization.

In the end, it's all about creating a workplace where employees want to have a career.

"Everyone has to work. Everyone has to put in their eight to 12 hours a day," Alexander said.

"The biggest thing for our stores is being able to build a team that you're able to work with on a daily basis, where you actually get along and have fun during those days, versus it just being a job or a place you go to," he said. "A team atmosphere is the biggest piece that helps tie our organization together."