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December 21, 2021 12:06 PM

2021 Tire Business Humanitarian of the Year

Don Detore
Tire Business
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    katz midas
    Photo provided by Ron Katz

    Ron Katz (left) and Jerry Kaye stand in front of their Midas of West Palm Beach shop. The partners bought their first two dealerships in 2015, and today operate Midas shops in West Palm, Cocoa Beach and Cutler Bay, Fla.

    WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The two-week sprint that culminated in another successful community event had just ended. Ron Katz was exhausted, yet still riding a philanthropic high from his continuing quest to make a difference in his little slice of Florida.

    Two of his three Midas-affiliated shops — his flagship location in West Palm Beach and the other in Cocoa Beach, a little more than a rocket's length from the Kennedy Space Center — had just hosted a vaccine clinic. Floridians could stop by the shop, receive a COVID-19 vaccination along with a coupon for a free or reduced-cost oil change.

    The event was both skin-breaking and ground-breaking: Florida health officials told Mr. Katz that no other business in the third most populated state in the U.S. had hosted such an event.

    As he was packing up a tent, his cellphone rang.

    Mr. Katz received more good news: He was the 2021 recipient of the Tire Business Tire Dealer Humanitarian Award.

    Full feature
    Humanitarian of the Year: Giving back the Katz meow

    An independent panel selected Mr. Katz from an impressive list of more than 20 other tire dealers as this year's winner of the prestigious Tire Business award, which recognizes an independent tire dealer or retreader in North America who during the past year has made significant contributions to the betterment of his or her community through charitable and/or public service work.

    Mr. Katz's initial reaction: "Holy ****!"

    The news of the honor sunk in over the next two hours as Mr. Katz drove his truck to his home near West Palm from the store in Cocoa Beach. It was only a few months earlier when Mr. Katz was named the inaugural winner of Midas' Mark Smith Award. The award was named after the 2018 Tire Business Tire Dealer Humanitarian Award winner, who operates five shops near Richmond, Va.

    More about Mark Smith
    Midas of Richmond's Mark Smith named 2018 Tire Dealer Humanitarian

    Just three years after Mr. Smith received the award, Mr. Katz learned he was following in the footsteps of his humanitarian mentor, the inspiration behind his charitable endeavors.

    "I can't believe this was awarded to me," Mr. Katz said. "It's an elite group of people who have gotten it. To be acknowledged for the work I've given back, ..." his voice trailing off.

    The committee said Mr. Katz's humanitarian activities "are far reaching beyond his local community, although he has an amazing track record in giving back locally."

    Mr. Katz' track record
    Humanitarian: Katz aids Rod Stewart impersonator
    Humanitarian: Midas team fixes van for local foundation
    Humanitarian: Katz' hard work drives business success

    The 59-year-old Mr. Katz is the 28th winner of the award and second from Florida. He received the prestigious Humanitarian Medal, engraved with his name and dealership, on Nov. 1 during the Tire Industry Association (TIA) Honors Awards luncheon at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Tire Business also will donate $2,500 to the charity of his choice: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis.

    The judges selected Mr. Katz long before he had organized the vaccine clinic. It is just one example of how his Midas shop — or more specifically how Mr. Katz — helps to make the community better.

    "When you give, you don't expect to get anything back. You're doing it because you're doing it out of the goodness of your heart. That's exactly how it is," he said. "When I got the phone call, I was like, 'Oh my God, I can't believe I actually won it.'

    "To be acknowledged is a shock. It still is. I'm still on Cloud Nine."

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    More on the award
    Our View: Humanitarian Katz' charity work inspires all of us
    Detore: Why give back? Why not?
    Letter
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    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].

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