GB Auto Service acquires Okla.-based Tate Boys Tire & Service

BARTLESVILLE, Okla. — GB Auto Service Inc. has acquired Tate Boys Tire & Service, a Bartlesville-based dealership with seven locations in northeast Oklahoma.

The deal is GB Auto Service's third acquisition of 2020 and boosts the Tucson, Ariz.-based portfolio company of Greenbriar Equity Group L.P.'s retail network to 174 locations in five states.

The transaction positions GB Auto as seventh largest independent tire and automotive service company in the U.S.

Founded in 1988, Tate Boys Tire & Service operates retail tire stores in Bartlesville (two outlets), Broken Arrow, Catoosa, Owasso, Skiatook and South Tulsa.

"For more than 30 years, Tate Boys Tire & Service has built a powerful brand known for professionalism and community service," GB Auto Service CEO Frank Kneller said.

"Within Northeast Oklahoma, they have established a culture that emphasizes unconditional commitment to exceptional customer service. This aligns perfectly with the uncompromising standards we set at GB Auto."

Tate Boys President Craig Tate said: "Our team is really looking forward to combining forces with the GB auto family. The accomplishments we've achieved over more than three decades of success will surely add tremendous value to the GB Auto portfolio."

Other acquisitions completed this year include:

• Sun Devil Auto, with 32 auto repair shops, doing business as Sun Devil Auto in Arizona (20 stores) and Sun Auto Service in Nevada (eight stores) and Texas (four stores); and
• Louetta Automotive, with 10 locations in the Houston area.

Formed in 2017 by Greenbriar Equity, GB Auto has grown in three years to 174 stores from zero via 10 acquisitions, and it said it is "entertaining acquisition discussions with operators who wish to preserve their companies' legacies while leveraging the benefits of shared resources and technology to grow their businesses."

Other brands operating under the GB Auto umbrella are:

• Ramona Tire Inc. (17 stores in California);
• Tire Works Total Car Care (15 stores in Nevada);
• Evans Tire & Service Centers Inc. (17 stores in California);
• Lamb's Tire & Automotive Centers (18 stores in Texas);
• Driver's Edge Complete Tire & Automotive (11 stores in Texas); and
• Wilhelm Automotive & Tire (11 stores in Arizona).