SimpleTire's open culture key to success

TREVOSE, Pa. — SimpleTire L.L.C.'s transparent work culture, the resiliency of its team and ability to adapt in a pandemic not only helped lead to robust growth this year, it also has earned the online tire retailer the distinction of the Tire Business Best Place to Work in 2020.

"As I look back at this year and this company, I am really proud of this team and how much impact we are having on the industry," CEO Andy Chalofsky said. "It's one thing to say you have a good team, but it is something else to see them execute and succeed. It's just very exciting all around."

SimpleTire's strong team and culture is by design, he added, as the company places an emphasis on recruiting and retaining talented people.

• This article appears in the Nov. 23 print edition of Tire Business.

"The one expense that we don't spare on is people," Mr. Chalofsky said. "It's our best investment, it's our best asset, and we really go after the best talent."

SimpleTire, founded in 2012 by Mr. Chalofsky, his brother Josh Chalofsky and their friend Kenny Pratt, goes to market through an online tire sales website — simpletire.com — that connects consumers with tire installation businesses across the country.

"We're a platform where manufacturers, distributors and installers all participate. The customer is having a SimpleTire experience, but we are leveraging the expertise of our stakeholders. And that's the real benefit of the platform."

SimpleTire has had "a very positive year," according to Mr. Chalofsky, in fact the company has hired 44 people this year, boosting total employment above 100.

Because of the pandemic, this year has been about finding balance amid uncertainty, he said.

"But when you have great people on a team, and you give them a challenge like COVID, they rise to the challenge and figure out how to thrive and succeed."

Mr. Chalofsky said transparency has been a theme in 2020. With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the SimpleTire team to work from home, he said, being open with the team and in constant communication was important for the business' success.

"It's been almost liberating," he said. "Once you're transparent about everything, we can all see a clear picture."

The company switched to working remotely the first week of March, and maintaining the "community" culture was certainly a challenge, he said.

He holds weekly virtual meetings with team members to share insights into the company or exchange ideas. The company also started a program called "Cross Pollination," where employees who don't often interact take some time to get to know each other.

And the company added a Slack channel to share family photos and personal news — a way of connecting with each other that would usually be done more casually in the office setting.

"You have to be really deliberate," Mr. Chalofsky said. "Those conversations you had in the breakroom are now a scheduled 15 minutes you have to put on your calendar every week, because you have to manufacture that (interaction)."

He said SimpleTire has tried to maintain its culture through virtual happy hours and sending out T-shirts, sweatshirts and other swag to employees. The company also started a number of committees — one focused on charity, for example, and another focused on women's issues — to bring people together.

Training new employees during the pandemic was a new challenge, but Mr. Chalofsky said they worked hard to create a remote onboarding plan for bringing new hires up to speed.

The company also uses the "buddy system" where new hires have someone to learn from and ask questions one-on-one.

Brittany Connor, who joined SimpleTire in July as the public relations and communications manager, said she wasn't necessarily looking for a new opportunity nor did she think about starting a new job during the pandemic. But the SimpleTire "talent acquisition" team really made an impression on her when they reached out.

"SimpleTire's culture is wonderful," she said. "It's been a unique time to join the team since I've been onboarded completely remote due to the pandemic, which is why it's been amazing to join a company that prioritizes their company culture during a time when we're unable to be together as a team in the office.

"I love the way the founders and our leadership team view ingenuity — we even award an 'Innovator of the Month' based on innovative ideas team members can submit.

"There's a real sense of grit and tenacity at SimpleTire as well."

The SimpleTire workplace philosophy involves creating a family culture, inspiring innovation and nurturing an open policy. Mr. Chalofsky said there are a number of reasons people are attracted to a workplace, and SimpleTire tries to understand what motivates each team member.

He said SimpleTire focuses on benefits, incentives and culture. The company pays 75% to 99% of employees' medical insurance premiums and more than 50% for dental coverage and offers 18 PTO days after one year of employment. The company also prefers to promote from within because it gives employees a career path they can follow.

The company offers flexible hours and other things, like a casual dress code, that appeals to many employees.

He said providing feedback, praise and recognition is also an important aspect to showing your employees they are appreciated.

"People want to feel valued, they want to know they have an impact, and they want to see there is a path for them," Mr. Chalofsky said. "The 'magic formula' is just do the basics and treat people well."

The company was named a finalist for the Tire Business Best Places to Work award in 2019, which ultimately went to St. Louis Wholesale Tire Inc.

"We celebrated the win, but didn't have an ego about it and looked at some of the things we could be doing better," he said. "The only way to get better is to be honest about where you are and where you aren't succeeding."

He added that out of the Best Places to Work survey they learned many employees wanted tuition reimbursement, and thus starting in 2021 SimpleTire will offer a tuition program.

"I think if you can focus on attracting employees that want to be there because they buy into our mission and what we're doing and they fit well with the team, it just makes for a better experience for everybody and certainly that leads to less turnover," Mr. Chalofsky told Tire Business in 2019.

SimpleTire is positioned to be an online solution, and since its inception, the company felt more and more consumers would be moving to do business online. The pandemic, in some ways, forced businesses to adopt more technology solutions.

"That's one thing that is unique about our platform is that tire manufacturers can showcase their brands and help us educate the customer about the value of the brand. The suppliers and distributors have the ability to sell inventory and support us on the logistics side, and then installers and retailers have the ability to sell tires and leverage the customers through the doors," he said.

"A lot of dealers and manufacturers reached out to us to help them develop their online presence, and we were really able to add a lot of value to our stakeholders."

He said that the tire business has lagged behind other industries in adopting online shopping platforms, but the pandemic has sped up online use as retailers look for new ways to interact with customers.

"I think people are valuing that technology can be an interface that makes things more convenient — and that's a trajectory that we have been seeing and pushing all along," he said.

"Our goal in our platform is not to limit any customer. We want you to choose what you want. So, if you want mobile, if you want the national retailer up the street or the independent tire store, we're really here to help you and show you why that is a good choice and make it convenient," he said.

"Same with tires. We take pride that we are here to help you," he said.

"Our goal is really to help you figure out what the right choice is for you."

In October, SimpleTire launched a new version of its website, which Mr. Chalofsky called "a really big milestone in us continuing to drive value to our customers."

He said that the company really wanted the site to stand out from the crowd, and added that while the business has already invested a lot in the site, they plan to triple that investment in 2021.

"We are planning 2021 in the same way we planned 2020," he said. "We achieved our goals in 2020, and are hoping to grow even faster in 2021."

As SimpleTire continues to grow next year, Mr. Chalofsky said there will be additions to the website. Calling the recent launch Phase 1, he said to expect Phases 2 and 3 to happen in 2021.

"We are focused on making it very convenient for the customer," he said. "We know online is here to stay, and know there is an opportunity to make it easier and more transparent, and that's what we aim to continue to do."

And, he said, they plan to hire more employees next year.

This is the second year for the Tire Business Best Places to Work survey. Best Companies Group, an independent workplace excellence research firm, managed the registration process, conducted the two-part survey with employers and employees, tallied the scores and ranked the companies.

The scores were tallied based on responses about benefits, policies, practices and other factors, as well as responses from employees who answered questions about their experiences with the company and leadership.

Mr. Chalofsky called winning the award "a highlight" of this year. He said seeing the survey responses from employees really confirmed everything his team has been trying to build.

"I am really touched that the team feels the way they do about the organization," he said. "It's such a proud moment."