LAS VEGAS — St. Louis Wholesale Tire, a family-run business that specializes in specialty tires and inner tubes, has been named the winner of the inaugural Tire Business Best Places to Work survey competition.
The announcement was made Wednesday morning during a special livestream that was broadcast from the Tire Business booth at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show.
Tire Business Editor Don Detore presented the trophy during the livestream, held with Joe Inchiostro Jr., CEO at St. Louis Wholesale, and Jarrod Rogers, sales manager at St. Louis Wholesale.
"We're incredibly honored to receive the award," said Mr. Inchiostro, whose father, Joe, and uncle, Larry Inchiostro, founded the business for those searching for odd-ball and hard to find tires. Joe Inchiostro Sr. passed away earlier this year.
"I know my father is looking down on us with a smile on his face," the younger Mr. Inchiostro said. "He established the culture right from the start."
St. Louis Wholesale has 20 employees at its St. Louis facility, many of who have been with the company for 10 years or more.
He said the company operates by what he calls The Golden Rule: Treat people as you wish to be treated.
"I remember my father telling me that at age 10," Mr. Inchiostro said. "That's the way he approached the business."
Tire Business launched its Best Places to Work earlier this year. Employees and management at participating tire dealerships were surveyed about their benefits, leadership, culture and employee engagement.
A number of tire retail, commercial, OTR, retread and wholesale tire dealerships, with at least 15 employees in the U.S., applied to participate in the free survey process. Best Companies Group (BCG), 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.
The five other finalists, listed in alphabetical order, are:
• Chapel Hill Tire, a Chapel Hill, N.C.-based tire dealership with 100-plus employees;
• Porter's Tire Store, a Russellville, Tenn.-based tire retailer with 98 employees;
• Service Tire Truck Centers, a Bethlehem, Pa.-based commercial tire dealership with 921 employees;
• SimpleTire L.L.C., a Trevose, Pa.-based online tire retailer with nearly 100 employees; and
• Telle Tire & Auto Centers, a St. Louis-based dealership with 70-plus employees.
The livestream is available by clicking here.