Tire Discounters uses the past to create the future

CINCINNATI — There certainly are nods to the past in Tire Discounter's new downtown Cincinnati headquarters located in an historic six-story building.

But executives of the regional tire dealership expect the new space to help propel the company for years to come. It's a future that includes plans for growth through acquisitions as well as construction of company-owned stores, a vision that also involves a franchising component that's now rolling out.

Tire Discounters is a 140-store chain in six states that has goals to create a national footprint in both company-owned and franchised locations.

Tire Discounters unveiled the multi-million-dollar headquarters project June 25 at the corner of West Fourth and Elm streets in downtown Cincinnati that unites corporate staff previous split between two locations about 20 miles apart.

The tire retailer easily could have looked to the suburbs to build a new headquarters for less, but CEO Jamie Ward said being in downtown Cincinnati is key to the company's ability to continue to grow.

"When you have best-in-class talent, you have to be where they are," he said. "If we are going to hire some big shots from Amazon or Proctor & Gamble or all these amazing law firms — we have three GCs (general counsels) on staff — if we are going to bring in these pretty top-dollar people on the team, this is where they live. This is where they breathe. This is where they hang out. So this really serves them," Mr. Ward said during a grand-opening event.

Plus he has a pretty sweet view of the neighborhood from his sixth-floor corner office.

While Tire Discounters is a private company and does not release financial information, the CEO did allow that the purchase and renovation of the building cost "under $8 million" in total. Tire Discounters purchased the site from the Greater Cincinnati Foundation for a reported $1.84 million in 2019.

The history of the building dates to 1919 and was once home to S.P. Nelson & Sons, a maker and distributor of women's and children's wear and "fancy goods," according to an old receipt. The S.P. Nelson name still adorns the historic building in relief.

About half of Tire Discounters' corporate staff had been in temporary, rented space a few blocks up Fourth Street as the company looked for a permanent home. The other half was in offices attached to the company's warehouse in Sharonville, Ohio, north of the city.

Managing Director Anna Wood, who is part of her family's second generation involved in the business founded by her father Chip Wood in 1976, said the new office was constructed with an open design allowing for both collaborative work and the ability to find a secluded spot when needed.

The first floor features meeting space as well as a cafeteria and refreshment center for employees.

Tucked off to the side is the building's original cage elevator that, frankly, was too heavy to move out. It now serves as a distinct meeting nook on the ground floor of the 32,684-sq-ft. structure.

"We completely gutted it. It looks nothing like it did before," Ms. Wood said.

Central to the design is a newly installed wide staircase in the center of the building that not only can give employees a leg workout throughout the day, but also lends to the open and collaborative approach the company wants to foster.

Renovations bean in January 2020 and took a little over a year to complete, Ms. Wood explained. Employees started moving in this March.

"We wanted a really open, collaborative workspace. All these tables can be moved around. Everyone can work over there or gather in the middle here and walk easily up and down the stares to collaborate with other floors," she said.

"It's very open and inviting and fun — I hope it is — which was our goal with the furniture layout and the architecture," Ms. Wood said. "When I say it looks different, it really does from the original."

The new headquarters also includes space for Tire Discounters to record radio commercials in-house.

Some 85 staffers report to work in the new headquarters, and there is space for about 140 workers in total.

"Room to grow, which we did on purpose," Ms. Wood said. "Hopefully we stay her for a very long time.

"Our first office was a pole barn on the east side of town. That sucker was as rough as rough gets. Every few years we have to find a new home. And this is definitely a really great place for us and great for our employees," Mr. Ward said.

"We have a lot of good room to grow here and a lot of great things happening."

In addition to stores in its home state of Ohio, Tire Discounters has retail locations in Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee.

"Obviously, were in many states now and there are some great cities. We really wanted to plant our flag here in our hometown here in Cincinnati where we started this thing," he said.