Detore: Tire Business sees family, fun over 40 years

It was April 11, 1983. America still was coming to terms with the breakup of the 4077th as the hit television series "MASH" ended its 11-year run. For many, the image of Hawkeye Pierce flying away in a helicopter transfixed on the rocks below that were arranged to spell the word "goodbye" is seared into our memory.

Two days earlier, NASA's Space Shuttle Mission: Challenger 1 returned to Earth with no foreshadowing of the tragedy that was to follow less than three years later.

"Star Wars: Episode VI, Return of the Jedi" was a month from its anticipated release. And on our radios, Michael Jackson's "Billy Jean" blared alongside "Mr. Roboto," the song that eventually fractured the rock band Styx (still my all-time favorite).

And it was at this time that this publication debuted in print, where many of you are reading this today.

Happy anniversary, Tire Business.

Kudos to Ernie Zielasko, our first publisher and editor, for conceiving the newspaper, and to Bruce Davis, whom Zielasko appointed to steer the project from concept to print.

The one constant that has been with our audience throughout these four decades — besides the latest industry news, data, analysis and feature stories you've come to enjoy — is Bruce Davis, our resident tire expert, who has been with or contributed to this publication since its inception. I like to tell folks Bruce has forgotten more about the tire industry than most people will ever know.

I have been fortunate to be part of the Tire Business team — peripherally at first, as managing editor at our sister publication, Rubber News — for a quarter of its life. It unquestionably has been a highlight of my journalism career, which began seven years before TB was founded.

As I reflect on our publication and the industry we serve, I marvel at the number of icons, like Davis, who have dedicated a lifetime of the proverbial blood, sweat and tears to make the industry the essential lifeblood it is today, and David Zielasko, Ernie's son and former TB editor and publisher who guided the publication for more than three decades.

While I could list countless others I have met during my tenure in the industry that have left an indelible mark, I'm going to limit this discourse to just one individual. And I first met him less than a month ago: Jerry Saunders

For those of you who don't know, Papa Jerry — as his customers and friends call him — founded Fairmount Tire 65 years ago. He and his son, Brad Saunders, operate one very successful retail dealership in South Los Angeles, as well as the wholesale arm that distributes product to five states.

Failing at school and eager to start his life, Saunders talked his dad into starting a business — any business — when he was 15. Today, at age 80, he still mans the counter at the retail shop, six days a week, for 10 hours a day. He worked seven days a week until his wife, Ilene, insisted he take a day off.

"When I got married, my dad told me I was married to a princess, because she's making me take a day off," Jerry said.

Jerry is convinced that his work is one reason he has been able to control diabetes, a disease he has battled since he was 10. He continues to take five shots a day.

One of the most remarkable aspects of Jerry's long career is that he pays his success forward. He and Brad say they have helped put around 50 dealers into business, supporting them in any way possible.

"I want to make this world a better place," Jerry said. "I want to dot the i's and cross the t's while I'm able to, while I'm alive and have the ability and the assets and the knowledge. I want to pass it on and make the world a better place for them. To see young guys start with nothing and grow and grow and be successful ... it makes me feel so good."

Now, some of those that the Saunders have set up in business have, in turn, set others up.

During a recent discussion with Jerry and Brad, I sat in awe over some of the words of wisdom that Jerry shared.

• "Relationships last a lifetime. It's not what you do; it's how you do it. It's how you treat a customer that they come back."
• "Never lose a customer. If you lose that first sale in the morning, the whole day is ruined. That first sale of the day is the most important sale. Break the ice. Get it going."
• "A retailer is only as good as their supplier that's taking care of them: the right product, right price and right service. That's exactly where we fit. Right product, right price, right service. It's a home run for them and for us."
• "Stress is a killer. Anytime you have a problem, we'll discuss it tomorrow. Never argue back and forth. You never win. If something is bothering you, let's discuss it tomorrow. Reduce stress, exercise, eat right. ... Don't raise your voice. Do I argue? In 50 years, I've never had an argument. Disagreements? Yes."
• "A recession is going to help us. People will be keeping their cars longer. Recessions, depressions help the independent tire dealer for the replacement market."
• "I still manually write invoices. Let me tell you something: I'm not going to change. I'm 80 years old, and I'm going to finish the road. It got me this far."
• "I don't need money. I need health and time. People take it for granted. It's the most precious thing we have."
• "The best medicine is laughter. I laugh and kid around with everybody. What's the problem? A tire? Put everything in perspective. Thank God that's a problem. That can be solved in 10 seconds."

On what he told Brad when he started in the business: "This business is only money. Our unconditional love and respect will never change. You can make a bad decision, I can make a bad decision. So what? Our unconditional love and respect will never change."

Jerry, who won the prestigious Tire Business Humanitarian Medal in 1999, gives back to his community, just as thousands of other tire dealers do. Once, he said, a lady paid for her tires, before revealing she would struggle to feed her family that week. Jerry gave her $100 back — the profit on the sale — without hesitation.

"I felt better about that than she did," he said. "I did the right thing. God sent her to me because he knew I would do that. There are no accidents in life. God knows things happen for a reason."

He said the middle class doesn't exist any longer. It's only the haves and the have-nots.

"The segment that I care about the most are the people that don't have money," he said. "I want to help them and take care of them and make sure they get a quality tire at the best price. Even if I have to lose money. The customer is going to leave with that tire, and he's going to be happy."

Once you meet Jerry, you are part of his family.

"It's all about appreciation and respect," he said.

That really sums up both the tire business and Tire Business perfectly.

Thanks for being part of our family for 40 years. And here's to 40 more.