Best Places to Work: Values drive decisions at Chapel Hill Tire

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — In 2014, Chapel Hill Tire Co. was struggling, according to its president, Marc Pons. It was then that he had a revelation.

"I saw people I really respected, and their businesses were thriving," Mr. Pons said. "I noticed I never heard them talking about profits or the bottom line, but culture. If I wanted Chapel Hill to be the business I wanted it to be, I had to start getting back on track."Our culture has always been good, but we doubled down on it," Mr. Pons said. "We used our values to drive our decision-making."

Those values, according to Mr. Pons, are:

• Striving for excellence;
• Treating each other like family;
• Saying yes to customers and to each other;
• Being grateful and helpful; and
• Winning as a team.

Each week Chapel Hill highlights one of these values.

"We talk about that value, and how we live it," Mr. Pons said.

Chapel Hill also strives to give back to its employees, according to Mr. Pons. Among the benefits Chapel Hill offers are 10 paid time-off days after one year of employment; profit sharing; paying 50% to 74% of employee medical premiums; a retirement plan with employer match; a bonus and incentive program; free snacks and beverages; a Christmas savings plan; and 100% community college reimbursement.

For Mr. Pons, the advantages of strong employee benefits are simple, but also part of a larger picture.

"We feel that happy employees equal happy customers," he said. "Benefits are important, but they don't define the workplace. What defines the workplace is your culture. We talk about values and culture right out of the gate, and I don't think our competitors do."

Stevie Cannada, an automotive technician at Chapel Hill Tire, started out as a general service technician doing tire changes and worked his way up to automotive technician, the position he has today.

"I couldn't be happier," Mr. Cannada said. "We all treat each other like family. I couldn't feel more at home.

"There's real team spirit here," he said. "If you start with the right attitude, they'll help you on the way up and they won't stop you."

Asked about the unique challenges of maintaining a happy workplace in a tire-auto service center, Mr. Pons said, "I don't know there are any unique challenges. I think it's true of all employers. Your people need to feel cared for, and they need opportunities to grow and develop.

"We recently crossed the 100-employee threshold," he said. "It's all about getting all 100 heads in the game. If we can do that, that will be really powerful."

Founded in 1953 by Mr. Pons' father, Al Pons, Chapel Hill Tire has grown to seven retail locations in and around Chapel Hill, including a store opened this summer near downtown Chapel Hill.