MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Next stop, 100.
Black's Tire Service Inc. wrapped up its 95th anniversary celebration in mid-January during its 2025 Sales and Leadership Conference, held Jan. 18-20 at the Hilton Convention Center in Myrtle Beach.
More than 650 BTS leaders, employees, spouses and vendor partners attended the annual event, which included workshops, seminars and inspirational talks, as well as a trade show. The event also featured an awards ceremony in which BTS members were honored in various categories.
Larry Long Jr., a professional speaker, moderator and chief energy officer based in Raleigh-Durham, was among several guest speakers.
Among the themes of this year's event were "Black to the Basics" and "Let's Go Together." A Ford Bronco and Mustang GT were among the prizes given away.
According to the Benton family, the training at the event was "to provide the best service for our MVP customers."
During the event, BTS also awarded a check for $231,295 — the proceeds from the 27th annual Black's Tire Charity Golf Tournament, held in mid-September — to the Boys and Girls Homes of North Carolina. Two hundred forty golfers participated in the BTS signature event, raising money to support abused, neglected and abandoned children to help them become productive members of the community.
BTS was founded in 1929 in Whiteville, N.C., by W. Crowell Black.
Rick Benton Sr. acquired the business, then with just one location, in 1981. Benton and his three sons, Rick II (vice president of sales and marketing), Ryan (retail) and Jeremy (commercial) also help operate the dealership, along with Rick's sons, Cole and Cody Benton.
BTS operates 72 retail, commercial and/or wholesale locations, including a retread facility and the company headquarters in Whiteville. The firm is among the 20 largest independent retail tire dealerships and 15 largest independent commercial dealerships in the U.S., according to Tire Business research.
The business serves customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia and employs more than 1,000.