Utah's Johnson Tire marks 100 years of success

SPRINGVILLE, Utah — Their great grandfather founded the business in 1924 by servicing batteries and alternators out of a local garage. Now, 100 years later, great grandsons Riley Johnson and Jeff Jackson have grown Johnson Tire Service into a business with approximately $5 million in annual sales.

Their accomplishments are a point of pride in Springville. Located six miles south of Provo, more than 600 people gathered on June 7 to celebrate the anniversary at the annual Johnson Tire Day. The company provided free hotdogs and soft drinks, and the company sold approximately 400 tires, at cost, to show their appreciation to their loyal customers.

Major tire companies also chipped in, with Tire Pros, Goodyear and Toyo Tire giving away sets of tires, as well as shirts, keychains, balls and other prizes. Johnson Tire Service is a member of American Tire Distributors Inc.'s Tire Pros organization.

"We've been fortunate to have multi-generation families come here for tires and other services," Riley said.

"Older customers will tell us this is where they had their first bicycle tire fixed. Others will travel an hour and half to come here. It's not a stretch to say we owe our success to loyal members of our community."

History

The commitment over the past century to keep the business in the family has motivated Riley and Jeff to succeed.

Founder Carl Edwin Johnson eventually moved beyond servicing car batteries and alternators. When he moved into his first company-owned building in 1944, he was selling tires, as well as bicycles and other goods.

Riley and Jeff's grandparents, Ed and Beth Johnson, took over in the early 1960s. By 1969, the company moved into its current location and decided to go all in by just selling tires. They were followed by Riley's father, Michael, who ran the company from the late 1980s until he died in 1991 when Riley was 15 years old.

With the company at a crossroads, their grandparents came out of retirement to keep the business intact for a few years before turning it over to Riley and Jeff. At that time, Riley was 20 years old, and Jeff was 21.

"We were really young," Riley recalled. "Some customers asked to see owners, and we got some funny looks when they found out it was us."

But they were not intimidated. At an early age, Riley and Jeff began learning about tires. They worked there after school and on Saturdays starting at age 12, sweeping floors, fixing tubes and sorting wheel weights.

"When are grandparents put us in charge, we knew the tire side of the business," Jeff said. "It took us a while to understand everything that goes into running a business well, but our grandparents stayed around for a few years to let us learn."

Adapting to grow the business

The owners have made several major decisions in the past 27 years to maximize their growth. Shortly after taking over day-to-day operations, they discovered that their grandfather used scrap paper to take work orders. They saw the need to invest in modern point-of-sale equipment.

Over the years, they've invested in additional technology and teach many of their 26 employees how to use it.

In those early days, the dealership operated a retreading shop, sold tires to other stores and had many farmers as customers. They long ago closed the retread shop and the wholesale division. And as more houses have been built in Springville, selling farm tires is now a rarity.

They now offer a full array of services for passenger cars and light trucks, including engine, brake, alternator, cooling, differential and other kinds of major automotive repair work. And because many truck owners want to customize their cars, they offer custom wheels from a variety of manufacturers.

"We are in truck country," Jeff said. "Many people want special tires, rims and wheels, so we have adapted to fit their needs."

The owners cited the need to stay competitive and offer a wide variety of tires as the reason for joining Tire Pros in 2010. "Tire Pros allows us to offer several tire brands at a low price. We can stay independent without paying a large franchise fee and without having to stock too many tires," Riley said.

While the owners will be in place for the foreseeable future, they're already grooming the fifth-generation to continue their legacy. Riley's son, Clayton, works full-time at the dealership, and Jeff's two sons, Jacob and Zachary, change tires and work at the sales counter.

Riley and Jeff understand the importance of the family's legacy and how their grandparents kept it alive. The aim to do the same.

"When Jeff and I look back on it, we wonder, 'What were our grandparents thinking?' But to them the business was all about family, not making money. To keep it in the family, they gave Jeff and me a chance to succeed."