With opportunities for growth, many businesses add to their bottom line, but it also becomes more complex and complicated to keep things running. With so many balls in the air, it gets harder to stick to your mission– why you even started in the first place–as well as your vision for the business and the values you want the business to carry out on a daily basis. It’s truly a juggling act, but one business that has been able to do this as it has grown over the last 52 years is K&M Tire.

Founded in 1970, Ken Langhals started K&M Tire with $100. It was originally a two-bay gas station in northwest Ohio. However, over the years, Ken left tire retail, tried his hand at retreading and ultimately, locked in tire distribution as his area of focus. Since then, the business has grown to 32 distribution centers in more than 25 states.

But through it all, Ken, now CEO of the business, and his daughter, Cheryl Gossard, the business’s president who handles day-to-day operations, have kept in focus the mission, vision and values of how they’d like to run the business. Has it changed over the years? Of course! Cheryl will tell you that when K&M acquired a tire distributor and doubled in size, those three guiding principles went into question. However, they’ve always come back (and at times redefined) their mission, vision and values, as each employee knows the standards in which K&M operates its business.

In this episode of Johnny g & Friends, presented by Firestone, Johnny g sits down with Ken and Cheryl to talk about the business’s humble beginnings, how it has evolved over the years with the handover from father to daughter in leadership, the improvements it has made as its grown and what it’s growth strategy is for the future.

Listen to this episode below or subscribe to Johnny g & Friends on:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/johnny-g-friends/id1575371575

Google Podcasts:
https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3ByZWFrZXIuY29tL3Nob3cvNDk5NTE0Ny9lcGlzb2Rlcy9mZWVk

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/51HCGxJxYmRvUC48iiKXJW

You can also watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?

Wendel Burt, co-founder of Burt Brothers Tire & Service, attributes his success in the tire industry to two words: Hard work. It’s that simple yet also challenging and complicated when you’re the one that’s the owner, service advisor, trainer, technican, HR department and… should we go on? We know other tire dealers out there get the grit it takes to start your own tire business.

So, when Wendel Burt and his brother, Ron, started Burt Brothers Tire & Service in 1991, they set out to sell one tire per day and stay committed to the business. Thanks to this, their business has blossomed into a 14-location dealership in the Greater Salt Lake City, Utah area, and the second generation has taken the helm. In fact, under the leadership of Wendel’s sons Jake, Jason and Jeremy, and Ron’s sons, Cory and Brandon, the business was named the winner of Tire Review’s prestigious 2021 Top Shop Award.

In this episode of Johnny g & Friends, presented by Firestone, Wendel and his son, Jake, delve into how the first generation was able to pass down the passion for the business to the second generation and why Wendel says tire dealers need to constantly evolve their business in a competitive tire retail landscape.

EPISODE OVERVIEW

- How Burt Brothers’ relationship with Firestone actually started out of the Firestone recall in 2000 [1:25]
- Wendel describes his start in the industry and he and his brother, Ron, learned “the meaning of hard work” quickly by vowing their dedication to the business’ success [3:05]
- Wendel and Jake share the business advice Johnny g has taught them over the years in their partnership with Bridgestone [5:10]
- Jake explains how he, his two brothers and two cousins divvy up ownership roles within the business today [7:01]
- How Wendel and Ron prepared their sons to take over the business [9:20]
- Burt Brothers’ business today and what Jake and his second-generation partners changed when they look over the business [12:00]
- Wendel explains why it’s dangerous for a tire business to “stay the same” and how a business can automatically grow if it gives room for employees to grow [17:38]
- Why Burt Brothers shaves tires for customers and how it’s become a competitive advantage for the Utah independent tire dealer [19:00]
- Jake details the biggest challenge in the business today and how he and his partners are working to solve it [21:08]
- Why Burt Brothers is investing in RoboTire, tire-changing robots, and how Jake and Wendel plan to use them in their “shops of the future.” [22:41]

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/johnny-g-friends/id1575371575

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/51HCGxJxYmRvUC48iiKXJW

Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3ByZWFrZXIuY29tL3Nob3cvNDk5NTE0Ny9lcGlzb2Rlcy9mZWVk

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgfm_UrqXz4&list=PLVkqUUE022sfk413J6lVAaPFH4Wc2ORLy

Expanding from one store to two is hard enough, but imagine expanding from one to 19 stores in the span of 10 years. If you think that sounds like a daunting task, you’re not alone, but that’s the feat Aaron Telle, owner of Telle Tire & Auto Centers based in St. Louis, Missouri, accomplished after taking over his family’s business in 2009.

The fourth-generation owner of Telle Tire & Auto Centers, Aaron began his career in the tire industry at Telle Tire sweeping floors and shuttling customers in high school. With business savvy at a young age, Aaron began to form strategic relationships in the industry and chart his vision for the company’s growth. When his father, Scott Telle, passed away suddenly in 2009, Aaron was thrust to the helm of the business to carry on its customer-centric, family-focused values and a year later, taking the dealership to new heights.

In this episode of Johnny g & Friends, presented by Firestone, Aaron reveals his toolkit for rapid expansion of his family business that’s celebrating its 80th anniversary this year. In this episode, Johnny g and Aaron delve into:

- 1:56: Aaron describes how his great-grandfather, Arthur, started the business during World War II as a recapping business, and Johnny g describes how he met Aaron’s grandfather, Chuck.
- 3:50- Lessons Aaron has learned from his grandfather, Chuck, and his father, Scott.
- 5:32- The growth strategy behind Telle Tire’s expansion from one store to 19 stores in 10 years and how Aaron helped his employees care and think “like a Telle” about the business.
- 7:49: The employee-focused reason Aaron decided to close all Telle Tire locations on Saturdays.
- 11:15: The biggest challenges Aaron sees on the horizon for Telle Tire.
- 13:16 – What motivates Aaron to continue to improve the business and his knowledge of it.
- 13:59 – Telle Tire’s footprint for the future, what he’s focusing on for the business for 2022 and what Aaron feels fueled the business’s rapid expansion.

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/42fuzmw9CPc

Or subscribe to Johnny g & Friends on:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whats-treading-with-tire-review/id1470309726

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1GA3lp6AFo7V7EEG5awHaE

Google Podcasts: https://play.google.com/music/listen?u=0#/ps/Iv76bs6re7unom4p76myj3cakhm

For years, Virginia Tire & Auto has been among the best tire dealers in North America. The dealership, now spanning 18 stores, was named Tire Review’s Top Shop Winner in 2011, and since then, has garnered local and national accolades. Today in its second generation of ownership, Virginia Tire is redefining what it means to be a tire dealer in the 21st century with an open mind toward technology, smart marketing and a different look on how they see their competition.

“Customers aren’t just judging us against other people who do tire and auto service, they’re comparing us to every other experience they have on a daily basis,” says Julie Holmes, co-CEO of Virginia Tire, describing the business’s forward-thinking approach to today’s retail landscape.

Located in the Virginia suburbs of Washington D.C., Virginia Tire was founded in 1976 by Myron and Carole Boncarosky. The two laid the foundation for the business’s high standards of customer service and employees-as-family mindset. Today, Myron’s daughter, Julie, and her husband, Mike Holmes, run the business as co-CEOs with a focus on continuous improvement.

In this episode of Johnny g & Friends, sponsored by Firestone, Johnny g sits down with Myron, Julie and Mike to discuss keys to the business’s success over the years and how it has evolved to meet customer expectations time and time again.

EPISODE OVERVIEW:
- Julie, a successful attorney before joining the family business, describes how her father’s positive attitude toward the business influenced her decision to come back to the family business and follow her passion. (2:00)
- Mike, an accountant and financial analyst, shares how Myron served as a mentor to him and the events that led up to him joining the family business in 2007. (3:37)
- Stories from Julie’s childhood and how “the kitchen table was the board room” growing up in the Boncaroksy household. (6:35)
- Myron describes what he learned from being a sales rep for Texaco and how he applied that to starting Virginia Tire & Auto. (9:06)
- Characteristics Myron has seen over the years in successful dealers and employees. (13:15)
- The importance of “making winners out of your people” and why Myron believes the best insights on your business come from your employees. (16:32)
- Myron describes why “new blood” is important in the business. (17:34)
- Julie describes Virginia Tire’s rebranding process, in which she and Mike defined the company’s values and how those values influence every aspect of the business. (21:17)
- Mike shares his view on the complexity of the tire business and how the company is simplifying today’s customer experience to “take the stress out of car care,” as Virginia Tire’s mission statement says. (23:34)
- The way Mike and Julie view their competition and how it has influenced Virginia Tire’s customer experience (25:55)
- After opening four stores in 2019, Julie and Mike share how the coronavirus pandemic affected their business and their focus for the future (28:47)

Listen here or watch the video version of this podcast on:

TireReview.com: https://www.tirereview.com/virginia-tire-second-generation-ceos-transform-buiness/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgfm_UrqXz4&list=PLVkqUUE022sfk413J6lVAaPFH4Wc2ORLy

Any industry, sport or line of work has “the greats” — those people that others in the industry know for the work they do, the business they’re building and the legacy that they’re creating. They’re known for their steadfast leadership, problem-solving abilities, and most importantly, their unwavering passion for the industry and serving their communities. In season 1 of Johnny g & Friends, presented by Firestone, Johnny g talked to many of those tire industry greats– of which there are many– and asked them one question: “What motivates you to strive for greatness?”

While many shied away from the greatness moniker, their responses to the question showed their willingness to constantly approve, their business savvy, and the importance each person places in giving back to others. In this episode, you’ll hear responses from:

- Mario Andretti, racing legend and Indy 500, Daytona 500 and Formula 1 World Champion.
- Larry Morgan, former tire dealer who grew Tires Plus into 600 locations, left the industry, and founded Morgan Family Ventures and Morgan Auto Group, the largest car dealer in the state of Florida.
- Paul Swentzel, co-founder of S&S Tire.
- John Zentz, senior vice president of global sales at Hunter Engineering.
- John Boyle, former owner of Englewood Tire and current president of ETD Discount Tire Centers.
- John Ziegler, Jr., vice president of Ziegler Tire.
- Craig Tate, former owner of Tate Boys Tire & Service and consultant for Sun Auto Tire & Service.

Listen to the full episode here or subscribe to Johnny g & Friends on:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whats-treading-with-tire-review/id1470309726

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1GA3lp6AFo7V7EEG5awHaE

Google Podcasts: https://play.google.com/music/listen?u=0#/ps/Iv76bs6re7unom4p76myj3cakhm

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rYE1NOtnlw&list=PLVkqUUE022sdAVQ6DuHU8cxd3FS2ni9vA

Teamwork is key to running a successful business, and no one knows that better than Craig Tate. A second-generation tire dealer with a passion for the tire business, Craig was a college football player who took over his father’s tire dealership with his brother, Chuck, in 2000. The two grew the business to seven locations, running the multi-store business like they were operating a football team.

In 2018, Tate Boys won the 2018 Tire Review Top Shop Award, being named the best tire dealer in North America. Although Craig sold his business last year to Sun Tire Auto & Service, he remains active in the tire industry as a consultant with Sun Auto, living out his passion for the business and working on processes and improving the customer experience.


Johnny g first met Craig about six years ago and since then, the two bonded over their love of sports and the tire business. In this episode of Johnny g & Friends, presented by Firestone, Craig and Johnny g delve into:

- How Johnny g and Craig met and how they grew their relationship into a brotherhood (1:00)
- What Craig learned from his dad, Bob, and how Craig brought the foundations running a business with him into his own (2:52)
- The Tate family’s history of professional and college sports, including Craig’s wins at the University of Tulsa and what he learned from his brother, Chuck, in his professional baseball career (7:25)
- How Craig’s discipline as an athlete influenced how he ran his tire business and why it’s important to be a student of the business and pay attention to detail (9:46)
- Why emotional engagement is the most important thing to a tire sale (13:05)
- The KPI that Craig believes is the most important to track to aid in business intelligence and growth (14:10)
- What Craig believes is the ideal technician training process and how keeping track of technician performance fuels healthy competition (17:30)
- The legacy Chuck, Craig’s brother, mentor and business partner, left at Tate Boys after his sudden death and how Craig continues to instill Chuck’s winning attitude in the business and his life (21:50)
- Craig and Johnny g’s memories together including playing cribbage, golf and other healthy competition (26:48)
- Why Craig decided to sell Tate Boys Tire & Service to private equity backed Sun Auto Tire & Service and how Craig is working with Sun Auto to improve retail processes and the customer experience (27:55)

More on Firestone: firestonetire.com
More Johnny g & Friends: https://www.tirereview.com/tag/johnny-g-friends/

John Ziegler Jr. has rubber running through his veins. The third generation of a 102-year-old tire business, John Jr. grew up busting tires at his family’s Ziegler Tire retail stores in Canton, Ohio. After graduating college, he worked for a short time at a Firestone store, yet the family business, which claims to be one of the first and oldest Firestone dealers, called him back.

A jack of all trades, John Jr. has worked on the retail, commercial and wholesale side of Ziegler Tire’s growing business, and now serves as the company’s vice president. Over the years, Ziegler Tire has grown to include three wholesale centers, two retread plants, 16 commercial centers and seven retail locations.

From growing up in the business, John Jr. has plenty of stories about Ziegler Tire’s growing pains and triumphs and has met tire industry greats along the way, including his friend, Johnny g. In this episode of Johnny g & Friends, sponsored by Firestone, John Jr. delves into:

- Why he didn’t come back to the family business right away after graduating college (1:40)
- Keys to Ziegler Tire’s longevity in the tire business, advice he received from generations before him and what he has passed down to his son (3:59)
- His mentors over the years and the people that shaped his life in the tire industry, including his cousin, Bill, president of Ziegler Tire, his Uncle Harold who got him into IndyCar racing, the Grismer Tire guys and the group of tire dealers from “The Tabernacle of Golf" (7:23)
- Challenges Ziegler Tire has undergone in its 102-year old history, including surviving the Great Depression, and how those challenges shaped its culture and DNA (12:32)
- Memories Johnny g and John Jr. have shared over the years from the “Gamarama” at the New Orleans Superdome, Johnny g’s Chicago Bears coat, trips to Japan, experiencing the Monaco Grand Prix and IndyCar races (15:17)
- How Ziegler Tire became a Firestone dealer with one of Harvey Firestone’s first salesman signing on brothers Oliver and Harold Ziegler as dealers of the brand (19:33)
- Why Zieglar Tire has stuck with the Firestone brand and why they didn’t carry another brand until the 1970s (21:40)

Listen here or subscribe to Johnny g & Friends on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher.

Firestone Tires: https://firestonetires.com/

When you train under “The Captain,” you’re bound to be a captain of the industry in your own right. And John Boyle definitely is. Just ask Johnny g.

Like many dealers out there, Boyle grew up in the tire business. He began working as a teenager for his father, Jerry “Captain” Boyle, who founded Englewood Tire Distributors with a partner in 1945. Boyle eventually worked his way up through the ranks to take over the family business and become president of Englewood Tire Distributors in the late 90s. As he worked his way up in the business, Johnny g did, too.

As a sales manager for Bridgestone-Firestone, Johnny g called on Englewood Tire and formed a lasting bond with “The Captain,” a well-known personality in the tire industry, and Boyle, who would run the Northeast tire distributor for almost 20 years.

In this episode of Johnny g & Friends, Boyle reflects on the lessons his father, “The Captain,” taught him, shares his cardinal rules for working with suppliers and delves into why he sold his family’s distribution business as well as the memories he’s shared with Johnny g along the way. Find out more about:

- Why Johnny g has “freaked out” to meet Boyle and his father, nicknamed, “The Captain,” among his industry peers [2:05]
- The story behind how “The Captain” started Englewood Tire on a handshake agreement and what Boyle learned are the keys to working with family [4:07]
- Boyle’s cardinal rules for working with suppliers, dealers and employees (hint: they’re the same!) [6:50]
- How Boyle grew Englewood Tire Distributors from one wholesale and retail operation to seven wholesale and eight retail stores [8:08]
- Boyle’s memories with Johnny g over the years, including when Johnny g would give “the weather report” to the Englewood Tire management staff, trips to Japan and Monaco for the Grand Prix with Bridgestone and many more [9:00]
- Boyle’s reasons for selling Englewood Tire as “tremendous consolidation” was going on in the industry and how the distribution landscape has changed over the years[15:05]
- Boyle’s role as president of ETD Discount Tire Centers today and how the retail business has had record years under his son-in-law, Kevin Scully, the dealership’s vice president, with more growth on the way. [16:32]
- How Boyle says Johnny g put “fun” in the business and John’s reflections on today’s tire industry [18:45]

Listen here or subscribe to Johnny g & Friends at:

- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/johnny-g-friends/id1575371575
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/51HCGxJxYmRvUC48iiKXJW
- Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3ByZWFrZXIuY29tL3Nob3cvNDk5NTE0Ny9lcGlzb2Rlcy9mZWVk
- Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/johnny-g-friends
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgfm_UrqXz4&list=PLVkqUUE022sfk413J6lVAaPFH4Wc2ORLy

More on Firestone Tires: https://www.firestonetire.com/

When you take a look around at the tire service equipment in your shop, you may see the name of the company that Johnny g’s next guest represents. The one that he credits for imprinting the tire industry in his heart. That company is Hunter Engineering, and the guest that’s been part of its team for over 25 years is none other than John Zentz, the company’s senior vice president of global sales.

Johnny g first met Zentz at a retirement party for Dick Johnson, chairman and CEO of American Tire Distributors. Through industry events, golf outings and the mutual friends they’ve made along the way, the two have solidified a bond over the industry they love.

Zentz first started in the automotive industry selling engine diagnostic equipment in the mid-80s and then made his way into tire service and has stayed ever since. Now, he’s a familiar face in the industry and has become a staunch advocate for the automotive aftermarket and the independent tire dealer.

In this episode of Johnny g & Friends, presented by Firestone, Johnny g and Zentz delve into:

-How Zentz learned the pulse of the industry from a young age and why he felt it was a “natural fit” for his career (1:10)
- The origins of Hunter Engineering and how it morphed from a battery company to a tire service company and how tire service technology has changed over the year (Remember a bubble balancer? An alignment machine with strings?) (1:50)
- Zentz’s mentors from his first job at Allen Test Products to what he learned from early mentors at Hunter Engineering [3:50)
- How Zentz believes independent tire dealers can compete and survive in today’s market (6:48)
- The pandemic’s effect on Hunter Engineering and what the company did to innovate (8:47)
- Memories Johnny g and Zentz have shared with the “great cast of characters” in the industry, including a golf incident when Johnny g hit a real birdie (10:00)
- How Johnny g and Zentz’s mutual friend Steve Gray, former owner of Gray’s Wholesale Tire Distribution in Texas, saved Johnny g’s life when he had 15-20 minutes to live (13:44)
- How Zentz thinks tire dealers can capitalize on electric vehicle repair and maintenance (17:35)

Listen to the full episode here or subscribe to Johnny g & Friends on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify and Stitcher.

A lot of luck, forming long-lasting relationships and a push to always remain relevant has led to S&S Tire’s enduring success over the years. Yet, you can’t have a successful three-generation business without having a solid foundation. For this Kentucky-based tire distributor, that foundation started with Paul Swentzel, co-founder of S&S Tire who has also helped other dealers and distributors in the industry get started with their own businesses.

A household name in the tire industry, Paul founded S&S Tire with his business partner, Don Schnieder, in 1974. They started out wholesaling tires out of a 9,000-square-foot warehouse in Lexington, Kentucky, and since then, the business has grown to 12 distribution centers across 10 states, 20 commercial truck centers, three retread plants and three retail locations.

Paul first met Johnny g in the 70s, and since then, the two have taken their relationship from business to an enduring friendship. Get to know Paul, his wit, how he got started in the industry and how he’s managed to create a growing distribution business in the heart of the Bluegrass in the latest episode of Johnny g & Friends.

In this episode, Paul and Johnny g delve into:

- How they met and how Paul bought 25,000 tires from Johnny g at the 11th hour to help 0 Bridgestone meet their sales goals [1:50]

- Paul’s journey to becoming a Firestone dealer and the mentors he had in the industry along the way [4:00]

- With $50,000, a prayer and hard work, how Paul and Don Schneider started S&S Tire and how Paul’s relationship with Paul Zurcher played a huge role in his success [5:58]

- Paul’s eagerness to help others get started in the business and how he did it [7:25]

- How Paul overcame his biggest challenges in the tire business through forming relationships [8:10]

- Brooks Swentzel, Paul’s son and current president of S&S Tire, describes S&S Tire’s business today, his philosophy on serving the business’ dealer customers and what he’s learned from his dad over the years [10:13]

- Brock Swentzel, Paul’s grandson and the company’s manager of supply chain, explains how the pandemic has impacted S&S Tire and how he and his team work with manufacturers on tire supply and why he joined the family business [14:31]

- Fun and funny memories Paul and Johnny g have made over the years -- from winning golf tournaments to forming relationships with celebrities like Arnold Palmer and Walter Payton as well as dealers both big and small [17:42]

- Changes Paul has seen in the tire business from when he founded it to now and the importance of his son and grandsons (Brock and Austin Swentzel) adding capabilities to the business over the years [21:31]

- How Paul created a community within the S&S tire dealer base [23:46]

- How Paul helped Johnny g create Tire Stars, Bridgestone’s rewards program for distributors [24:50]

Listen to the full episode here or subscribe to Johnny g & Friends on:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/johnny-g-friends/id1575371575

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/51HCGxJxYmRvUC48iiKXJW

Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3ByZWFrZXIuY29tL3Nob3cvNDk5NTE0Ny9lcGlzb2Rlcy9mZWVk

Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/johnny-g-friends