Dustin Dobbs is the President of Dobbs Tire & Auto Centers, a family-owned business headquartered in Saint Louis, Missouri, specializing in tire and auto repair services. Under his leadership, Dobbs Tire & Auto Centers has expanded to over 50 locations across Missouri, Illinois, and Texas, continuing the legacy started by his grandfather in 1976. Dustin was immersed in the family business from a young age, instilling in him a strong work ethic and commitment to the company's culture and values. 

In this episode…

The automotive industry is built on a foundation of family businesses and strong work ethics. How do successful multi-generational companies maintain their culture while expanding?

According to Dustin Dobbs of Dobbs Tire & Auto Centers, the key to maintaining a strong company culture during expansion is employee empowerment. He emphasizes the importance of supporting staff, providing training, and offering opportunities for career growth. Dustin highlights unique initiatives like hand-delivering Thanksgiving turkeys, hosting company-wide events, and taking managers and their spouses on annual trips to Mexico. He maintains that these practices set them apart from larger competitors and are crucial to their success.

On this episode of Gain Traction, Mike Edge welcomes Dustin to chat about his family's business history, work ethic, and recent expansion into Texas. They discuss how to approach maintaining company culture during growth, the importance of community involvement, and strategies for empowering employees. Dustin also shares insights on partnering with private equity while preserving core values.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: 

• [01:18] Dustin Dobbs discusses his journey in the tire industry from childhood
• [04:45] How early lessons in work ethic shaped Dustin's career
• [08:20] Dobbs Tire & Auto Centers’ expansion into Texas and future plans
• [10:35] The secret to Dobbs Tire's long standing community reputation
• [09:25] Empowering employees: The key to Dobbs Tire's success
• [13:30] The importance of maintaining company culture amidst growth
• [19:20] Insights on balancing effort and attitude for success
• [25:30] Inspiring lessons in resilience and perseverance from sports

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Dustin Dobbs 
• Dobbs Tire & Auto Centers
• Reid Parman on LinkedIn
• Big Chief Tire
• Mike Edge on LinkedIn
• Tread Partners

Quotable Moments: 

• "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard."
• "Dobbs isn't really a brand; it's more of a people, a culture."
• "You can control two things: your effort and your attitude."
• "Empower your people. Micromanaging hinders natural growth."
• "If you can tell me on every play I hustled and did the best I could, then you can walk off that field and feel certain."

Action Steps: 

1. Foster a strong work ethic: Cultivating a strong work ethic can lead to personal and organizational success. 
2. Empower and support your team: Allow team members to take charge and make decisions to facilitate natural growth and innovation. 
3. Maintain meaningful traditions and practices: Continuing traditions like company-wide events can strengthen team culture and loyalty.
4. Focus on training and development: Ensuring your team reaches its full potential addresses skill gaps and positions your team for long-term success and adaptability.
5. Balance tradition with growth: While pursuing expansion, maintain core cultural values and practices to maintain the essence of your organization.

Sponsor for this episode...

This episode is brought to you by Tread Partners. 

At Tread Partners, we provide digital marketing for multi-location tire dealers and auto repair shops. 

By using our strategy, branding, and marketing services, we help shops sell more tires and put more cars in bays.

We’ve helped companies like Action Gator Tire, Colony Tire and Service, and Ulmer’s Auto Care Center bring extreme growth in paid leads, ROI, and searches. 

So, what are you waiting for?

Visit www.treadpartners.com or email [email protected] to learn more.