Kyle Melvin, 28Store ManagerPalumbo’s Car Care Center Inc.
When Kyle Melvin sees a local state trooper coming up fast behind him with lights flashing and sirens blaring, it makes him happy.
“My biggest accomplishment to date is supplying the entire state of Delaware’s police tires,” Melvin explains. “Having that national account with our one-shop family-owned business, I take pride in the hard work I did to supply them with all of their tire needs. Seeing a cop flex down the highway… I notice the tires and get a great satisfaction knowing I supplied them.”
His fondness of state police is not what you might expect from a trained driver and die-hard racing enthusiast who has been circling tracks since his youth. Named after the legendary Kyle Petty, it was racing that motivated him to get involved in the family business 12 years ago, lightening his dad’s workload so he could get him to a race.
“I swept the shop, took the trash out, rolled tires around, organized oil, organized parts, got in the way, but I had an obligation to work hard to get my dad to the track,” Melvin recalls. “My first official paid tire man job was when I was 16, enjoying every moment. I was still racing so with every mounted tire and new tread design I was absorbing so much knowledge to make my driving skills better.”
What he learned by racing quickly transferred into the business, yet his education on tires and performance didn’t end there. Melvin continues to set and surpass his goals, is certified in multiple product lines, and frequents boot camps and courses to further his industry knowledge.
While he’s proud of his education and experience as a professional in the industry, he says his biggest challenge is his age.
“People come in and at first glance they see a salesman; at second glance they see a young salesman – so I always start out with two strikes against me. Thankfully I’m a salesman with a gift to gab,” he says. “Our industry is divided with polar opposite methods, and my age reflects the new industry. I’m driven every day when I turn a critic into a trusted customer, who shakes my hand and proudly says, ‘I didn’t expect that from a man your age.’”
Melvin, bridging old and new automotive technology and methodology, says his old-school work ethic and integrity can be attributed to his grandfather’s influence.
“The man who sits on the top of my list is my poppy, Elbert Melvin,” he shares. “The automotive industry is constantly being questioned about its integrity, so I owe much respect to my grandfather for showing me a true honest day’s work. Work was never just going through the motions for him. He worked efficiently to maximize his time to allow him to do more. My motto is ‘work smarter not harder,’ and doing your best all the time is a must for my poppy to be as proud of me as I was of him. This man’s character is everything I strive for to apply in my career.”
FUN FACT: “April through October I close up shop at 3, load up my 600cc Sprint Car and head to my local dirt track for a great night behind the wheel.”
