Treadroc Tire Service Gets New Ownership

Treadroc Tire Service, a retreader and commercial and OTR tire dealership in the midwestern U.S., has transitioned to new owners.

Don Barnes Jr. and Bob Barnes of Belle Tire Distributors have taken over 100% ownership of Treadroc after former owner John Lavelle Sr. retired in mid-January, Treadroc CEO Larry Jefferies said. Barnes will remain chairman of Treadroc and Jefferies will remain CEO.

Lavelle founded Treadroc’s parent company, Antioch Tire Inc., in northeast Illinois in 1977. Over the years, he grew the dealership’s footprint through acquisitions, including the purchase of OTR Brokers of Crystal Lake in 2001 and Chicago Bandag and its emergency breakdown services in 2007. The business changed its name to Treadroc Tire Service after those acquisitions.
In 2009, Treadroc and Belle Tire created a partnership and formed Belleroc Commercial, combining the two company’s commercial tire services in Michigan. In 2016, Lavelle and Barnes Jr. created a 50/50 joint venture merging Belle Tire’s commercial division with Treadroc, forming a new company under the Treadroc name.

With the purchase of Treadroc, Don Barnes Jr. and Bob Barnes will gain ownership of Treadroc’s 19 locations, four retread plants and more than 200 service trucks. Treadroc will continue to run independently of Belle Tire Distributors, Jefferies said, and more growth is on the horizon.

“Having full ownership in the Don and Bob Barnes family of businesses, we’re shifting into more growth,” Jefferies said. “We’re looking at different complementary business services in the commercial space and geographical areas that align well with our current footprint and bridge the gaps between our current facilities.”

Jefferies said over the past year, Treadroc has invested in the redevelopment of its retread plants, which included a $1.2 million transformation of its Allen Park retread center in Detroit, Michigan into a superstore with tire and service centers attached. The site currently has a 500-capacity retread plant, full-service drive-up, mobile dispatch service and distribution center.

Treadroc’s locations are in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio.

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has named Ryan Waldron as president of the company's Americas business unit, reporting to Chief Executive Officer and President Mark Stewart. He succeeds Steven R. McClellan, who retired on April 1.

"At Goodyear, our customers are at the center of everything we do, and in Ryan Waldron, we have a customer-centric, execution-focused business leader with a deep understanding of both the marketplace and all aspects of our business, as well as a proven track record of delivering results," Stewart said. "I am thrilled to announce him as president of Goodyear's Americas business and have enormous confidence that under his leadership, both the company and our customers will reach even greater levels of success."