Virginia Tire & Auto, a family-owned and operated independent tire dealer with 11 retail locations around Washington, D.C., has been named winner of the 2011 Tire Review Top Shop Award.

Now in its fifth year, the Tire Review Top Shop Award, presented by Ammco/- Coats, seeks to honor the “best of the best” independent tire dealers in the U.S. and Canada.

Headquartered in Fairfax, Va., Virginia Tire & Auto is wholly owned by Myron Boncarosky, his wife Carole, daughter Julie Holmes, and her husband, Mike Holmes. Perfectly situated among the fast-growing D.C. suburbs – Ashburn, Sterling, Centreville, Chantilly, Falls Church, Gainesville, South Riding, Springfield, Vienna and Fairfax – Virginia Tire & Auto draws from an extremely large base of customers. In fact, Loudon County, Va., where a handful of its stores are located, was the fastest-growing county in the U.S. in 2010.

The company’s 2010 gross sales totaled $37.3 million, with an additional $24 million in gasoline sales. Virginia Tire & Auto’s sales are solely from retail, of which 23% was from tires last year, while 77% was from vehicle service.

The owners place a premium on maintaining a tradition of world-class customer service, and creating a family atmosphere among its nearly 400 full- and part-time employees.

Virginia Tire is part of the Goodyear Tire & Service Network and Bridgestone Americas’ Affiliated Dealer Program, and carries a variety of tire brands, including Bridgestone, Firestone, Goodyear, Kelly, Dunlop and Toyo products.

“Our commitment is to the customer,” says Julie, “and, in our eyes, the customer always comes first. We believe that if we exceed our customers’ expectations of honest, courteous and quality service that they will not only return, but they will be willing to share their experiences with others.”

“Winning the Tire Review Top Shop Award really is the best,” says Myron. “That award means so much, and has been won by some really upstanding tire dealers. We are excited to now be counted among that group of elite tire dealers. For us, this is the most prestigious honor in our industry, and to win this award is a reflection of all of the things our employees do each and every day. This is all about them and their efforts.”

Click here for a closer look at Virginia Tire’s operations.

In addition to the Top Shop winner, three Finalists were also honored this year. This year’s finalists include:
 
• Hay Tire Co., with two locations in Charleston, S.C. Founded in 1981, the dealership is owned by father and son, Henry and David Hay.

• Family Tire & Auto Service, headquartered in New Bern, N.C., with another location in Morehead City, N.C. Founded in October 2005, Family Tire is owned by another father-son team – David and Dennis Bucher.

• Tate Boys Tire & Service, based in Bartlesville, Okla. Founded in 1988 by brothers Craig and Chuck Tate, Tate Boys has four retail locations.

As the Top Shop winner, Virginia Tire receives a Coats APX90 tire changer, a $1,500 cash prize, airfare and hotel for two (2 nights/3 days) to the 2011 Global Tire Expo/SEMA Show in Las Vegas, a feature story on their business in the October issue of Tire Review, and a specially designed trophy to display in their stores.

Three Finalists will each receive a Coats 1250-3DV tire/wheel balancer, a $500 cash prize, a feature story on the dealership in the October issue, and a specially designed finalist trophy.

For the 2011 Top Shop Award, Tire Review accepted entries from Jan. 1 through July 8. From the full group of nearly 100 entrants, judges selected 20 semi-finalists, which were then required to complete an extensive entry form and provide details about their business, including their size, sales mix, merchandising techniques, customer service, training, achievement, and their role in their community. From there, eight semi-finalists were chosen for final judging by an independent panel of judges.

“The Top Shop Awards were established to spotlight and recognize the independent tire dealers that best exemplify the attributes and values we stress with every issue of Tire Review,” said Jim Smith, editor of Tire Review. “We want these winners and finalists to be an inspiration for others in our industry, and I think our judges did a great job in selecting Virginia Tire as our fifth Top Shop Winner.”