Plans For Washington Tire Plant Resurface, Expand

More than two years after the project was first announced, it appears now that plans are pressing forward for Washington Tire Corp. (nee American Tire Corp.) to build an OTR tire plant in Washington.

The plans have apparently changed dramatically, with passenger and medium truck tire production added to the mix.

At a public hearing on Jan. 13, Washington Tire “representative” Abraham Hengyucius and Port of Ephrata (Washington) manager Mike Wren announced that construction would begin in April on the facility.

Washington Tire, according to reports, is paying the port $979,000 for about 97 acres of land near the Ephrata airport, with plans for 18 buildings. The plant, according to reports, will produce OTR tires (as originally announced), as well as passenger and medium truck tires.

At the meeting, Hengyucius said the company is moving more tire production to Ephrata than originally planned. When all three phases are complete, the plant will employ more than 2,000 people, he claimed, and plant management will come from China. No particular Chinese manufacturer was named.

The then-American Tire Corp. first announced plans for a U.S. plant back in October 2007. Originally, the 1.1-million-square-foot OTR-only plant on 1,000 acres was to cost $200 million, but ATC later upped the figure to $500 million. The plant was slated to produce 51- through 63-inch earthmover tires.

Nearly a year passed before any tangible reports about the plant surfaced. In October 2008, it was learned that ATC put a non-refundable $40,000 deposit for a 96-acre parcel in Ephrata.

Ephrata is located in the eastern third of the state, just north of I-90. The area is landlocked and is not located near a major water port. The Port of Ephrata, an airport/industrial complex with a rail spur, just outside of the city is where the parcel is located. Abraham Hengyucius at the recent public hearing on Washington Tire Corp. plant plans.

Prior to that news, ATC had claimed “that its Washington operations will start in August 2008,” and that “a 500,000 square feet (sic) facility for the first phase is almost done.” In fact, no work had progressed on the plant.

In March 2009, the Port of Ephrata received a $1 million loan from the Washington state Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) to fund roadwork connected to the plant.

As it stands right now, the Port of Ephrata is waiting for approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to transfer the land. The current agreement allows Washington Tire to reject the deal if it doesn’t agree to any FAA restrictions. The FAA, according to reports, has already approved the construction plans.

Last March, the then-American Tire Corp. lost a lawsuit filed by American Tire Distributors, and was forced to change its name and logo. The name was changed to Colorado Tire Corp., but CTC still displays the old ATC logo on its Web site.

The plant project has been forwarded by Washington Tire Corp., part of CTC.

Ascot Supply Corporation, based in Newnan, Georgia, has selected Mark Paquette for the newly created position of vice president. In this position, Ascot Supply said Paquette will oversee the growth of the company's products, corporate profitability, manage marketing and advertising and assume many other responsibilities.

He will work under the direction of current President David Kessler and officially begin his new role on June 3. Paquette joined the tire and automotive industry in the early 1980s at his father's tire shop, and his contributions to Mohawk Rubber Sales were instrumental in the company's growth and eventual sale to Myers Tire Supply in 2021, according to Ascot Supply. Paquette eventually was given a promotion to the role of director of operations at Myers Tire Supply.