Two years ago Jason Greer, owner of Buckner, Ky.-based K&G Tire Pros, took money from his advertising budget that would normally go toward TV and radio advertising and instead put that money toward helping the community that’s helped him thrive.
“Myself and a lot of my key employees are from the area,” Greer says. “We all grew up in the county that we do business in and we are kind of embedded in the community. We feel like we’ve done well and now we can try to repay the favor as much as we can. I try to get involved with fundraisers as much as possible and I try to do anything I can in the community to help.”
Working with everyone from school sports teams to police officers, the ability to help the community he’s grown up in is the reason Greer is proud to be an independent tire dealer.
K&G Tire Pros, located 15 minutes from downtown Louisville, was originally founded by Greer’s mother and father in 1989 as the two-bay quick lube Kwick and Gweazy. Greer spent many of his teenage years checking tire pressure, vacuuming out vehicles and cleaning shop – all while learning the ins and outs of running a business.
In 1996, right after high school, Greer’s father approached him with the opportunity to buy the business. Greer became a second-generation owner after purchasing the business, but in 1998 he officially became an independent tire dealer when he added tires to the mix. The addition of service came in 2002.
“Initially, probably the biggest challenge for me was being so young,” Greer recalls. “I was learning as I
went how to interview people, how to discipline people. And then you get guys who are coming in way older than you, and some people just didn’t accept that I’m younger than them, that I’m the one in control, and I’m the one making the decisions. So that was probably one of the hardest things, not only on the employee side of it, but the customer side of it as well.”
Greer continued to grow the business as the years went on, making mistakes and learning every day.
The tire dealership has significantly expanded since its Kwick and Gweazy days with the addition of three tire bays, six service bays and a showroom. In 2011, K&G became a Tire Pros dealer and has been a recipient of The Tire Pros Five Diamond Award every year the dealership has been with the Tire Pros organization.
Still, its not the success the keeps Greer going – it’s the community.
“I feel like we can offer something the big box stores can’t. We can help within our community,” he says.
“If there’s a time and need in the community or some kind of a tragedy or someone who is having a health issue or a baseball team traveling, I feel like with us being in a community and knowing everyone, we are able to help as much as possible.”
“Being independent is our advantage,” he adds. “We can sincerely help people and not consider each person a transaction, to go above and beyond and give them undivided attention.”
