Behind the 17 locations of St. Lucie Battery & Tire is a family of immigrants who moved to southeast Florida in the 1940s. Initially, the Miller family started a poultry and egg business in Fort Pierce, yet one of the oldest boys, Joey, saw a need for batteries in the area. So, after he delivered eggs and poultry to the locals, he’d pick up old batteries from service stations, clean them up and re-sell them as reconditioned batteries. Later on, he’d sell new batteries and then add Farm Bureau tires. And before he knew it, he had created St. Lucie Battery & Tire.
Now a sprawling urban area, Florida’s Treasure Coast is dotted with multiple locations of St. Lucie Battery & Tire, which boasts more than 240 employees in five counties today. With Joey’s son, Doug Miller, serving as president of the business, Doug has maintained his father’s credo of “Home of Honest, Reliable Service,” yet has adapted the business to change with the times and its customers. Doug was fitted for a broom at a young age, and as an ambitious 20-year-old, he rose into management opening three stores on his own under his father’s guidance before entering his 30s. Over the years, he has taken on more responsibility and his passion for the business has propelled him to the helm.
In this episode of Johnny g & Friends, presented by Firestone, Doug shares his journey in the tire industry and how he has been able to grow the dealership with his business savvy and forward-thinking mindset to keep employees engaged while providing world-class customer service.
EPISODE OVERVIEW:
- How Doug’s family settled in Fort Pierce in the early 1940s and why Doug’s father, Joey, created a side hustle in the battery business (1:14)
- How the business’s culture has been shaped around its slogan, “Home of Honest, Reliable Service” (7:07)
- How Doug became involved in management at a young age (12:01)
- The ways St. Lucie Battery & Tire has been able to grow and add locations amid the pandemic (14:26)
- Why Doug rewards his team with performance-based bonuses (19:03)
- Doug’s mentors in the tire business (20:33)
- What’s in store in the five-year plan for St. Lucie Battery & Tire and how Doug is looking at new technologies, like EVs, that are coming down the line (21:45)
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