Killer Instinct: Lessons Dealers Must Learn From an 800-Pound Gorilla
Bill Ihnken thinks the TBC Retail Group can be a “category killer” in the tire and service trade. The 800-pound gorilla that no one can ignore in every town it has a store. To reach that lofty goal, that pinnacle of retailing, the head of TBC Retail Group’s company-owned stores – Tire Kingdom, NTB and
Daydream Believer: Bruised Brain? Burn Out? What Did I Really Miss?
When the spot came up I really wasn’t paying much attention. I usually tune out when commercials come on, preferring to save my gray matter for more important pursuits. But then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a tire roll up. It wasn’t a commercial for any of the tire companies ‘cause
Walk the Talk: It’s a Golden Opportunity, If We Could Only Get Together
The 2007 Energy Bill is coming home to roost soon. Well, at least the part that has to do with testing and grading tires for rolling resistance, and then teaching consumers about the new UTQG-like scheme and helping them better care for their tires. NHTSA says it intends to meet its year-end deadline and deliver
Our Better Angels: In These Tough Days, Dealer Greatness Needed More Than Ever
It’s not hard, as one watches the warm ocean wash over a white beach (in the middle of February), to come to the conclusion that one has a pretty good job. A great one, I guess. And I do have the opportunity, now and again, to enjoy a few days of fresh, warm beach air
What is ‘Green’?: We May Be Seeing Red Without a Clear Enviro-Definition
For the tire industry, its products and services, and its face to the eco-consuming public, exactly what is “green”? This is a very valid question for the enviro-age. Is it oil-free tires or those substituting citrus oil? Tires made from recycled crumb rubber? Dandelions or cornstarch? What about retreading or making better use of existing
(Between the Lines): Intercepted Holiday Letter From a Tire Dealer’s Wife
We all get them. The Holiday Update Letter from friends or relatives. They are usually over-the-top cheery, even for the holiday season, and provide interesting tidbits about how life is treating those closest to you, especially helpful if they live far away. Sometimes, though, a more honest assessment comes from reading between the lines, such
Smelling the Roses: Top Shop Marks the Best, But There Are Plenty of Great Dealers Out There
I guess the most annoying thing about being sick is that it is just so damn annoying. Especially when you don’t feel all that sick. A recent 12-rounder with pneumonia – won on the judge’s card, by the way – had me sequestered in the local hospital for seven days. Felt more like a lifetime,
Safety Dance: Tiremaker Comes at Tread Depth Debate from Odd Angle
Michelin broke the tiremaker cone-of-silence in the debate over changing – or not changing, in this case – our scatter-shot tread depth limit regs. At a media briefing earlier this year, Michelin said change is not necessary, there’s no need for a national mandate, and, even then, lack of enforcement would render such regs moot.
Show Me ‘Value’: Affinia Shift on Trade Shows May Herald Broader Search for Real Returns
Curious if the economy, ever-rising fuel costs and tough business conditions will impact the upcoming Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week – the combined SEMA and AAPEX shows in Las Vegas? The answer is ‘Yes.’ Sort of. While ‘official’ figures are hard to come by, there was plenty of physical evidence that attendance at last year’s AAIW
Last Wake-Up Call: Blistered by Another ‘Problem,’ It’s Time the Industry Takes Action
Anger. Disappointment. Frustration. Resignation. I hurtled through a range of negative emotions after watching ABC’s “20/20” assault on the tire industry. After turning the whole thing over in my mind countless times, I finally came to the conclusion that it didn’t really matter. They were right. 100% right. ABC’s 10-minute primetime pasting of tire retailers
Misc. Folder: NTSW, Checkoffs, Greening, Spending, Shops & a Really Odd EU Scheme
You don’t necessarily see all of this, but I find it quite interesting to watch so many tiremakers, car dealers and non-tire dealer retailers jump aboard the National Tire Safety Week boat. Come April, we get flooded with news about free inflation pressure checks, tire gauges, educational events, press conferences, spokespeople…the list goes on and
Reality Check: Truthiness, Pizza, Ambition and the American Way
As this marks my 100th column as editor of Tire Review – and it is April! – I thought I’d offer this little but pertinent business parable. There once was a man with ambition and a plan. Slaving away as the assistant manager of a local pizza joint, he felt there had to be a