According to a company executive, the untimely death of its owner caused the sudden closure of 13 Bruce Scher’s Goodyear stores in Las Vegas earlier this week.
A Southern California native, Scher died in his sleep on Dec. 4 at age 56.
The operation’s 100 employees were let go on Dec. 17, with some service technicians staying on to complete any open customer work orders. "It’s our interest to take care of all our customers and employees," vice president Richard Warburton told Las Vegas media.
Scher also owned 17 tire stores in Southern California, the Riverside-based Scher Tire Inc., under a separate company. The Las Vegas closing did not immediately impact those stores.
Bill Walls, an area manager for Bruce Scher’s Goodyear, said he was notified of the closing on the evening of Dec. 16.
Scher opened his first shop – a four-bay facility in Artesia, Calif. – in 1981.
Reports said he also operated a vineyard in Murrieta, Calif., bottling Cabernet Sauvignon wines under the Villa La Cresta label, and a 40-acre orchard of avocado trees.
