Tulare Firestone Inc., based in Tulare, Calif., has integrated a Mighty Auto Parts franchise.
Founded in 1952 and currently owned by Lionel Pires, Tulare Firestone operates 10 retail tire locations and wholesale and commercial dealerships. They supply passenger and commercial tires to their stores and dozens of other tire dealers, and are one of the largest distributors of agricultural tires in the Western U.S.
Lionel’s son, Kevin, was introduced to Mighty during a tire industry 20 Group meeting. The meeting was hosted by Jeff Pohlman, owner of four tire stores and a Mighty Auto Parts franchise in Hamilton, Ohio.
“Seeing their Mighty operation, as well as talking to Jeff about the return on investment and profit potential, really opened my eyes to the parts side of the business,” said Kevin. “The idea of capturing the margins we were paying to outside parts suppliers while gaining control over our own supply chain was something we were very interested in for our retail stores.”
Tulare Firestone is the 26th multi-location tire dealer to integrate a Mighty “division” alongside its core business.
