Mike Manges

Senior Editor

Mike Manges is Modern Tire Dealer's senior editor. He is a three-time International Automotive Media Association award winner and holds a Gold Award from the Association of Automotive Publication Editors. He also edits MTD's acclaimed Commercial Tire Dealer section, as well as The Kovach Tire Report, MTD's sister publication. Mike has traveled the world -- including Asia, Europe and North America -- in pursuit of stories.

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Benton's positive thinking benefits business, community

By: Mike Manges

You would be hard-pressed to find a more positive person than Ricky Benton, owner of Black's Tire Service in Whiteville, N.C. Sure, he knows the economy is bad, but that isn't stopping him from pushing forward.

"We're probably doing more this year than we've ever done before," he recently told me.

The 29-outlet dealership has hired 25 employees within the last six months when other dealerships have been downsizing. It's in the process of modernizing its main wholesale distribution center. And it plans to open a new retread plant by the end of the year. (The company's existing plant, which it acquired three years ago, is running at full throttle.)

Most of Black's Tire's locations are located near the North and South Carolina coasts. "Our region is probably as depressed as any in the Carolinas," says Benton. "The coastal areas have been hit worse than just about any other place."

In a down economy, one of the first things many companies do is reduce advertising. Benton, who has been at Black's Tire since the mid-1970s, believes that's the wrong approach.

"We're doing more. If you don't advertise and market, people forget about you."

Some fly-by-night customers, maybe. But it's doubtful residents of the Boys and Girls' Homes of North Carolina will forget Benton and Black's Tire. Last week, the dealership -- under Benton's direction -- raised $50,000 for the group at its annual golf tournament.

The Boys and Girls' Homes of North Carolina is a non-profit that provides residential care for abused and unwanted kids. Proceeds are used to pay for food, personnel, utilities and other necessities. Black's Tire raised a record amount for the charity this year, nearly $10,000 more than it raised in 2008.

A soft-spoken man, Benton is very reticent to discuss his philanthropic activities. People shouldn't brag about doing good things, he contends. But our industry needs to hear about good things, especially now. And it needs more good people like Ricky Benton.

Related Topics: Black's Tire Service, Charity, Distribution, Retail