Armando Valenzuela Jr., director of sales for AV Tire Service Inc. in Oxnard, Calif., may soon be opening up his own car dealership.
For the second year in a row, Valenzuela was the grand prize winner in the Tire One Dealer Event, sponsored by Tire's Warehouse Inc. (TWI). Playing in the company's blackjack-style tournament, Valenzuala won a customized Jeep Wrangler Sport, worth more than $40,000, courtesy of Falken Tire Corp. Last year, he won a Mazda MX-5.
“I laughed so hard when I saw the keys,” said Valenzuela. “I thought, there’s no way I just won twice in a row! I love Tire’s Warehouse!”
The second place prize of $3,000 was awarded to Cong Ton, owner of Teo Tire Club in Westminster, Calif. Shortly upon receiving his prize, Cong announced that he would be donating it to the One America Appeal for Hurricane Relief organization (www.oneamericaappeal.org).
The third place prize of $1,000 was taken home by Luis Frutos, owner of Pro Wheel Sales Inc. in Corona, Calif.
“When the power went out at last year’s venue and we had to move the entire event in a matter of hours, we thought we’d never be able to top that story,” said Ken Hsu, vice president of marketing for TWI. “Well, we came close. No one could have expected that the same TWI Tire One dealer would have won yet another grand prize vehicle. We also commend Mr. Cong with regards to his generous donation.
"All in all, it was an absolutely memorable evening and we thank everyone for their support and participation.”
The third annual event, held at the The Mirage Resort in Las Vegas Nov. 1-2, hosted more than 200 Tire One program dealers. The event kicked off on Wednesday with a private reception and impromptu viewing venue for Game 7 of the World Series, an evening sponsored by Hankook Tire America Corp.
On Thursday, guests were provided the opportunity to visit the 2017 SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) Show via passes provided courtesy of TWI. In the evening, the main event -- a banquet, tradeshow and blackjack-style tournament -- included 22 displays from TWI’s major tire suppliers as well as its Tire One program vendors, each of which contributed raffle prizes won by attendees throughout the night.
TWI's Tire One program is a comprehensive marketing program for independent tire dealers. The wholesale distributor provides twice daily service to dealers in California, Nevada and Arizona.
To learn more about Tire’s Warehouse and the Tire One program, visit www.tireswarehouse.net.
