Tire Pros opens second Tread Town playground

Sept. 15, 2011

Tire Pros Francorp and Boundless Playgrounds, a nationally recognized nonprofit organization, have opened an inclusive playground at City Center Park in Pearl, Miss. The first of its kind in the state of Mississippi, the "Tread Town" playground was supported by a $50,000 contribution from Tire Pros and was built to allow children with and without disabilities to play together.

There are 13 Tire Pros auto service and tire dealerships in Mississippi, including four Upton Tire Pros locations near Pearl in the Jackson area. Tire Pros is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Tire Distributors Inc. (ATD).

“ATD and Tire Pros are honored to be partners with Boundless Playgrounds, which provides safe, positive places for all children to play, learn and thrive,” says Bill Berry, CEO and president of ATD. “These playgrounds are a great example of the local market impact of our national Tire Pros program.

"Opening a Tread Town delivered by Tire Pros showcases these dealers as civic-minded citizens who give back to their communities. These Tire Pros branded playgrounds will be in their communities for years to come.”

The playground promotes inclusive, unstructured play with ramped wheelchair access to the highest platforms, and features an exclusive Tread Town tire swing, state-of-the art solid harness swings for children who need additional back support, and a multitude of other cutting-edge fitness and educational-based activities. According to Fred Leone, CEO of Boundless Playgrounds, nearly seven million children nationwide have a disability that prohibits them from enjoying the full experience of a traditional community playground.

Tread Town’s foundation was constructed from recycled rubber, which includes approximately 400 recycled tires.

ATD has been aggressively expanding its network of Tire Pros dealers since acquiring the franchise program as part of its late 2008 purchase of Am-Pac Tire Dist. Inc. ATD added 138 new Tire Pros locations in 2010, and is on track to add a similar number this year.

The first Tread Town playground opened in June 2010 near ATD’s field support center in Huntersville, N.C.