MTD Dealer Profile: Paul Zurcher

Sept. 1, 2005

Full Name: Paul W. Zurcher

Age: 81

Family: Betty L. Zurcher (wife); Larry D. Zurcher and Mark A. Zurcher (sons); Colleen L. Zurcher-McGauran (daughter); Susan Zurcher and Vickie Zurcher (daughters-in-law); Brendan McGauran (son-in-law); and grandchildren Kristina Zurcher, Jonathan Zurcher, Jaclyn Zurcher, Brittney Zurcher, Maureen McGauran, Lindsey Zurcher-Beer, Keith Beer (Lindsay's Husband), and Mike Podszywalow (Kristina's husband).

I am most proud of: my wife of 56 years, Betty; our family; our Zurcher Tire team; and the Best-One partners.

My hobbies and interests include: reading and sports.

My favorite childhood memory: at Christmas time my parents only had enough money to give each of us a quarter. Each year, right after our Thanksgiving meal, myself and my six siblings would draw names to see who would be buying our Christmas gift taht year with the quarter our parents had given us. One year, with tears in her eyes, my mother told us there would be no extra money this year for Christmas. that fall, my brother and I gleaned corn fields for the neighbors and sold corn for $1.20. We ordered 'The Christmas Special' from the Sears catalog, which was 33 toys for 99 cents, plus postage, with the money we had earned. We divided up the toys between us. It was a Christmas I will never forget.

My biggest regret: is that I have not been more of a discplined person. I say that because I believe that only the displined every really get good at anything.

My favorite books: the Bible; "The Purpose Driven Life;" "Good to Great;" and "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People."

My favorite sports: baseball and basketball.

My favorite athletes: Tom Seaver, Johnny Bench and Steve Garvey.

My favorite movie: "The Passion of the Christ"

My favorite food: Snickers cheesecake.

My favorite politicians: Ronald Reagan, Dwight Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy.

If I could change one thing about myself: I'd be a better listener, do a better job managing my time, and become a more positive influence in the lives of those with whom I come in contact daily.

My goal in life is: first, to try to be all that I can be. To try to serve my highest instincts and reach my full potential by leading through example and pursuing the things in life that I believe are the most important. In doing all this, I hope to be of service to others.

A perfect evening for me is: having dinner with my wife, family and friends.

The smartest things I've ever done: Let me answer this question by first making a short statement. The two most important decisions one makes in life are who are you going to live your life with and who are you going to live your life for? The two smartest things I have ever done were to marry my lovely wife, Betty, and to live my life for God, my family and others.

Best advice my parents ever gave me: When you take the time to give, often you will receive more than you gave; be caring and compassionate; and treat people with honesty, respect and fairness.

My advice to my children: I don't think anything is as important as having a clear sense of value and purpose. For me, those values come down to six things: passion (believing in something very deeply and loving what you do); authenticity (being yourself as well as a human being can be); truth (pursuing at all costs, no matter where it leads); enthusiasm (realizing that nothing great happens without it); respect and caring for others. If you can answer "yes" to the following three questions, you are on the right road to a successful and meaningful life: Can I be trusted to do my best? Do I care about other people and show it? Am I committed to the task at hand?

My advice to a tire dealer who is just starting out: Be focused, dedicated and disciplined; get the right people on your team; follow your game plan; build trust in all your relationships; have a strong financial plan; be enthusiastic, eager, excited and energized.

The greatest things about the tire industry today: Demand for our products and services will continue to increase; the opportunities for success are endless; there are many wonderful people who are people of integrity, character, compassion and see their purpose as being beyond themselves. These are the kind of people who make this industry such a great one to be a part of each day.