In less than a decade, Tire Discounters Inc. has more than doubled the number of stores it operates. In the last year it has upgraded its digital platforms from the warehouse to the sales counter. And the company has recently reorganized its leadership team with an eye on even more growth.
“We’ve completed the first phase of our technology upgrades," says Crissy Niese, senior vice president and chief customer officer. "We’re now realigning our leadership team to streamline responsibilities and maximize the efficiencies we’ve gained with over the past year.”
Chip Wood opened the first Tire Discounters store in 1976. In Modern Tire Dealer's 2010 edition of the list of largest independent tire dealers in the country, the Cincinnati-based dealer was in a three-way tie for the No. 15 spot with 58 stores.
Over the past year, Tire Discounters has been upgrading its digital tools with a new warehouse management system, new learning management system, new phone system, and new point-of-sale software.
“As we grow in stores, our leadership team is also adapting to meet the needs of our employees and business strategies," says Jamie Ward, company president. "We can’t achieve future years’ objectives with previous years’ efforts. We are evolving, adapting and getting in front of what is coming. It’s such an exciting time to be at Tire Discounters."
Here's a look at the the highlighted changes to the Tire Discounters management team:
David Cahill has assumed the newly established role of director of training, research and development. Cahill, who joined Tire Discounters at the end of 2018, is an experienced market leader, ASE Master Technician, and automotive training professional with more than 25 years of automotive experience. His responsibilities will include expanding the company's training program and leading future innovation.
Chris Albertz is a 17-year veteran of Tire Discounters. Albertz was promoted in March to purchasing manager to help identify and incorporate new systems for improving merchandising and other store-focused solutions.
Dave Chirello has been promoted to division director of sales. Chirello is a 25-year veteran of the retail automotive repair industry with experience leading markets across the south. He will oversee sales and operations in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky.
Eldon Riggs is the director of retail operations and is leading Tire Discounters' expansion in the Indianapolis market. The company has seven stores under construction and plans to open them over the next two months. Riggs joined the company in 2018 after spending more than 25 years building and growing the Tire Barn brand in Indianapolis.
Brandon Grubbs is another Tire Discounters veteran. After nine years with the company Grubbs has taken on the new position of director of commercial sales and service. He will lead business development for the Northern and Southern divisions.
The company has hired four field leaders to help it quicken the Tire Discounters expansion process. Aaron Eck, Jim Phillips, George Reynolds, and John Ross will help the company open 19 stores over the next 12 months. These new field leaders bring with them more than 90 years of collective multi-unit automotive experience. They'll be supporting and leading new and existing markets, including Dayton, Ohio; Huntsville, Ala., and Knoxville, Tenn.
“I’m excited about the changes to our Sales and Operations teams," says Charles Curlee, vice president of retail sales. "The folks we’ve assembled are more experienced than any I’ve ever seen. We’re scaling up the team to provide best-in-class support as we continue to grow our footprint across the Midwest and Southern United States.”
For more information on Tire Discounters, visit www.tirediscounters.com.
