Belle Tire Distributors Inc. is spinning off its commercial tire division into a new company that will be jointly owned with Tredroc Tire Services Inc.
The combined stores will operate under the Tredroc Tire Services name.
In 2009 Belle Tire and Tredroc entered into a joint venture in Michigan, and used the name Belleroc Tire Services. Seven years later, the companies say this move is “guided by their success with Belleroc.” All commercial locations using the Belle Tire, Belleroc, and Tredroc names will rebrand under the Tredroc name by the end of 2016.
Don Barnes Jr., owner of Belle Tire, will serve as chairman of the new Tredroc. John Lavelle Sr., founder of Tredroc, will serve as vice chairman. They expect to announce the full executive team, which will include Tom Bowman, vice president of Belle Tire’s commercial division, Tony Lavelle, director of operations for Tredroc, and Stevan Weakley, CEO of Tredroc – by the end of August.
In a joint statement, the companies say, “The vision for the new Tredroc Tire Services is to combine the talent, locations, and resources of all three companies while continuing to focus on customer service through a new, larger footprint in six states.
Lavelle Sr. says, “The merger allows us to work jointly to give commercial customers the opportunity to have a single-source tire and service provider for their operations across the region.”
Barnes Jr. says the merger will allow Belle Tire to focus on its retail operations. Belle Tire’s retail operations, headed by Jack Lawless, are not part of the merger.
“It’s also a great way to increase our strength in the marketplace with a larger team, allowing our separate retail operations to focus solely on our in-store experience,” says Barnes. The company says the merger is "all about people and focus.Belle’s management will be able to focus their attention and resources on the retail business. Tredroc’s management will be able to do the same with the commercial business."
The three companies' store count breaks out as follows:
* Tredroc - 12 commercial stores/3 retread shops;
* Belle - 3 commercial stores/2 combination commercial-retail stores/3 retread shops; and
* Belleroc - 3 commercial stores/1 retread shop.
The new Tredroc Tire Services will have 25 store locations and 6 retread shops in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The locations will have a diverse offering of commercial and off-road tires and tire-related products and services, the companies say.
The merger will position Tredroc Tire Services among the top independent commercial tire dealers in the U.S. In addition, Tredroc will continue as an ISO-certified Bandag retreader in the U.S. with plants in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio.
The primary advantage to customers is being able to single-source their commercial tire vendors over a much larger footprint, according to Belle Tire. Customers will also have access to more manufacturers which may lead to a better fit for their particular application. Also, both sides bring complementary strengths to the partnership that will be shared with customers.
