S&S celebrates 30 years in style

May 8, 2004

S&S Tire, one of the largest independent tire dealers in the country, recently celebrated its 30th anniversary. The open house was held in Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky.

The company's suppliers also were on hand, displaying their products to more than 2,000 attendees, many of them S&S employees.

Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire LLC played host to race car legend Mario Andretti; Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. brought in NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield, a "local boy who made good"; Yokohama Tire Corp.'s booth featured Kentucky Wildcat men's basketball coach Tubby Smith.

"This is the first open house we've done to this magnitude," said President Paul Swentzel.

Swentzel and Don Schneider opened their first S&S Tire and Auto Service Center in Lexington in 1974. Today, the chain has more than 20 retail and commercial outlets and seven distribution centers servicing Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, Ohio, South Carolina, Virginia and Alabama. It ranks 35th on Modern Tire Dealer's "Top 100 independent tire store chains" list.

S&S also is part of the Best One Tire and Service group, which offers Bridgestone, Firestone, Mastercraft, Goodyear, Continental, General, Yokohama and Michelin brand tires, among others. It also offers Bandag retreads.