Little did G.F. "Sam" Bauer know when he founded Bauer Oil Co. in April 1944 that the company would eventually grow into one of the Midwest's largest and most profitable tire dealerships and retread producers.
Today Bauer Built's empire includes 27 tire centers, seven Michelin Retread Technologies Inc. plants, plus a quick lube location, a bulk oil distribution facility and a number of other operations.
The Durand, Wis.-based dealership is the 40th largest independent tire store chain in North America, according to Modern Tire Dealer statistics.
It's number six on MTD's Top 25 U.S. Independent Commercial Tire Dealers list.
And the company is the 13th largest retreader in the country, also according to MTD research.
Sam Bauer began marketing retreads under the "Bauer Built" name in the late 1950s. At the time, the company only produced six retreads a day vs. its current output of nearly 1,000 units.
Bauer Oil officially became Bauer Built in 1959.
"Many changes have occurred in the retreading process over the years, and Bauer Built has seen them all!" says Bauer Built President Jerry Bauer.
Plans for celebrating the dealership's 60th anniversary are under development, according to Bauer Built officials.
