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In Paul Levengood Jr.'s world, business is more than a way to make money. It’s a way to improve people’s lives. Whether they’re customers or employees, “people matter most,” says Levengood, president of Birdsboro, Pa.-based CJ’s Tire & Auto. 

This philosophy has propelled CJ’s Tire & Auto into the upper echelon of independent tire dealerships and is one of many reasons why Levengood is MTD’s 2026 Tire Dealer of the Year. 

The drive to do better 

Today, CJ’s Tire & Auto employs more than 400 people across 19 retail stores, nine distribution centers and a mixing warehouse — all in southeastern Pennsylvania. When the dealership started, it consisted of two people: Paul’s father, Paul "Skip" Levengood Sr., and a business partner. The company’s beginning was unconventional. 

Skip worked at a tire manufacturing plant in Pottstown, Pa., in the early-1970s. One Saturday, he went to the local store that was owned by the same tire manufacturer that owned the factory to buy a new set of tires.  

“He ended up not liking the experience,” says Paul. “It took too long and the price he thought he was going to pay was not the price. He left there and said, ‘You know what? I can do better.’” 

Skip’s wife, Judy, was also involved in the business, “working the books, pricing, working the counter,” says Paul. “I’m an only child, so I followed them everywhere. I remember playing in dirt piles and finding frogs and things like that behind their shop.” 

When he was old enough, Paul took on odd jobs at the store. 

“My parents worked hard and wanted to teach me how to work hard, so when I could push a broom, I pushed a broom. They didn’t have a lot of money, so instead of buying new wheel weights, they would re-use them. I’d have to organize and separate the wheel weights. I did those things until I could do something more.” 

Skip came from a line of entrepreneurs. His father built and sold wooden boats. His grandfather also had his own business. “But in the end, they didn’t have a lot of money and they struggled,” says Paul. “My dad made the decision that he wasn’t going to do that. He was going to work to be successful for his family and change that narrative.” 

When Paul was young, Skip and Judy often brought work home with them, discussing business at dinner and around the house. 

“The business never left us,” says Paul. “It was morning, noon and night. Sometimes after work, we’d go to a little diner and they’d talk. I remember my mom even having dreams about selling tires.” 

By then, Skip had left his job at the plant and had bought out his partner. Business at his dealership was booming — so much that eventually he decided to open a second store.  

“He felt like we were doing well and we were succeeding. Customers liked what we were doing. He gave them an incredible price. He wanted to be ‘on sale’ all the time and had the desire to make the business bigger, so he pushed to do that.” 

Paul started working at CJ’s Tire & Auto on a more regular basis while in high school. “I started working in the warehouse, changing tires — those types of things. I enjoyed working hard. 

“Most customers will tell you they don’t like to buy tires,” he says. “But we gave them a great experience. We even tried to create a pit crew atmosphere, where we’d all jump on a car, get it in and get it out. It was quick versus making someone hang around for two or three hours.” 

Skip enjoyed being the face of CJ’s Tire & Auto, according to Paul. “He loved to be in front of the customer. He wasn’t heavily involved in the back end.” 

Paul moved away to college, where he earned a degree in business management and marketing. “I knew I could help my mom and dad. One weekend, my dad said, ‘I want to know if you’re interested in running this business.’ I said, ‘Give me a week. Let me think about this.’ The next weekend, I said, ‘I’d like to do this. I think this is a good opportunity.’  

“That was the turning point. It was good for my mom and dad because now they had peace of mind that there was a future. And it helped create direction for what I wanted to do in school.”  

By then, CJ’s Tire & Auto had expanded into other areas, like wholesale distribution. Skip’s cousin, Clarence Kline, helped launch the company’s wholesale branch. 

“He was my dad’s right-hand man. He started going out and visiting customers and slowly but surely built sales routes.” 

Paul continued to gain experience. “My dad pushed me toward the office. He said to me, ‘That’s where the money is made.’ Technology was starting to come into play. We started using computers and tire-specific software.” 

Before that, Judy kept records by hand. “She would take a ledger book and write down all the items and price them out. We automated some of those things.” 

As business increased, Skip and Paul saw the need to hire more people. “At the time, there was a lot of family working here.” 

Some of Skip’s friends and acquaintances even picked up work at the dealership. “Guys would just show up and hang out, hoping they’d get a few hours, and my dad would say, ‘Hey, I need you to do this for me.’” 

CJ’s Tire & Auto continued to add stores. Paul and Skip made sure that growth was carefully controlled. “We started looking for opportunities,” says Paul. “Sometimes opportunities would present themselves.  

“We had a general idea of where we wanted to put locations, but our thing was to find the best possible option at the time. I looked at it like a Monopoly board. ‘Let’s buy properties, let’s put hotels on them and let’s make money.’”

Skip and Paul brought on more tire brands and lines. “When my dad started, he sold primarily Firestone. Back then, it was mostly bias tires. You had five sizes. When the market started going to 15-inch and 16-inch tires, it was like, ‘Whoa, this is crazy!’ 

“Over time, we added the Laramie brand. We built that brand in our market. It was like our own private brand, which I’d probably equate to a tier-three or tier-four tire now. Dad was a salesman. He wanted to sell everything he could.”  

At various times, this included automotive accessories and even boats. However, Paul didn’t want CJ’s Tire & Auto to be “all things to all people. I said to him, ‘We need to focus. We can’t expect our people to have knowledge in all these different areas.’ 

“I was looking at the back end and said, ‘Let’s focus on retail. Let’s focus on auto service. Let’s focus on wholesale. These are things we’re good at.’ Even today, we’re looking at what we’re doing and are asking, ‘How can we narrow and tighten it?’ 

“This made it easier for our people because in this business, there’s a lot to learn,” says Paul. “Technology is constantly changing. Before, this business was pretty simple.” 

How some tire manufacturers interacted with Skip and Paul also changed. “They used to have salespeople who came in and tried to sell you tires. They tried to get an order.  

“That evolved and you started to see them go from being salespeople to being account managers. It seemed like they spent more time reporting information back to their companies than selling.” 

CJ’s Tire & Auto continued to expand and Paul’s responsibilities, both in number and importance, followed suit. He became the dealership's president when Skip retired. The company then entered another phase of growth. Its newest retail store — a location in Harrisburg, Pa. — opened in 2026.

 A developer of people 

Paul is reluctant to accept praise or recognition for the role he’s played in elevating CJ’s Tire & Auto to its current level. He instead credits the dealership’s success to the determination and hard work of its employees. 

“My preference is to develop employees from within, whenever possible,” he says. But he also has had great success hiring and developing employees from outside the tire industry.  

Several members of Paul’s leadership team — including Mike Houck, the dealership’s vice president of finance; Brandon White, director of retail operations; and Leeanne Bolger, senior director of marketing — joined CJ’s Tire & Auto after working in other industries.  

They say that coming to work for Paul was one of the best decisions they ever made — not just in business, but in life. 

Houck is one of CJ’s Tire & Auto’s longest-tenured employees. He was hired by Paul 31 years ago. “I was working for a security company and was looking for something a little closer to home. I saw a job posting at CJ’s and applied.” 

Houck came in for a series of interviews and eventually was interviewed by Paul — at a local Pizza Hut. His first impression of Paul was that “he was a go-getter. We’re four years apart in age and we thought similarly. He was willing to take a chance on me and I was willing to take a chance on him.” 

Houck says he liked Paul’s vision for CJ’s Tire & Auto’s future. 

“I’d been with other companies and they would buy their way through things. Paul wanted to do it with the capital we had and create growth opportunities for our employees. One of the things I’m most proud of is how we’ve been able to provide career opportunities.” 

Over time, Houck and Paul became friends outside of the office. But that doesn’t affect how they work together. Houck says Paul has high professional standards and expects the same of his employees, regardless of their position. 

"One of his big things is that he wants to know he can trust you. He also has a vision. He likes to take risks. He’s very positive. He doesn’t get down. And he’s loyal. He’s loyal to his employees. Paul enjoys seeing the success of others.” 

Houck says Paul is also a forward-thinking leader and helped CJ’s Tire & Auto navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, emerging as a stronger company. “We were able to stay open and he kept our workforce calm. He brought us in together and assured everybody that everything was going to be OK.” 

Paul began looking beyond the pandemic. “One thing he stressed to us is, ‘It’s not how you go into a corner. It’s how you come out of the corner.’ When we were going through the pandemic, we were preparing for growth because Paul believed there would be opportunity on the other side.” 

Houck has worked closely with Paul while CJ’s Tire & Auto grew to its current size. He says Paul takes a measured, systematic approach to expansion. “He wants to make sure stores that are coming online are operationally set up and properly run” before adding more. 

And Paul can drive a hard bargain, which helps when negotiating with tire manufacturers and other suppliers, notes Houck. “That’s the reason I keep him away from the bankers and the lawyers,” he says with a laugh. “It’s a little different than how you deal with vendors.” 

White oversees CJ’s Tire & Auto’s 19 retail stores. He joined the company in 2018 after working for some big box retailers. “I was looking for a change,” he says. “I saw an opening and applied to be a store manager. I interviewed and was brought on.  

“It changed my life. Before, I was just a number. I was kind of used to being treated that way. At CJ’s, you’re an individual. It changes your outlook on work and it changes your outlook as a person.” 

White met Paul on his first day at the dealership. “When you come on board and you talk to the president of the company, you’re always kind of hesitant. ‘OK, he’s the president. I should be very reserved and make sure everything I say is polished.’ But Paul is a regular person. I tell employees, ‘You can talk to him. He’s open to ideas.’” 

White says that at his old job, “everything was black and white. There was no grey. It was rigid. At CJ’s, we can bend a little bit. Paul is clear about what he needs, but he doesn’t say, ‘I want this because I said so.’ He’s open to feedback. 

“One of the things I love about working for Paul is that it’s not about him. It’s about the organization. It’s about you. Paul is Paul. He’s easy to talk to, whether you’re in his office talking about something work-related or when you run into him at Home Depot.” 

Paul also sees the need to continuously invest in the business, says White. “Paul is the person who pushed me to get ADAS equipment, go out for ADAS training and roll ADAS out to our stores. How do we stay informed as to what’s going on in the market? How do we partner with our vendors? Paul wants to make sure we’re in those conversations.” 

Bolger says Paul has been very supportive of the dealership’s marketing evolution, allowing her to experiment with different approaches. “He lets us do what we think is right,” she says. 

Social media has become a major part of the company’s outreach to customers. “We have different strategies for LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. On those platforms, we’re focused on branding and customer engagement.  We also go into high schools ... teaching kids how to change tires and maintain their cars.” 

Bolger joined CJ’s Tire & Auto 16 years ago as Paul’s administrative assistant. “When I got here, we were in the middle of opening a new store, so I got involved right away. We didn’t have a lot of people in corporate. Paul was doing some HR. He was doing sales. He was doing purchasing. He was doing everything.” 

Paul wanted to make sure Bolger understood what happens at all levels of the company, including the work done in service bays. “He said on my first day, ‘I know you’re going to be my administrative assistant, but I want you to know how to change a tire.’” 

She went to a service bay and promptly smashed her hand while changing a tire. “Paul said, ‘Are you going to come back tomorrow?’ I came back the next day with a purple thumb.” 

When Bill Bainbridge, CJ’s Tire & Auto’s longtime vice president of marketing, retired, Bolger assumed responsibility for all of the dealership’s marketing functions. 

“Paul’s a trend-setter when it comes to how he goes about things,” she says, but adds that sometimes he will take a wait-and-see approach. “When we saw that electric vehicle (EV) tires were coming out, he didn’t say, ‘Let’s jump into EV tires.’ He said, ‘I think the market is going to be hybrid first.’ So we didn’t jump on the EV tire bandwagon and it ended up working out. 

“Paul is always trying to make short-term decisions that will affect the long term. If we have one bad quarter, he isn’t going to abandon his vision or plan. We’ll regroup.” 

“Employees know Paul as the owner and president of the company, but titles don’t mean anything to him,” says Dennis Glowacki, vice president of operations at CJ’s Tire & Auto. “It’s not about him. The best ideas — whatever it is we implement ... it’s about them. He wants success, but he wants team success.” 

Glowacki started at CJ’s Tire & Auto in 2004 after working other jobs in the tire and auto repair business. “I didn’t know Paul previously, but I knew someone at CJ’s and he was trying to pull me over. Eventually, Paul was going to a (New York) Knicks game and was taking the train up from Philadelphia and invited me to go.  

“He was trying to recruit me. So we hopped on a train and went to Madison Square Garden and watched a game. That was the interview. 

“My first impression of Paul is that he was very direct,” a trait he has retained, says Glowacki. “He’s very driven. He wants to win. But he can couple that with whatever the constraints are and whatever issues we have to overcome. 

“He wants to succeed. He gives you a lot of space to do your work, but he likes regular feedback. He likes to be in the know. And he accepts pushback. He doesn’t want a bunch of yes-men. 

“In operations, we don’t say no. We have to make sure we say yes all the time. Whatever it is, we have to make sure it happens and Paul is there to give us the tools to make that happen.” 

Glowacki says Paul is not an inflexible, black-and-white thinker. He sees nuances and will come up with creative solutions. 

“He loves to think about how we can do things differently. He likes to think five and 10 years out. He’s bringing ideas to us today, saying, ‘How can we start on this?’ He runs it through his mind and says, ‘How can this help us?’” 

Paul’s willingness to explore alternate options is contagious, says Glowacki. “We’ve overcome a lot of challenges and hurdles just by changing our perspective. Not long ago, we were trying to fix the way we were processing inventory” at the dealership’s mixing warehouse in Birdsboro, in addition to “the way that building was being used. 

“He said, ‘Maybe if we flip shift operations, we’ll get more productivity.” The idea was successful. Productivity at the warehouse improved. 

Perhaps Paul’s greatest quality is “his big heart,” says Glowacki. “Paul doesn’t give up on people easily.” 

Glowacki says CJ’s Tire & Auto’s leadership team often talks about “seats on the bus — whether someone is in the right role or not. In other organizations, I’ve seen managers or owners say to individuals, ‘Hey, you’re not performing well in this role,’ and then they terminate the employee. Paul looks at it and says, ‘Well, maybe that person is just in the wrong seat? Maybe this person who’s a retail sales associate would be better in business development?’ 

“People have value to Paul. He’s really invested in his employees and their development and making sure they’re happy in what they do here.” 

Among members of CJ’s Tire & Auto’s leadership team, Haley Levengood, the dealership’s product and pricing administrator, has the most unique perspective on Paul. He’s Paul’s eldest son. 

Haley started working at CJ’s Tire & Auto when he was 16. “I was in high school and dad said something along the lines of, ‘You know, it’s time for you to start working.’ This would have been my first job. I said, ‘OK, let’s see what this looks like.’ I started part-time as a tire technician. I was onboarded just like everybody else. I was treated just like everybody else.” 

For most of his career, Haley, now 30, didn’t report directly to his father, “until I got into a higher role. I had normal managers — normal bosses. After I was a tire technician, I moved into retail. I did that for a while. And then I was talking with my dad and he said one of the things he wanted me to do was see all the avenues (of running a tire dealership) and that next avenue was purchasing.” 

After working in purchasing, Haley moved into a marketing role before being promoted to his current position.   

“My dad treats me the same as he treats other employees. If I do bad things, I could get fired, so I hold myself to a high standard, just like our other employees hold themselves to high standards. We want to be the best at what we do. 

“My dad is all business when he’s here. That’s a good thing. We want to stay on track. But he makes it fun, as well. That’s a side of him that comes out.  

“Outside of work, the business doesn’t split from him when he goes home,” says Haley. “It’s still there. When I was growing up, he would talk about it. We’d have conversations all the time about stuff that was going on in the business and information he thought I should know. 

“I think he tries to create the best workplace environment he can. We want everything to be as seamless as possible and that makes it better for all of our employees. He makes you feel like this is something different.” 

“Paul is very caring,” says Dave Stover, the dealership’s director of wholesale sales. (Stover runs CJ’s Tire & Auto’s wholesale business, The Tire Source.) 

“He cares about you and your family. He’s driven to be the best owner, the best partner to our vendors ... and having the best relationship with his employees, all the way down to the employee on their first day. He cares immensely.” 

Stover met Paul while in college. They played football together and were in the same fraternity. Stover was already familiar with CJ’s Tire & Auto. “When I had my car, I ended up coming here for tires.” 

In 1987, while both were in college, Paul asked Stover if he was doing anything between semesters. “He brought me in.”  

Stover worked at CJ’s Tire & Auto until his wife accepted a promotion in Colorado. The Stovers eventually returned to the East Coast.  

Soon, Stover spotted a help wanted ad placed by CJ’s Tire & Auto on Facebook. Stover applied and within a matter of weeks, returned to the company. “Paul and I stayed connected the whole time I was away.” 

Stover now oversees The Tire Source. He even came up with its name. “I said, ‘We source every tire. Why don’t we just call ourselves The Tire Source?'"

The division makes up 60% to 65% of CJ’s Tire & Auto’s total sales, according to Stover. “We’ve opened three warehouses in the last three years. Paul’s mentality ever since he began running the company has been about growth. 

"His father built the company on gut reaction and brawn and bringing your lunch pail to work. That’s where he came from. Paul is more of an analytical thinker.”  

Stover remembers when ownership of CJ’s Tire & Auto transitioned from Skip to Paul. “Skip had his philosophy and there were some healthy debates about how much responsibility Paul was going to take on. Paul would say, ‘Here are the three options we have,’ and Skip would sit back and say, ‘You know what? You’re right.’ As an owner of a company, it’s hard to let go, but Paul was next in line.” 

Bainbridge, now retired, met Skip in 1976, when he worked at a nearby tire store. “We became friendly competitors. Skip and I have always had a great relationship.”  

Bainbridge eventually left tire retail and moved into the corporate world, over time working for several tire manufacturers. “When Paul took over the reins, I was at Hankook. I had made several visits to see CJ’s.  We did a lot of business together. When I decided to end my corporate gig, Paul reached out right away and said, ‘You’re too young to retire. You need to come work for us.’ Paul liked the experience I had.”  

At the time, “I think CJ’s had 13 retail stores and a lot of potential," which Paul acted on. "It’s one thing to say you want to grow. It’s another thing to take the risk, make the investment and go into new markets. Paul was never afraid to do that. He knows what it takes to sell and service the customer.”  

Bainbridge worked at CJ’s Tire & Auto for more than 12 years. He learned a lot about Paul during that period. 

“Paul can be demanding and that's a good thing. He’s accountable and holds people accountable and those are good things. He's probably the best negotiator I’ve ever run into. He knows what he wants and usually he either gets what he wants or he gets a favorable compromise. Buying tires is just as impactful to the bottom line as selling tires and Paul understands that as well as anybody I know.   

“He is always open to fresh ideas.  And at all different levels, Paul is very big on sharing our success with the community. He is very genuine when it comes to how he treats people. He wants people to succeed,” including his employees — “not only because that benefits the company, but seeing growth in an individual” is important to him. 

“I think he gets satisfaction seeing employees develop. It’s part of the culture of the company.”  

Going B.I.G. 

Paul likes acronyms. Several years ago, he came up with one, B.I.G., that he says helps define the mission of CJ’s Tire & Auto. 

“B stands for betterment,” he says. “We want to get better every day. We want to learn. We want to grow. If we focus on getting better every day and being the best at what we do as opposed to being the biggest, we’ll succeed.  

“There are all these companies that are focused on consolidating. They’re focused on getting bigger. We don’t care about that. If we can provide the customer with an exceptional experience and give back to the community, we’ve accomplished our mission. 

“The I stands for income. If we’re doing things right and getting better all the time, the result is we’re going to make money. We’re not a non-profit. We have to make money. 

“The G stands for growth. We’re getting better all the time and we’re growing. We want to continue to grow because we want to develop opportunities for our people, so they can continue to grow and move forward in the organization, do better for themselves and do better for their families. That’s what drives me. It’s really about helping them find success.” 

B.I.G. doesn’t only apply to employees, says Paul. He takes it seriously, as well. “I’m not a finished product. I’m not afraid to get dirty. I’ll pull the weeds. I think that’s really important.  

“Now, there’s a fine line between demonstrating and disabling your team. I think as a leader, you have to be able to pull your employees toward something better. There are times when you have to push. I think a good leader can do both.” 

Paul says there were times when he had doubts about his own qualifications. 

“When Bill Bainbridge first came on, we were talking and I said, ‘Bill, all I’ve ever known is this business. I haven’t had those external experiences, so I’ve had to bring in people like yourself to help educate me and mentor me and help me understand how it works on the outside versus how it works on the inside.’ And I said, ‘Sometimes I regret that I didn’t have that outside experience. It would have made me better.’ 

“He said, ‘No. You have purity in your thinking. The corporate world hasn’t affected you. I think this has been better for you.’ I thought that was interesting.  

“I’ve realized that my leadership skills have had to evolve,” says Paul. “I had to learn that you have to work through other people. You have to focus on motivating, inspiring and trying to bring out the best in your people, but not be afraid to say, ‘You need to improve here.’ That’s difficult for a lot of people, but you need to share that feedback to create the best situation and the best employees and create opportunities for them to grow. 

“Business is a tool. It’s a mechanism to make a difference in our community, our customers and our employees.” 

Giving back to the community is one of the pillars of CJ’s Tire & Auto. It’s even spelled out in the company’s mission statement. “My dad always tried to do as much as he could with whatever he had,” says Paul. “I feel like if we’re successful and are making money, we should give back.” 

That includes initiatives like CJ’s Cares, which Bainbridge launched many years ago. “Our employees are welcome to donate (to the program) and then we ask our business partners to contribute.” 

CJ’s Tire & Auto, as a business, also funnels money into CJ’s Cares. And customers are invited to pitch in. “With the number of stores we have, it doesn’t take much to raise a nice chunk of change,” says Paul, who adds that it isn’t unusual to raise $30,000 in only a month. 

Funds are then allocated to different organizations. “To see the impact on Special Olympics kids who need sponsors, to make a difference for the Animal Rescue League, to push money for cancer research — it makes you feel good. 

"I’ve always looked at it and said, ‘We receive by giving and there’s so much you receive.’ This is how you use your business as a tool to make a difference.” 

Going it alone 

In addition to Haley, Paul has another son, Colin, age 28, who works for CJ’s Tire & Auto on a remote basis, processing online orders and handling other duties. His daughter, Madison, 24, has worked at the dealership and is now embarking on her career as an attorney.   

He says that seeing all three take on bigger roles at CJ’s Tire & Auto would be gratifying. “I’m proud of them.”  

Paul, who recently turned 61, says he has no plans to retire, but he’s taking measures to position the dealership for success long after he’s gone. This shift in thinking was inadvertently prompted by Mike Houck, who recently told Paul that he was considering retirement. 

“That really made me start to think, ‘I need to start looking at this a little differently,’” says Paul. “Father Time is undefeated. I think that’s making me take the next step. I still feel energized. I have a lot to give and a lot of room to grow.” 

But he’s also delegating more responsibilities to his team “and pushing them harder. They would tell you that within the last couple of months, I’ve really been pushing them. 

“I’ve always had good instincts and I’m concerned the market may not respond well with what’s going on in geopolitics. It could get tougher, so I’m pushing my team to get the best out of them. If the market softens, they’ll be ready. 

“I enjoy helping people find their potential and helping them feel like they’re making a difference. And what they learn in this business they can take home to be a better parent, a better son or daughter or a better sibling. It isn’t about the money. I mean, you need the income. Who doesn’t want to have money to be able to live comfortably? 

“But I’ve gotten to the point in my life where people matter most. Helping them grow and find success is much more important than anything I do from a business standpoint.” 

Independent forever 

One of Paul’s other priorities is ensuring that CJ’s Tire & Auto remains independently owned and operated. He says consolidation among independent tire dealers has been “unfortunate. There are a lot of really good independent businesses that are being reshaped.” 

CJ’s Tire & Auto is a member of the Tire Alliance Groupe (TAG.) “I was talking to a TAG member who sold out. It had probably been four years since he sold. I asked him, ‘OK, you did it. You made some money, right?’ And he said, ‘Yeah.’ I asked, ‘Would you do it again?’ And he said, ‘No.’ He recognizes now that he wasn’t just doing it for the money. He was providing opportunities for his employees. 

“I make enough money,” Paul says. “I do this because of the families I take care of. And I take pride in that.”  

Some of CJ’s Tire & Auto’s competitors “are completely different,” according to Paul. “They’re answering to stockholders or whatever investor. They have to make x amount of money. Unfortunately, when that happens, people are numbers. That’s not the way I look at it. 

“We have no intention to sell and we have people knocking on our door all the time. Phone calls, emails, texts — it's relentless. We just ignore it. My goal is to set this business up in a way that with our people, our financing and everything else, it can go for 200 years. I feel like opportunities will continue to open up. 

“At the end of the day, what separates us is our customer experience. We want to be the best. My dad’s number-one focus was the customer. He didn’t have a business degree. It was more important to him that he carved out a great reputation within his community and that he gave people great service and great value.” 

From a purely financial perspective, selling CJ’s Tire & Auto “would be fine for me, but not for all those people who have worked so hard for this business, for my father, for myself and for themselves. It’s their business.”

Special thanks to the following companies that supported the 2025 MTD Tire Dealer of the Year Award program: ATC Inc., AutoZone, Bridgestone Americas Inc., Challenger Lifts, Continental Tire the Americas LLC, Dunlop Tires North America, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Hankook Tire America Corp., Jinyu Tires, Kumho Tire U.S.A. Inc., Maxxis International - USA, Michelin North America Inc., Myers Tire Supply, Nokian Tyres, Pirelli Tire North America Inc., Prinx Chengshan Tire North America, Sailun Tire USA, Seltzer Insurance, Tire Alliance Groupe, TireHub LLC, U.S. AutoForece LLC and Yokohama Tire Corp.