Kevin Davis started Cowser Tire and Service in 1989 when he was 19 years old with a single service truck, working out of his mom's garage.
Today, Cowser Tire and Service operates a sprawling, state-of-the-art location in Fort Worth, Texas, with 26 service bays, 102 employees and 16 service trucks.
“There’s virtually no part of the tire industry we don’t touch,” says Davis.
The dealership offers retail, commercial, industrial, OTR and ag tires and related services, while also having its own retread plant. It also provides a full line of mechanical services for cars and commercial trucks, including 18-wheelers.
Big steps
Davis says that he grew up in the industry, and his father, Mike Davis, who managed and owned Russey Tire in the 1980’s and sold it when Davis was 16, taught him everything he knows. But launching his own business wasn’t easy.
“It was difficult starting (a business) at 19 because it’s almost impossible to get credit and all that stuff” at such a young age, explains Davis. “So my dad and my cousin let me use the Cowser name and run under their insurance.”
Davis did this for about five years until he turned 25 and was able to get his own insurance and credit established. “But by that point, I didn’t want to change (his dealership’s) name because everybody was already familiar with it.”
After five to six months of running Cowser Tire out of his mom's garage, he was able to rent a small building and hire another employee. The business “kind of snowballed from there.”
Davis says that Cowser Tire and Service has employed a slow, steady growth process over the years.
“It seems like every eight to 10 years, we take a big step. The last big step we took was in 2016, when we opened the retread plant. And that was kind of the last piece of the puzzle we implemented.”
The retread plant, which uses Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.’s process, is located within the dealerships’ Fort Worth complex.
“Our retread business grew very quickly and we were having a difficult time finding a vendor that could keep up with us.”
Bringing retreading in-house gave Cowser Tire and Service more flexibility.
Hands-on owner
Davis says he is a very hands-on owner. “I like to be here and when I’m here, I wear a work uniform and I get out there, too. I’m not afraid to go out and change a tire. I’ve always had the motto that I’ll never ask anybody to do something that I couldn’t do myself.”
His employees “have come to realize this and not to toot my own horn, but it seems like the guys have come to really respect me for that and now they won’t let me help them, out of respect!”
Davis says Cowser Tire and Service’s employees pride themselves on providing good service with integrity, which is what he believes makes the dealership stand out.
When new hires come on-board, they train under key people.
“I try to get one person who is an expert in one thing – for example, (tire and wheel) mounting procedures,” explains Davis. “I try and get one person very well-trained in tire mounting procedures, so that way they can teach it to the next guy.”
In an industry with a high turnover rate, Davis says he retains and attracts top talent by offering good benefits, including a retirement program.
“We offer health insurance, dental and vision – just about every benefit you can get.”
He notes that Cowser Tire and Service has a very good paid time-off program. And the dealership offers competitive pay.
“We are known in our area to be among the top companies to work for, as far as pay goes,” says Davis.
Cowser Tire and Service also highlights and recognizes good employees.
Into the future
Davis says Cowser Tire and Service is keeping an eye on imported medium truck tire brands, which, he notes, “are getting better and better.”
He’s interested in how these brands will impact the market in the coming years.
In addition, he’s considering adding more services when the timing is right in areas like fleet checks and equipment maintenance. “It doesn’t really matter what kind of fleet you have.”
Davis says he attributes his success to God and feels like Cowser Tire and Service is a “very blessed company.”
