Millar's Point S Builds on Reputation

To run a successful tire dealership in a small community, you have to listen to your customers and understand their needs.

For Ben Millar, owner of Canby, Ore.-based Millar’s Point S Tire and Auto, that means having the passion to lead – and always looking forward.

“You’ve got to be present in your business,” says Millar, whose grandfather started the dealership in 1960. His father later took over the company until retiring in 2016, when Ben took the reins.

The store – part of the Point S network of independent dealerships – has been a staple in the Canby community for 65 years. 

Millar remembers helping his father install studded tires on vehicles when he was 10 years old. As a sophomore in high school in the late-1990s, he started working at the family shop regularly.

Over the years, Millar became exposed to virtually every function within the dealership – from selling, installing and repairing tires to operating its truck shop and running service trucks.

Since he and his wife, Kyle, who mostly handles the dealership’s reports and financials, took over Millar’s Point S, they haven’t looked back.

Millar’s job includes overseeing the store’s operations. That includes ordering tires, managing employees and overseeing invoices.

For the first four years as owner, Millar worked long hours six days a week while running almost every operation of the shop with a small team, which he says kept him away from his family.

Today, he’s finally found a good work-life balance, as he enjoys golfing and fishing on the weekends and during time off. 

He says the key to being a successful owner is building a strong, dependable team and guiding your staff along as they learn.

“My sales team, myself and our office management team – we’re co-workers, but I also consider them as friends, so they know what we expect,” says Millar.

His team of about 20 people includes service writers, sales associates and technicians and many of them have worked at the business for over 10 years. Millar says to keep your team on board, you need to show them you care.

"Once you get a good employee – it’s hard to find good ones – you do what you have to do to keep them. We treat our employees with respect and we truly appreciate them and like to let them know we appreciate them.”

Millar’s Point S offers a wide variety of tire brands, tire and car maintenance, diagnostic work and other services, so Millar’s priorities for training have been open communication and focusing on customers’ needs. This has been the dealership's philosophy since his father and grandfather ran it.

What makes the business stand out, says Millar, is its family legacy and commitment to supporting its community.

The dealership often supports local high school sports teams and donates to causes like the Future Farmers of America. Millar, a member of the Canby Rotary club, says he gives around $100,000 back to the community each year. 

Advice for dealers 

Taking control of his family’s business was full of challenges, but Millar says seeing the impact through his team and appreciation from customers makes all the effort worth it. 

His advice to any independent tire dealer is to show commitment to your team and community and develop your own ownership style. “Whatever you put into it is what you get out of it,” says Millar.

Top priorities of Millar’s Point S in 2026 will be to set goals for sales and service and keep pushing its team to go the extra mile for customers.

"It’s fun when you hit your goals and it’s disappointing when you don’t hit them,” says Millar. “That’s part of the deal and that’s part of growing – winning and losing.”