Schwab Cleans-Up As Best Retailer

PRINEVILLE, Ore.--Les Schwab Tire Centers, one of the largest independent tire dealers in the U.S. with more than 300 stores in seven Western states, has been ranked the best passenger-vehicle and light-truck tire retailer in customer satisfaction, according to a recent J.D. Power and Associates Report.

The J.D. Power and Associates Retailer Customer Satisfaction Study is released each year. In the 2000 study, which is based on the responses of 7,400 vehicle owners across the country, Les Schwab scored strongly on the five components that make up the Retailer Satisfaction Index: People, service, facility, reputation and product selection.

“Obviously our customers are acknowledging our commitment to service and for that we want to say thank you,” said Phil Wick, Les Schwab’s president.

According to a company history, the birth of the Les Schwab Tire Co. was in January of 1952, when Les Schwab purchased a small OK Rubber Welders tire store in Prineville, Ore. With a $3,500 investment and a strong desire to own his own business, Les increased the sales of this store from $32,000 to$150,000 in the first year.

Les had a strong determination to provide opportunity for people who could not afford to go into business for themselves. On Jan. 1, 1954, he started the first profit-share program with his Redmond store manager, and this was just the start of things to come. In 1955, Les opened his third OK tire store in Bend, Ore., and within a year changed the name to Les Schwab Tire Centers.

As the company continued to grow, Les came up with what is known as the supermarket tire concept. His goal was to have his warehouse in his showroom so customers could walk through the racks of tires and be able to pick out the actual tires that would go on their vehicle. Along with this concept was to stock more than one brand of tire in each size to give customers a choice. “This was not popular with the major rubber companies, and was an important part of the supermarket selection concept.”

In 1966, the Les Schwab Co. became totally independent by Les’ decision to take down all rubber company signs and to create the Les Schwab sign and put it in his stores. This year was abig year, as this was the year Les formed the Les Schwab Retirement Trust for his employees, and purchased six stores and a retread shop in Idaho, which gave the company a total of 18 stores.

The company continued to grow, and by 1972 had 35 stores. Retreading continued to play a big part with the company, and this is the year Les Schwab’s More-Mile retreading process was developed for its truck tires. More-Mile retreading continues to play an important part in Les Schwab’s truck retread business.

Today, the company operates 224 company stores and 83 member dealer locations, with plans to open roughly 15 to 20 stores next year. “With the new millennium, LesSchwab will set a new sales record as the company and member dealer combined sales will, for the first time, go over $1 billion.” This makes the company one of the largest independent tire companies in the United States. It also operates one of the largest retreading plants in the country, using more than eight million pounds of rubber per year. The company has more than 2 millionsquare feet of warehousing in Prineville, Ore., and continues to anchor a new industrial park for the city.

For more information, contact www.lesschwab.com.