Looking for info on a shop in Illinois. Small sticker on it nothing fancy and no ph number. Sticker is in bad shape.
What I can make out
Central
Tire & Battery
hanan
e, Illinois
Any info on CTB?
Founded: 1945 by Guy Westhafer as Central Tire & Battery in Staunton, Va.
Based: Verona, Va.
Family members involved: Guy's sons Terry and Tommy both worked at the dealership during their high school years, joining full time after college in 1969 and 1970, respectively. They assumed managerial roles in the 1970s while Guy continued to be active in the company into his 80s, passing away in 1999.
Number of outlets: 2
Number of employees: 45
Dealership history: One early addition to the business was employing two alignment technicians and having the capability to align and straighten frames on cars and large trucks. (A salesman once told Guy Westhafer that alignment was performed by garages and that it had no place in a tire business.)
In 1952 the dealership added passenger and truck tire retreading due to high demand in the Staunton area. The business grew steadily until 1964 when all three rented properties—the retail sales and service location, retread plant and warehouse—were lost to an urban renewal project.
Terry Westhafer stands with a restored 1937 Chevy pickup truck. It is not Central Tire's original truck.
Relocating the business to nearby Verona was a turning point in Central Tire's history. The first four years there saw a doubling of sales volume while retaining the same 11 employees employed in Staunton, according to Terry Westhafer, the dealership's president. Sales volume doubled again in the next four years—then again doubled in the following four.
Business info: As both brothers were approaching retirement and did not have any family members interested in taking over, the issue of management succession or sale of the business was a looming concern, Terry said, adding that professional management had been added and middle management was being strengthened to provide continuity and future leadership as well as controlled growth.
Other info: The company said with a retail mix of 70/30 tires and service it bucked the current trend toward more automotive service. The commercial business volume was higher than retail primarily due to truck tire retreading using the AcuTread mold cure process and in-house pre-cure process, with 14 employees and annual capacity of 34,000 units.
Philosophy: The Westhafer family always believed that high-quality products, competent associates and reasonable prices would assure market leadership and dominance.
Central Tire in Verona switched ownership Feb. 18, 2019. The tire company had been around for 74 years, owned by the Westhafer family. Brothers Terry and Tommy Westhafer made the decision to sell the company to the Rice Tire Co. out of Frederick, Maryland.
