Fountain Tire
| Private | |
| Industry | Automotive Retail Distribution |
| Founded | 1956, Wainwright, Alberta, Canada |
| Headquarters | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
Number of locations | 156 locations (As of August 15, 2014) |
Key people |
|
| Products | Tires and automotive parts, sales, and service |
| Website | www.fountaintire.com |
Fountain Tire is a tire dealer in Canada, offering a range of car, truck, and trailer tires, as well as automotive services. Started in 1956 in Wainwright, Alberta, by Bill Fountain; Fountain Tire has grown to over 155 stores spanning as far west as Victoria, British Columbia and as far east as Vaughan, Ontario.
History
Founded by Bill Fountain in 1956 in Wainwright, Alberta, Fountain Tire started out as a small double-bay garage. After the company's initial inception, it did not take long for Fountain Tire to grow.
By 1976, it had expanded to 19 stores, but Bill Fountain was killed in a car accident.
The 1980s included further expansion activities for Fountain Tire: a move to the new head office based in southeast Edmonton, a change in Fountain Tire's expansion strategy, and a partnership formed with one of the world's top tire manufacturers, Goodyear. By 1984, the number of Fountain Tire stores totalled 30.
On September 24, 1987, Fountain Tire sold 49% interest of its business to Goodyear Canada; a first for the industry.
By the end of the 1990s, 100 new Fountain Tire stores had been added across Western Canada. As the number of Fountain Tire stores increased over the years, so nature of the Fountain Tire head office changed along with it. With partnership in mind, the head office became more of a resource centre for the stores. It provided support in the areas of purchasing, point-of-sale systems, accounting, credit, insurance, legal services, human resources, and marketing. This unique partnership structure has helped Fountain Tire to be named one Canada's "Best Managed Companies" every year since 1994, and eventually attaining Platinum Club Member status in December 2003[1]
In 2014, Fountain Tire relocated their corporate headquarters in Edmonton, moving into a new office facility in South Edmonton, called Fountain Tire Place.
Partnership with Goodyear Canada
On September 24, 1987, Fountain Tire sold 49% interest its business to Goodyear Canada. This move was a first for the industry, as not only was Goodyear able to partner with a Western Canadian tire retailer, but Fountain Tire able to partner with a manufacturer who had an established marketing presence.
Corporate
Headquarters
In 2014, Fountain Tire Corporate Office moved to a new location in South Edmonton. The new office, named Fountain Tire Place, houses the company’s head-office employees, along with a large eat-in kitchen, two patio spaces, showers for cyclists and joggers, and walls of windows to allow daylight into every office and workstation.
Marketing
Historically, some of Fountain Tire’s slogans have been “Home of the Tire Experts”, “Winning the West”, and “Your Alberta Tire Store”. Their current slogan is “Trust. Fountain Tire”.
Thom Sharp became Fountain Tire’s spokesperson in 1994,[2] and to this day he still represents the company as "The Fountain Tire Guy".
Services
Retail
Fountain Tire sells tires from manufacturers including: Goodyear, Dunlop, Kelly, GT Radial, Continental, Aeolus, and Trelleborg, as well as various other brands.
Automotive
Fountain Tire also offers complete automotive maintenance and vehicle repair services of: alignment, steering, suspension, air conditioning/heating, automotive battery replacement, brakes, cooling system, radiator service, electrical, fuel injection, mufflers and exhaust system, transmission, vehicle inspections, maintenance and oil changes.
Commercial
Fountain Tire offers a broad line of commercial and fleet vehicle tires and retreads, as well as commercial truck repair services.
Industrial
Fountain Tire offers a wide range of industrial and specialty tires and services to a wide variety of industrial equipment, including wheelbarrows, forklifts, skidsteer, and more.
Mining & Off-The-Road
Fountain Tire's extensive mining/OTR (Off-The-Road) service includes retreading, OTR tire repair, and mining tire services, including: retreading, section repairs, reinforcements, spot repairs, lug repairs and sidewall bumpers.
Farming & Agriculture
Fountain Tire provides tires for farming equipment, as well as on-site 24-hour tire assistance.