Visions - Winter 2008 - 9

Continuing Support: Big O Tires Takes A Stand T BC Corporation subsidiary Big O Tires LLC and its 560 franchisees selected Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation as one of its supported national charities back in 2006. And like a lemon tree, that relationship has grown and born fruit in the most giving of ways. Alex’s Lemonade Stand was started by Alexandra Scott who was diagnosed with an aggressive childhood cancer, neuroblastoma, just days before her first birthday. At age four, her fight against this cancer led her to start Alex’s Lemonade Stand to fund pediatric cancer research. We lost Alex to the disease at age eight, but her legacy of giving lives on as Alex’s Lemonade Stand evolved into a nationwide fundraising foundation to fight childhood cancer. “It was decided that all Big O Tires stores would provide information and display materials in July 2007 to increase awareness of ALS to their customers,” said David Liggett, Communications and Public Relations Liz Scott, center, of Alex’s Lemonade Stand with the staff of Children’s Hospital in Denver, a recipient of funding from Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. Specialist for Big O Tires. “The company donated $50,000 each year to the Foundation, and in addition, other donations exceeding $28,000 have been sent to the Foundation from customers and store associates. The company will continue this support with another $50,000 donation in 2008, and will again promote the Foundation at all their stores in July 2008.” Liz Scott, Alex’s mother, now runs the foundation and expressed her thanks for Big O Tires’ consistent support, which included contributions from Big O Tires’ locations in 24 separate states. “Their generous support, combined with the hundreds of donations we have received from Big O customers, is truly heartwarming,” Scott said. “As a largely grassroots foundation, it is this type of support that allows us to continue to work towards finding a cure for all children with cancer, one cup at a time. I am honored and extremely grateful to have Big O as partners in this fight.” Big O Tires is a subsidiary of TBC, which is a subsidiary of SCOA. For more information on this foundation, go to http://www.alexslemonade.org. its size in financial investment, but because it was a strategic expansion of our tire business,” Shinagawa stated.“The deal gave us the chance to take our experience in the wholesale tire distribution business, and combine it with TBC to become the recognized leader in the replacement tire industry in North America.We envisioned this acquisition as a way for us to expand our role in the U.S. tire replacement business and increase the channel of tire distribution for our tire suppliers.This vision remains unchanged as we continue to become part of the business stream.” TBC Private Brands (along with Treadways’ brand) holds 9% of the overall market share in the national replacement tire market for passenger and light truck tires. In recent private brand tire surveys, independent tire dealers rated TBC Private Brands products number one in 10 of the categories surveyed including product availability, line coverage, delivery, product innovation, and best overall brand. Private Brands’ target customers are larger regional independent retailers and/or distributors who value a controlled private label tire line because those margins are better than the margins for major brand tires. Private Brands ships the product from two large “mixing” warehouses in Fayetteville, North Carolina and Memphis,Tennessee, the latter of which is also home to their headquarters.Various manufacturers sent their tires to these facilities, where the tires are sorted and redistributed based on each customer’s requirement. Ken Dick, President and CEO of TBC Wholesale, said the reasons for overall success in the TBC family of businesses is quite simple. “All companies are successful for several reasons, but primarily it’s the way we operate: doing business with independent tire dealers is built on relationships, mutual trust and the guarantee that our products provide the best margin for the customer vs. other options. If we execute well, through good supply service, competitive pricing, responsiveness to needs, and the right product, then our business grows.” For more information, go to http://www.tbcprivatebrands.com. Sumitomo Corporation of America 9
http://www.alexslemonade.org http://www.alexslemonade.org http://www.tbcprivatebrands.com
Visions - Winter 2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Visions - Winter 2008
