Mahone Tire Service, located in Marietta, Ohio, recently celebrated its 75th anniversary of being in business.
Ted Mahone, the owner of Mahone Tire, credits the longevity of his dealership to a service-oriented approach and involvement in his community.
At almost 77 years old, he starts every morning at Mahone Tire unloading the tires from trucks that come into his dealership, which has seven bays and sells both consumer and commercial tires.
“He’s not one of those guys that sits at his desk and tells other people what to do,” says his wife, Colleen Cook.
“He loves what he does. Even though it’s hard work, he’s still enjoying it.”
A family affair
“My father, Max Mahone, started Mahone Tire Service in 1949,” says Mahone. "I was born in 1947, so my dad used to bring me along and I would clean the floors and do stuff like that around the shop.”
Ted says he started working at the family business full-time when he was 15. When his father died in 1994, he took over Mahone Tire Service.
He wasn’t the only Mahone who ventured into the tire industry. Both of Ted’s uncles opened tire dealerships – one in Parkersburg, W. Va., and another in New Martinsville, W.Va.
“Three brothers – all in the tire industry!” exclaims Ted.
Challenges and achievements
Ted names competition and employment as his two biggest challenges throughout the years.
“Keeping good employees is a challenge,” says Cook. “We’ve been lucky to maintain some long-term employees (whom) his dad actually hired, but it is still a challenge.”
When big box stores moved into Mahone Tire’s neighborhood, Ted admits he got a little nervous. “They came in and were selling tires cheaper than I could even buy tires,” he says.
However, the influx of big box stores didn’t turn out to be a huge issue for Mahone Tire.
Ted credits the long-term success of his business to the loyal customers it has acquired over the years.
“A lot of those big places don’t participate in the community as much as the smaller ones do and it shows,” he notes.
Mahone Tire is heavily involved in the community and gives back and partners with other small businesses in the area.
“We (also) treat people fairly and we never sell to somebody that doesn’t need to be sold to,” he says.
“A lot of times customers will come in saying they need new tires and after we inspect them, we tell them, ‘No, you still have x number of miles left on these tires.’”
“We try and get the customer in and out without them waiting for a long time,” says Cook. “And that has always been our model.”
For those customers that do have to wait a few extra minutes, Ted has stocked his waiting room with magazines to help them pass the time.
“He has these really cool travel and food magazines in the waiting room and the only complaint I’ve gotten is that people’s vehicles have gotten completed so fast that they didn’t get to finish their magazine article,” says Cook.
The future
Ted says he is not “actively looking” to sell Mahone Tire, but if the right person walked through the door with the right price, he says he “probably would sell.”
“I think he would love to see Mahone Tire purchased by someone who would continue with the kind of service we have and would treat people the way we have – and that is going to be very hard to find,” says Cook.
In the meantime, Ted continues to enjoy taking care of customers and giving back to his community.
