Nearly 500 guests, including representatives from more than 100 independent tire dealerships, attended North Gateway Tire Co. Inc.’s 40th anniversary celebration, which took place this past weekend at the company’s 300,000-square-foot distribution center in Seville, Ohio.
The event included a trade show featuring more than 20 tire manufacturer and supplier participants, a clambake dinner for attendees, live entertainment and other activities. Tire brands represented include Kenda, BKT, Bridgestone, Firestone, Yokohama, Sentury, Federal, Toyo, Alliance and others.
“We wanted to bring our dealers and vendors together,” says Mike Hill, North Gateway vice president of sales, wholesale. “Without them, this would not have been possible.”
During the day-long event, North Gateway Tire President Darrell Hill told Modern Tire Dealer that he attributes North Gateway’s success to “good employees, loyal customers and hard work. We’ve always stood by our customers. We treat them like family.”
John Lowry and Javier DeLuna, owners of Lowry Tire Co., drove from Pontiac, Mich., to attend the event. Their goal was to “look at new products and cement relationships,” says Lowry, who has been a North Gateway customer for 25 years.
Jerry Kodish, owner of Allied Tire in Akron, Ohio, has bought tires from North Gateway since the distributor opened in 1979. “They’ve really grown” due to the premium level of service that the company provides, he says.
