GB Auto Service Inc. has added 32 more locations to its portfolio, and the plan is for all of them to add tires to their inventory.
As of July 1, the company acquired Sun Devil Auto Service dba Sun Devil Auto Service, with 20 stores around Phoenix, and dba Sun Auto Service, with four stores in Texas and eight locations in Nevada. The company was founded in 1978 by Joel Higginbotham with $1,500 and has grown to 30-plus locations in Arizona, Nevada and Texas. In 2005, Joel's son, Tom, was named president of the company.
Neither Sun Devil Auto Service nor Sun Auto Service currently carry tires, but a spokesman for GB Auto confirmed to Modern Tire Dealer the plan is to add tires to the stores' offerings.
“We are excited about joining forces with the Sun Auto team," says GB Auto CEO Frank Kneller. “Sun Auto has spent decades building their business into one of the most recognizable brands in the southwest through exceptional customer service and thoughtful business practices, establishing a culture we truly value and that fits well with our organization."
"We are looking forward to investing in Sun Auto’s growth and continuing its terrific success, including with the addition of more than [a dozen] new greenfield locations in the very near future.”
Tom Higginbotham says, “We are excited to partner with the GB Auto team to help further build out our collective platform — one that emphasizes community values, customer service and ethics. This is a very exciting time for our organization and I look forward to remaining integrally involved during this next phase of growth.”
The acquisition adds to GB Auto Service's growing business in the western U.S., which has included a mix of other acquired properties since 2017.
