Haris Nadeem
CEO | USA Wheel & Tire Outlet Inc. | Mesquite, Texas | Age: 24
What was your first job in the industry?
I would unload containers of tires, stack them and move them to their locations around our warehouse.
What attracted you to the industry?
I was blessed to be born in the industry. My father started USA Wheel & Tire Outlet Inc. in 1996, four years before I was born. What I love about the industry is the chance to build long-lasting relationships with people from so many different backgrounds. In the wholesale business you tend to talk to the same people almost every day whether it be your vendors or your customers, so relationships mean a lot.
What is the biggest challenge you have faced in your career?
I think I currently am facing my biggest challenge, which is transitioning into our new DC, while hiring new team members, while implementing a new WMS system and a new DMS system, changing b2b websites, plus 100+ more things that come with moving tire warehouses.
Who has had the biggest influence on your career?
My father. He started the company with nothing. I always go to him when I need advice on a specific issue and he always seems to have a solution.
What is your biggest accomplishment in the industry?
Honestly, there have been a few accomplishments, but I think I have a long way to go and many more accomplishments to achieve before I am proud of one.
Tell us about your current job and responsibilities. How do you spend your workday?
I like to joke with my friends and team members that I'm the janitor! As the CEO my main responsibilities are fixing issues that we may have, or cleaning out the trash as I like to say. I spend my day meeting with people from my team to discuss better strategies on how to grow/improve the company or fix any issues we may be having.
What's been the biggest surprise of your current job?
The amount of responsibility and stress that comes with being a leader. But at the end of the day it’s worth it when you see the happiness and smiles of your team’s faces after a win.
Tell us about your family.
We are a family-owned business that my father had started after immigrating to America from Pakistan. But we take family owned to another level, I have two younger brothers that I work with daily in Dallas. I have four uncles that are in different DCs, and I also have two cousins that work with us full time. But more important than that I consider every staff member a family member, which is why 90% of our staff has been with us for five-plus years.
If you could wake up tomorrow with one new skill, what would you choose?
Developing leaders.
In a single word, how would your friends describe you?
Stubborn!
If you could switch careers tomorrow, what would you want to do, and why?
I love kids and I have a passion for teaching and mentoring them. Before I started working fulltime in the business I was volunteering teaching kids at Sunday school and summer school.
What's the biggest issue facing the tire industry?
inflation!
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I always dreamed of getting into politics and being the president. Maybe there’s still hope for me. Who knows.
How do you unwind after a stressful day?
Hit the gym and pray. That’s a really big part of my day every day. After that I go home, find a good show/movie and continue working on my laptop and communicating with overseas vendors.
What do you expect to be doing 20 years from now?
Twenty years from now, hopefully I'll be training my kids on how to sell tires!
