Albertville, Ala.-based Wilks Tire & Battery Service has acquired Doyle Hayes Tire Service in Dalton, Ga.
The deal includes a combination retail/commercial tire outlet and a Bandag retread plant, giving Wilks Tire 12 total locations and the dealership's first location in the state of Georgia.
The Doyle Hayes Tire Service store and plant are housed within a single, 25,000-square-foot facility.
The dealership was an attractive acquisition target for a number of reasons, Logan Wilks, vice president of Wilks Tire, recently told MTD.
Chattanooga, Tenn., is "just north" of Dalton "and just south is Calhoun, Ga." which Wilks called "an up-and-coming area" with "a lot of warehouse development."
Wilks Tire also has customers "all over the state of Georgia, from Savannah to Athens. We're heavy in Atlanta. So we've already been doing business (in Georgia) for several years."
That includes "several retread customers," said Wilks. "This will allow more production and we'll be able to start funneling production through (the Dalton) plant, as opposed to pulling it back to Alabama," where Wilks Tire's other retread plant, which uses Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.'s system, is located.
"This is our first time with a new plant away from home. The plant manager who is overseeing the (Dalton) plant has been there for 47 years and has a huge wealth of knowledge. We're very grateful to have him."
Doyle Hayes Tire Service had been a Bandag retreader for more than 50 years, according to Wilks, who added that the plant will convert to Goodyear's system.
With four retail tire stores, three commercial tire outlets and five combined retail/commercial tire locations, Wilks Tire is one of the 100 largest independent tire dealerships in the United States, according to the 2024 MTD 100.
