Over 1,000 wholesale customers – and more than a few enthusiastic retail customers – attended the recent Steve Shannon Tire Summer 4-Wheel Jamboree event.
The jamboree, which took place Aug. 12-14 in Bloomsburg, Pa., Steve Shannon Tire’s hometown, was the dealership’s first big customer event since 2016.
“The tire business is a relationship business,” Jesse Shannon, one of Steve Shannon Tire’s owners, told MTD before the event began.
His brothers, Herb and Steven, also have ownership in the 43-location dealership, which they acquired from their father, Steve Shannon, several years ago.
Steve Shannon Tire has 36 retail stores, most of them in Pennsylvania, plus seven commercial tire outlets. The dealership also has nine distribution centers, including a large warehouse in Bloomsburg, that together operate on a “hub-and-spoke" system.
Steve Shannon Tire is the 29th largest independent tire dealership in the United States, according to the recently published 2024 MTD 100.
Non-stop activity
More than 20 tire and service equipment exhibitors visited with customers of Shannon Tire Wholesale, Steve Shannon Tire’s wholesale distribution division, during the trade show portion of the event, held indoors.
Outside, on the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds midway, Steve Shannon Tire employees, operating out of a large tent, sold tires to jamboree attendees.
A small army of technicians performed tire switchovers on a wide range of light trucks, from conventional, showroom-quality models to exotically customized, lifted rigs.
Anticipating a high level of interest from attendees, Steve Shannon Tire brought 600 tires to the event. Delivery trucks moving to and from the dealership’s Bloomsburg distribution center, just minutes away, ensured a steady supply.
Taking care of customers
The Steve Shannon Tire Summer 4-Wheel Jamboree served a number of purposes – beyond just selling tires.
“It’s good to get the whole (Steve Shannon) team together,” Steven Shannon told MTD. “They get to meet customers in a little different environment. It’s a good morale-builder.”
The event also connected Shannon Tire Wholesale customers, many of which are small tire retailers, with vendors for one-on-one conversations, as well as product education and demonstrations.
The retail tire market in the northeastern U.S. “is very competitive,” said Jesse. “A lot of big guys are here. But there are still a lot of family-owned (tire) dealerships, which is good.”
“You need to take care of the customer to succeed in this business,” said Herb. “We just try to get better every day.”
