Fountain Tire

Fountain Tire Holdings Ltd.
TypePrivate
IndustryAutomotive Retail Distribution
Founded1956 (1956), Wainwright, Alberta, Canada
HeadquartersEdmonton, Alberta, Canada
Number of locations
164 locations (As of July 26, 2023)
Key peopleJason G. Herle (CEO)
ProductsTires and automotive parts, sales, and service
Websitewww.fountaintire.com

Fountain Tire Holdings Ltd. is a Canadian tire dealer and automotive service provider with 164 consumer locations and eight distribution centres in Central and Western Canada. The company also provides tires and tire-related services for commercial fleets and off-road vehicles in the agricultural, oil and gas, mining, and construction sectors.

Fountain Tire operates under a 50/50 partnership model, where some store managers own equity stakes in their respective locations.[1]

History

Fountain Tire was founded in 1956 by Bill Fountain. The company started as a small, double-bay garage in Wainwright, Alberta, and offered in-the-field service to farmers.[1] As it grew, Bill Fountain decided to offer local managers 50 percent equity in their stores, a practice still in use today.[2]

In 1976, Bill Fountain was killed in a car accident, leaving behind a network of 19 stores and partners.

In the 1980s, the company moved its head office to Edmonton and adjusted its expansion strategy. On September 24, 1987, Fountain Tire sold 49 percent of its business to Goodyear Canada. By the end of the 1990s, 100 new Fountain Tire stores had been added across Western Canada.

In 2014, Fountain Tire relocated its corporate headquarters to Fountain Tire Place in South Edmonton.[3]

In 2016, Fountain Tire reached its 60th anniversary. To mark its 60th anniversary, the company ran a drive-in movie tour marketing campaign.[4][5]

As of 2023, Fountain Tire operates 164 locations across Canada.

The company has contributed to charitable organizations, including the United Way and Junior Achievement.[6][7] In 2019, CEO Brent Hesje received a Northern Lights Award of Distinction from the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce.[8]

Headquarter

Fountain Tire's corporate office is located in South Edmonton at Fountain Tire Place.[3]

Marketing

Fountain Tire's slogans have included "Home of the Tire Experts," "Winning the West," "Your Alberta Tire Store" and "Trust. Fountain Tire."

Actor and comedian Thom Sharp became Fountain Tire's spokesperson in 1994 and was known as "The Fountain Tire Guy"[9] for more than 20 years.

In 2018, Fountain Tire introduced the tagline "We're on this road together."[10]

Awards

Fountain Tire has been recognized by Deloitte[11] as one of Canada's Best Managed Companies since 1994.[12]

Fountain Tire's "Fan Bods" campaign won three Gold and two Silver awards at the 2019 Clio Sports awards[13] and a Silver Digital – Apps/Mobile and Merit, PR – Community Building at the 2019 Marketing awards.[14]

References

  1. 1 2 "How Fountain Tire maintains its legacy without sacrificing innovation". Macleans.ca. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  2. ↑ "Fountain Tire's unique 50/50 partnership model helped it grow into a Western Canadian powerhouse". Alberta Venture. Archived from the original on 2019-07-19. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  3. 1 2 "Fountain Tire moves into employee-focused HQ". www.google.com. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  4. ↑ Kazmierski, Jack (2016-11-11). "Fountain Tire: Bringin' Back the '50s". Autosphere. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  5. ↑ "Fountain Tire celebrating 60th anniversary". Tire Business. 2016-07-19. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  6. ↑ "Edmonton Chamber Commerce" (PDF).
  7. ↑ "Grow Calgary Gets Gift of Van from Fountain Tire | The Chestermere Anchor Weekly". Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  8. ↑ "Fountain Tire CEO Brent Hesje earns Northern Lights Award". Tire Business. 2019-04-09. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  9. ↑ Makichuk, Dave. "10 travel questions with 'that bald guy, Thom Sharp". www.calgaryherald.com. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  10. ↑ Pawlett, Steve (2018-10-26). "Refreshing Your Brand". Autosphere. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  11. ↑ "Platinum Club members | Canada's Best Managed Companies". Deloitte Canada. Retrieved 2022-04-28.
  12. ↑ "Corporate History". Fountain Tire. Archived from the original on 2016-07-02. Retrieved 2022-04-28.
  13. ↑ Kolm, Josh (2019-05-15). "FCB Toronto wins Gold at Clio Sports". strategy. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  14. ↑ "Marketing Awards ★ 2019 Winner ★". marketingawards.strategyonline.ca. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
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