By Robert Bravender
In nearly any enterprise, talent combined with experience usually leads toward success.
Illinois native Craig Walter became an independent when he took over Don’s Auto Ade Tire & Auto Repair back in 2003, but the time he spent as a regional manager for Goodyear gave him insight into business philosophies and practices years before sharing such info became popular. Heck, he was frequently its source when working with various shops and dealerships. Take the trend of offering car care clinics for those unfamiliar with automotive technology. Walter recalled having such clinics exclusively for women after placing a local newspaper ad — all the way back in 1977.
“Tuesday evenings for women only. I had that underlined,” he noted. “It was an $8.50 ad that I answered for almost two years, and it turned into something great. [Clinics aren’t] anything new.”
Walter joined Goodyear back in 1968 and worked for them for the next 25 years. Starting out in general service, he worked his way up through the ranks, first as a technician, then service manager, retail sales manager, assistant store manager, store manager, etc. Once he became the regional automotive service manager, Walter was involved in establishing Goodyear’s training centers in the Chicagoland area, which included Warrenville, Illinois, home to Don’s Auto Ade.
“Don started the shop years ago when he was a parts guy,” Walter explained. “As time went on he get tired of doing that and got into auto repair, and that’s when I met him in the late ’70s.”
But Don had a reputation with company reps — he didn’t tolerate them.
“He had a Goodyear sign up but he wasn’t selling Goodyear tires,” Walter chuckled. “I stopped there two Fridays in a row to talk to him. I told him I was Goodyear’s regional automotive service manager. By the third time he finally said he wasn’t interested since we really didn’t care about his business. I told him I did — that’s why Goodyear sent me.”
Don then used the excuse that he didn’t have enough room to stock tires.
“So I told his guy behind the counter that I would come back Saturday,” said Walter. “I cleaned up a storage room they had; the next week I told Don they now had space for 50 Goodyear tires. He started buying them,” eventually becoming a …
