Fountain Tire Holdings Ltd.
TypePrivate
IndustryAutomotive Retail Distribution
Founded1956, Wainwright, Alberta, Canada
HeadquartersEdmonton, Alberta, Canada
Number of locations
164 locations (As of July 26, 2023)
Key people
  • Jason 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 service locations and 8 Distribution Centres in Central and Western Canada. The company also provides tires and tire-related services to commercial truck fleets and off-road vehicles used in agriculture, oil, gas, mining, and construction.

Fountain Tire operates on a 50/50 partnership model, whereby the majority of Fountain Tire managers own equity in their stores.[1] The company has been named one of “Canada’s Best Managed Companies” since 1994.[2]

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.[3]

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

The 1980s included further expansion for Fountain Tire: a move to the new head office in Edmonton and a change in Fountain Tire's 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 a new facility in the South Edmonton, called Fountain Tire Place.[4]

In 2016, Fountain Tire reached its 60th anniversary. The company launched a 60-day cross-country campaign paying tribute to the 1950s with a drive-in movie tour[5] and giveaways of 60,000 AIR MILES.[6]

Today, Fountain Tire operates 164 locations across Canada, from Victoria, B.C. to Vaughan, Ontario.

Corporate

Headquarters

Fountain Tire's corporate office is located in South Edmonton at Fountain Tire Place.[4]

Community Involvement

Fountain Tire supports the United Way, Junior Achievement and local charities in cities across Canada.[7] In 2015, the company donated a 15-seat passenger van to Grow Calgary, Canada's largest urban farm, which supplies the local food bank.[8] In 2019, Fountain Tire CEO Brent Hesje received a Northern Lights Award of Distinction by the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce in recognition of his corporate, community and industry leadership.[9]

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”[10] for more than 20 years.

In 2018, Fountain Tire launched a new brand and tag line, “We’re on this road together,” to reflect a philosophy of partnership across the company.[11]

Awards

Fountain Tire is a longstanding Platinum Club member of Canada's Best Managed Companies (Deloitte), [12] winning its first award in 1994.[13]

Fountain Tire's “Fan Bods ” campaign won three Gold and two Silver awards at the 2019 Clio Sports awards[14] and a Silver Digital – Apps/Mobile and Merit, PR – Community Building at the 2019 Marketing awards.[15]

References

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