Magazine for the professional tire industry
Issue link: https://mtd.epubxp.com/i/567620
MTD September 2015 Tire Dealer of the Year clothing and toys for Castrejon's children. Tey stocked the kitchen with groceries. Afer spending a single night in a hotel, Castrejon and his children had a new place to live, and they remain there today. "Everybody just went in together," Benton says. 'Te only model I know' Benton no longer owns the service station where he got his start, but he's built Black's Tire to operate in much the same fashion. Just as he and Dianne added bits and pieces to their original business to survive, Black's Tire covers the landscape of the tire industry. "We don't specialize. We try to serve," Dianne Benton says. Black's Tire Service Inc. is the umbrella company for four business divisions: Black's Tire & Auto (retail), BTS Tire & Wheel Distributors (wholesale), Black's Commercial Sales and Carolina Retread. Benton additionally owns Ricky Benton Racing (RBR) Enterprises. Covering all the bases is a necessity, Benton says. "It's dependent on the mar- Freddy Norris, left, shows Ricky Benton a torn-up tractor tire owned by a customer who couldn't aford a new tire. So Norris sold him a used tire at minimal cost. Norris manages the original Black's Tire store in Whiteville, N.C., and is the frst manager Benton ever hired. 38