Magazine for the professional tire industry
Issue link: https://mtd.epubxp.com/i/630954
MTD January 2016 Te future of Discount Tire CEO Michael Zuieback says he sees no need to fx a 56-year-old company that isn't broken By Bob Ulrich W hen he joined Discount Tire in 2001 as assistant vice president of strategic planning, Michael Zuieback focused on "capturing the values of the company," as he puts it. Some might say he was over-qualifed, having served as treasurer of the Asia Pacifc region for John- son Controls Inc.; senior manager of foreign exchange and international fnance for Sara Lee Corp.; and credit analyst at First American Bank. Founder and Chairman Bruce Halle had been trying to convince his stepson to join the business for years, but to no avail. Eventually he relented, choosing to greatly reduce a wicked travel schedule in order to spend more time with his family. As the new century was beginning, he felt it was time to see what he could accomplish at the close to 450-store retail chain based in Scotsdale, Ariz. Since then, he has continued to move the company forward, frst as president, then as CEO. In an exclusive interview, Modern Tire Dealer sat down with Zuieback and Halle late last year to discuss their vision for Reinalt-Tomas Corp., which does business as Discount Tire. With more than 900 stores and 18,000 employees, Discount Tire ranks No. 1 on the Modern Tire Dealer 100 list of independent tire store chains in the U.S. Although both were careful not to reveal any specifc plans for Discount Tire in the future ("for competitive reasons," said Halle), they seemed happy to address everything else asked of them. In doing so, they indirectly gave us a litle bit of insight into how they do business. As Zuieback said, "We stick to our own kniting." MTD: Does your company operate under a fve-year plan or 10-year plan? Or do you set your goals on a year-to-year basis? Zuieback: We look at the three-to-fve-year time horizon, and have some goals based around that. But as Bruce has said for years, it's a good thing to deviate from those plans as things happen. Halle: You need a plan. If you don't have a plan you're not going any place. But again, it's adjusted as we go. MTD: Have the tariffs on Chinese consumer tire imports had an efect on your business? Zuieback: Our people have been very proactive on that issue. A lot of our suppliers have moved out of those areas and are produc- ing in other places today. It hasn't been a big issue for us. MTD: How would you describe current tire pricing? Zuieback: I think everybody is in a defationary market, with commodity prices dropping across the industry. Certainly that always makes it more of a challenge in a defationary market. But we've been able to manage on that, stay ahead of the curve. Tat's always something you'd rather not have, but I think we're probably bot- toming out, and it won't be long feature CEO Michael Zuieback personally gave some of the Discount Tire employees rides at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway prior to the Pit Crew Challenge, a yearly event hosted by Chairman Bruce Halle. Zuieback races in various spec Porsche series. 72