Johnny G & Friends

Some revolutions don’t start with a plan. Sometimes, they begin with a loss that changes everything. For Alex Bebiak, Safe Tread Alliance and the Road Ready Foundation began after his 19-year-old son Jackson died. Jackson died in a 2023 crash after his car lost control in the rain. When Alex later saw the vehicle, he noticed nearly worn-out tires. They had worn almost to the legal limit. That mome...

Getting cut from your high school basketball team isn’t usually the start of a tire career. But for Dale Donovan, at just 15 years old, he found himself trading time on the court for time learning the tire industry firsthand. What could’ve been a setback quickly became a turning point. Today, Dale serves as CEO of Donovan Tire and Auto Centers in Cincinnati, where he’s built a reputation around so...

The Indianapolis 500 is one of the most recognizable events in all of motorsports. But in the Indianapolis 500, behind the scenes, is someone away from all that spotlight, preparing and coordinating events with a well-oiled team. That person is Lisa Boggs. Lisa serves as director of motorsports programs for Bridgestone. That means she helps oversee the company’s involvement in some of the biggest...

In this season-ending conversation of Johnny g & Friends , the question that we asked during every interview – How do you work on the business instead of in the business? – becomes the connective tissue for a powerful wrap-up of tire industry greatness. What emerges across these voices is a shared truth no matter the strategy or leadership style. The fact is, growth only happens when owners tr...

When Ed Mitchem joined his father’s business, techs changed tires on the ground with floor jacks. Selling seat covers and curb feelers was part of the daily routine. That was 85 years ago. Today, the Mitchem Tire legacy continues with five thriving locations, a loyal customer base, and a third generation carrying the torch. Ed helped grow the company through decades of change, expanding from a sin...

Kristen and Kent Cristy didn’t plan to take over Reeves Tire in Joplin, MO. But when John Reeves, Kristen’s father and founder of the business, faced a health scare in the late '90s, they stepped in together and never looked back. Kent gave up a future in medicine to help his community stay on the road, learning every inch of the business from the ground up. Kristen brought her sharp attention to...

If you’re in the tire industry in Northeast Ohio, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of TJ White or his business, Tire Source. Founded by his father, Tom White, in 1991, Tire Source has become a fixture in Ohio. It has six locations and a reputation built on service, transparency, and local relationships. TJ worked his way up from the service bays, learning every part of the business firsthand. Th...

Now in his mid-90s, Jack Furrier has navigated more business cycles, met more customer needs, and created more solutions than most entrepreneurs could imagine in a lifetime. He's become a legend in Arizona, with his face practically synonymous with Jack Furrier Tire, but his story doesn’t start with tires. It starts in Parma, Ohio, where a young Jack decided that bagging groceries for $4 a week wa...

Some people take over a family business and stay the course. Brandon Harrell took one and completely redefined it. Brandon’s grandfather Luther founded Harrell’s Tire & Auto 80 years ago. Brandon joined the business in 2005 with big plans. He knew he needed to upend the status quo. In 2021, he bought the business from his father, Charlie. In just four years, he grew it from $4.6 million in rev...

Nate Zolman, president of Zolman Tire, is known for hard work, smart decisions, and adaptability. He transformed the company into a regional powerhouse in tires and truck repair. The Origins of Zolman Tire The story of Zolman Tire begins with Bud Zolman. He built the Indiana-based tire shop from scratch with grit. Nate practically grew up in the shop, changing tires and fixing cars. He learned fir...

Bauer Built Tire & Service has been a family name in the tire business since 1944. Sam Bauer founded the company in Durand, Wisconsin. It started as a small operation and grew into a powerhouse with 35 locations across nine states. Today, the rich Bauer Built Tire history shows the company’s dedication to growth, service, and community. Jerry Bauer stepped into leadership at just 24 years old....

Throughout the year on episodes of Johnny g & Friends , Johnny would ask each guest: How do you work on the business instead of in the business? In this Season 4 wrap-up, find out how each guest answered that. In this episode, hear from this year's guests including  Andrew Firestone ; Bridgestone Golf CEO Dan Murphy ; Bubba, Kim and Pat McMahon of McMahon's Best-One ; Sally Thomas, owner of J....

From humble beginnings changing tires in New York snowstorms outside his single-bay corner gas station to becoming President of Tallman's Tire and Auto Repair, based in Utica, New York, Tim Tallman is cultivating a legacy that beautifully integrates family values with his sharp business acumen. His journey began immediately after high school, fueled by a passion for cars and a keen mechanical apti...

John Quirk is a fourth-generation tire dealer with a storied history. His grandfather started in the tire industry opening Quirk Tire in Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1926. Back then, the business grew with the advent of the Interstate Highway System and serviced mainly commercial and off-the-road tires. But as transportation evolved, so did the business. By 1985, John’s father, Edward S. Quirk, re...

Stacey and Frankie Pugh, president and VP of Pugh’s Tire in Greenville, North Carolina, are the embodiment of what happens when four generations commit to hard work, customer care, community involvement, and adapt to change. Their Grandpa George Pugh founded Pugh's Tire & Service Center in 1945 as a corner gas station known as George Pugh Shell Station, and in 1962 their father Sammy Pugh beca...

Sally Thomas is a second-generation tire dealer with ambition, grit, and heart for the tire industry. Her father, Paul, founded the business in 1981 out of the driveway of their family home, and he and his wife, Sandra, soon blossomed the company into a full-blown tire and service location in Asheboro, North Carolina. Sally grew up working in the business but pursued a career in nursing before mak...

Community makes McMahon’s Best-One stand out from the competition. The company was founded in 1969 by Pat McMahon, who bought out a local independent tire dealer in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, with the help of Paul Zurcher. Pat built a strong foundation for the business, and today, his son, Bubba, who grew up in the tire industry, now owns it with Randy Geyer, a longtime employee. Bubba’s wife, Kim, is no...

Tiger Woods, Jason Day and Freddie Couples are just a few of the names linked to the quality and precision behind Bridgestone Golf – but the man behind the scenes who helped create and catapult the Bridgestone Golf brand to PGA grounds is Dan Murphy, the company's current president and CEO. Dan has a long history in the golf business and is a golf fanatic himself. However, it wasn’t until the earl...

Tiger Woods, Jason Day and Freddie Couples are just a few of the names linked to the quality and precision behind Bridgestone Golf – but the man behind the scenes who helped create and catapult the Bridgestone Golf brand to PGA grounds is Dan Murphy, the company's current president and CEO. Dan has a long history in the golf business and is a golf fanatic himself. However, it wasn’t until the earl...

Andrew Firestone is the great-grandson of Harvey S. Firestone, the founder of Firestone Tire & Rubber Company. Andrew’s last name appears on signs in tire stores around the world, but it wasn’t until the early 2000s that Andrew began to delve into his Firestone roots after rising to fame on the series “The Bachelor.” Since then, Andrew has developed a love and appreciation for the tire industr...

Welcome to Johnny g & Friends. Today, we have a special episode for you: The Greatness Round-Up of Season 3. In this episode, we take one question I asked all of our guests this year and compile their answers into one episode of never-before-heard audio. This year, I asked our guests, “How do you work on the business instead of in the business?” In this episode, you'll hear from: Marc Pons, ow...

You know when someone loves what they do when they speak about it with passion and excitement. With an engineering background and a passion for racing, Cara Krstolic, executive director, race tire engineering and manufacturing and chief engineer, motorsports, at Bridgestone Americas, is one of those people. A native of Akron, Ohio, Cara started her career at Bridgestone as a vehicle dynamics engin...

Dennis King has deep roots in the tire industry at Dunlap & Kyle Tire Company. His dad, Denny started out at Dunlap & Kyle in Jackson, Mississippi, working in distribution for Hesselbein Tire. When Dennis finished his computer science degree at Ole Miss in 1990, he planned to work in IT for the federal court system, yet the universe had other plans. After a conversation with Bob Dunlap, fo...

TJ Beroth comes from a long line of proud independent tire dealers that have demonstrated passion for serving their community. And TJ is no exception. TJ’s grandfather, Tom, started Mock-Beroth Tire & Automotive in 1966 with the Mock brothers in the greater Winston-Salem area. It started as a recapping business and has evolved to 11 retail locations today. TJ’s dad, T, took over for Tom in the...

Matt Jensen grew up in the industry under the tutelage of his father, W.R., who founded Jensen Tire & Auto in 1973 with his wife. In the mid-90s, Matt bought out his father’s share of the business and focused on its growth in Omaha, Fremont and Lincoln, Nebraska. In 10 years’ time, he took Jensen Tire from 10 locations to 21. Throughout the years, Jensen Tire has stayed true to its mission of...