Business & economy

Longtime Ontario tire business gears up for move across town

Ontario’s Commercial Tire will move to a new location soon. (The Enterprise/Les Zaitz).

ONTARIO – Commercial Tire will be getting a new home on the east side of Ontario under plans submitted to city officials.

The tire store, now situated at 273 E. Idaho Ave, will go on a two-acre lot at a new intersection the city will build by extending Southeast Goodfellow Street south to Southeast Fifth Avenue. The street now dead ends at a spot between Waremart and Aaron’s, an appliance store.

Construction is expected to start later this year.

Company officials at Commercial Tire’s corporate headquarters in Meridian, Idaho, didn’t return calls about the plans.

According to the company’s website, J.R. “Bob” Schwenkfelder founded the company in 1968.

“In 1963, as a broke college student, Bob got a job at a tire company. Two years later, he went to work for Firestone,” according to the website.

Subsequently, the company has grown to 44 outlets across Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Utah.

Contact Editor Les Zaitz by email at [email protected].

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