2nd quarter 2008           

DeLand company keeps rolling; Boulevard Tire is 26 years and growing

Boulevard Tire employee Rene Salas operates a tread stripper at Boulevard Retread Center in DeLand.

Earl Colvard is a native Floridian. As a young man, he learned a great deal about tires during his 17 years with Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. But after having supervised commercial truck tire center operations in Akron, Ohio, during his last two years with Goodyear, he was eager to return to Florida and to go into business for
himself.

“It was a big decision, full of challenges,” Colvard recalled. “It was 1982 and the facility was a three-bay retail tire store with five employees.”

But time, hard work and good fortune have been good to Colvard. Today, his company, Boulevard Tire, headquartered in DeLand, has 27 locations throughout Florida. The company employs 385 people and generates revenues of $100 million annually.

Boulevard Tire facilities include seven retail stores, 15 commercial sales and service facilities and four tire retread plants.

Boulevard Retread Centers use state-of-the-art Bandage retread systems. Retreads represent a big part of the company’s commercial tire business, which accounts for about 90 percent of its product sales. Each of the retread centers is located strategically to provide products and services throughout Florida. In addition to its retread products, the company offers an outsourcing program that helps fleet managers improve management of tire-related expenses such as mounting, dismounting, wheel refinishing, and information management. Of course, there are other benefits to using retread tires. In addition to lower expenses for the tires themselves, retreads can lower overall running costs. According to Colvard, retreads can save a trucker, fleet manager or company 60 percent or more in tire costs, often delivering 100 percent of the service and life expectancy of manufactured tires.

Earl Colvard is the owner of Boulevard Tire in DeLand.

From an environmental standpoint, there is benefit to getting longer life from tires as retreads, cutting down on the demand for new manufactured tires.

Last year, Boulevard Tire manufactured 125,000 retread truck tires. “In this economy, economy is important,” said Colvard. “There are financial pressures on all businesses, so any time a company can cut costs without compromising safety and performance, it’s good news.” Many market segments served by Boulevard Tire are heavily dependent on quality commercial tires. Among them are trucking companies, less than truckload (LTL) operators, vehicle leasing companies, intermodal transportation systems, the construction industry, and the waste handling business.

The company’s Commercial Tire Sales & Service centers serve fleets throughout Florida. In serving the transportation industry, the company sells and services tires by Michelin, BFGoodrich, Bridgestone, Firestone, Daytona, Yokohama, Continental, General, Goodyear, Dunlop, Kelly and Cooper, all supplied directly from the manufacturer. The company also offers 24-hour roadside service, 365 days a year.

As for Boulevard Tire’s retail centers, customers can find the best brands in the business for passenger cars and light trucks. Among them are Michelin, BFGoodrich,
Uniroyal and Cooper. The centers also offer alignment, wheel balancing, brakes and lubrication services.

When asked about the outlook for his company, Colvard is optimistic. “Of course, there are plenty of challenges out there,” he said. “The economy, housing, fuel costs, health
care costs and more. We feel it. Our customers feel it.”

But through it all, Colvard sees the potential for continued growth. “We completed one acquisition in January and are scheduled to complete another this month,” he said. “We maintain a complete commitment to integrity in everything we do, whether it’s for our customers, our employees or our suppliers. This commitment has allowed us to be successful to this point and we are confident it will serve us well into the future.”