December 29, 2016
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania – December 29, 2016 – McCarthy Tire Service received the “Large Business of the Year” award at the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce’s annual dinner on November 15 at Mohegan Sun Pocono in Plains Township, Pennsylvania. The Chamber is a membership organization representing hundreds of businesses and organizations in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
“It is an honor to be recognized by the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce with their ‘Large Business of the Year Award,’” said John D. McCarthy Jr., president. “We are very proud of this area, which is why we decided to build the largest Bandag retread plant in North America just down the road from our headquarters.”
At the event, Wico van Genderen, president and CEO of the Chamber, praised McCarthy Tire Service for staying true to its roots in Wilkes-Barre.
“Not only has the business remained headquartered in the city, but the McCarthy family has left a legacy of community activism, economic development, and philanthropic leadership spanning all four family generations,” noted van Genderen.
The award recognizes McCarthy Tire Service as it marks its 90th year in business. Joseph J. McCarthy founded the company in 1926. He opened the first McCarthy Tire Service store on Main Street in Wilkes-Barre in 1930, and in 1936, he moved the growing operation to a larger location on Scott Street. His son, John “Jack” D. McCarthy Sr. began working in the family business at age 12 as an oil-bottle cleaner, and he rose through the ranks to become president in 1957. Jack McCarthy moved McCarthy Tire to its current site at 340 Kidder Street in 1962. He enlarged the facility, added services for his customers, and increased the workforce.
During the 1980s, McCarthy Tire acquired stores in Kingston, Hazleton, Scranton, and Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Jack’s son and daughter, John D. McCarthy Jr. and Kathleen “Katie” McCarthy Lambert, and sons-in-law, Neil Horn and Gary Lambert Sr., joined the company in the mid-1980s. In 1997, Jack moved into the CEO position and John took over the role of president for the company. Katie became the chief financial officer, Neil served in a variety of leadership positions, and Gary managed the retail store in downtown Scranton. The new executive team has continued to expand the company through both growth and acquisition over the last 20 years.
McCarthy Tire Service now has more than 50 locations in nine states along the east coast, including eight retread manufacturing plants. It employs more than 1,100 associates. The company services thousands of commercial, industrial, and retail customers every year, from large fleets of tractor-trailers and construction equipment to police cars and family vans.
The fourth generation of the McCarthy family – Gary Lambert Jr., Daniel Horn, Mary Kate Lambert, and John D. McCarthy III – serve in sales, operations, and human resources roles for the company, learning the family business from the ground up, just as their parents and grandfather did before them.
At the Chamber dinner, John McCarthy Jr. noted that eighty-five percent of family businesses fail before they get to the third generation. Only three percent actually make it to the fourth generation.
“While so many people are looking to get out of the area and do other things,” McCarthy added. “Our kids have embraced what we’ve all built and what they are helping to build. They all started in this business just as Katie and I did.”
ABOUT MCCARTHY TIRE SERVICE
Founded in 1926, McCarthy Tire Service is a family-owned and operated tire dealer headquartered in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The company has more than 60 service locations and 10 Bandag retread tire manufacturing plants along the east coast of the United States. McCarthy Tire is the sixth largest independent commercial tire dealer and one of the top 50 retail tire dealers in the country. The company offers tire sales and service; automotive mechanical services and repairs; fleet services; truck mechanical services; 24-hour commercial roadside assistance; and retread tire manufacturing. For more information, visit www.McCarthyTire.com.
MEDIA CONTACT
Amy Cameron, 800-724-3506, acameron@mccarthytire.com