Publisher - The Spectrum Magazine - Redwood City's Monthly ...

The Spectrum . Redwood City's Monthly Magazine
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pendent business. When a customer has any concerns, Alpio can be found in his office
between the front desk and the garage. As Alpio states: “I’m always here. At a big
chain of stores, the manager cannot be in nine places at once. I’m the owner and the
owner is here. And the customers know I’m here. (And, because it is a small business)
I sign both the front of the check and the back of the check.”
That commitment to service pays off. Alpio boasts service to third and fourth generations
of customers. “I served the parents, and grandparents, and now the kids and
their kids are coming in to the
shop.” That commitment to
service continues even though
modern cars have become
extremely complex.
Besides general car care,
General Tire also services foreign
cars, trucks, and diesel
engines. The store also provides
customers with three
mobile service trucks.
General Tire is also environmentally
friendly. Tires are
recycled. Great care is taken
never to spill oil or antifreeze,
and those fluids are also recycled.
All cleaning materials are
environmentally approved.
Alpio also maintains a dress code for his thirty-three employees. The employees all
wear the same beige shirts. The customer is given that extra assurance with the cleanliness
and uniform dress. Most of the employees have been with Alpio for years.
Some even moved from Howard Tire to stay under his employ and are still there.
For someone who is so committed to business, Alpio devotes almost as much time to
the community. Alpio is involved in PAL (the Police Activities League) and helped
with developing the new Youth Center. He sponsored CYO golf tournaments and
sponsored Comedy Nights featuring such local talents as Bob Sarlotte, the announcer
for the San Francisco Forty Niner football team. Alpio served as president of the local
chapter of the Rotary Club, and has been very involved in the California Tire Dealers
Association. Through his community involvement and various associations, Alpio has
helped raise over $1.5 million dollars for charitable and community causes.
Sometimes these connections pay off in ways you never expect. Last month, Alpio
took a holiday trip to Washington D.C. Prior to his departure for D.C., Alpio called
some people he knew who could arrange a private tour of The White House. Alpio
left without a confirmed White House tour, but still managed to have a wonderful time
visiting the monuments, and touring the Air and Space Museum and the National
Archives branches of the Smithsonian. “It should be mandatory that every kid visit
the Capitol before graduating high school,” Alpio contends. I saw the actual
Declaration of Independence.” Clearly, Alpio was moved by the experience.
Then the call came … the call, which would allow Alpio to tour the inner sanctum of
the White House. Quickly, Alpio called the Men’s Warehouse, and as advertised, they
outfitted Barbara in a suit and tie in about an hour. Alpio was taken to the West Wing,
to the Oval Office, to the Cabinet Room, the Roosevelt Room, and the Secretary’s
Office. Alpio was even escorted through the Situation Room, swarming with Secret
Service.
Before he departed, Alpio was even exposed to high drama. A two-seater plane invaded
the Capitol’s no-fly zone, and he watched as the F-16 jets scrambled on a high-alert
warning. “It was very exciting!” Alpio said.
Alpio does, indeed, lead a charmed life.