What's Up Bracebridge Gravenhurst June 2010 - Whatsupmuskoka ...

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Advertising FeaturePhotographs: Sandy LockhartCameron Vanderveer, son of Jamie, is an apprentice at Rocky Island Tire.Chief mechanic Ryan Wagg inspects an exhaust system in the garage.So much more than just tiresBy Sandy LockhartWith the largest inventory of tires inMuskoka as well as offering CAAApproved Automotive Repair Services,Rocky Island Tire Company Inc. has a lotto offer customers.That is just the beginning. RockyIsland Tire Company also sells customwheels, trailers, trailer hitches and accessoriesas well as custom accessories andparts for cars and trucks.Gord Smith, Greg Smith and JamieVanderveer are proud of the success ofthe business, founded in 1990 by thetrio, but believe the success is due to theirsupportive customers. While Gord stillworks at Rocky Island, he sold his sharesto Greg and Jamie, who are now the soleowners of the company.The main focus of the business is tiresales, service and repair. Rocky Islandoffers tires for everything from light passengertruck and recreational vehicles tolawn and garden tractors and ATVs.Rocky Island is an Alliance Tire Professional,which means it is part of a Canadiannetwork of certified, independentdealers who offer a complete line ofAs assistant manager of tires, BertHamblin deals with many customerrequests.Michelin, BFGoodrich and Uniroyalproducts.“We are one of their select outlets,”says Greg. “It means you are dealing witha professional when you come here.”This means Rocky Island Tire employeescan participate in special Michelindirect training that is not available to alldealers. In 2004, Rocky Island was therunner up for the Alliance Group store ofthe year in Canada and then in 2005, itwas recognized as the best store in Canadaout of 150 Alliance dealers.“We offer a reasonable price, excellentservice and top-of-the line knowledgeand that results in the best value for thecustomer,” says Greg, who specializes intires. “We are always competitive.”Rocky Island is known for its ability tofind unique or out-of-stock tires and specialtyitems. Whether a customer is lookingfor wide whitewall tires for an oldercar or a tire for an exotic, Greg and histeam take time to find the right solution.“We don’t always have it here in stockbut we can get it here,” he says, addingthat sometimes they can even get a specialtytire there the same day.Custom tires and rims are availablethrough Rocky Island, from ultra highperformance low-profile sizes for a sportscar to whitewalls for antique cars.“Whether you are 17 or 75, if youwant to dress up your car with customrims, we can help,” says Greg.Rocky Island Tire also has extensivemodern equipment for tire service.“Today, we had a little two-inch,” saysJamie of a tire he was helping a customerreplace. “It was the smallest I’ve ever seen.No job is too small or too big. We’vealways been known for that.”Greg says many customers have difficultyunderstand sizing and other factorswhen selecting tires. “We try to make tirepurchasing a good experience for the customer.We listen to them and match theproduct to their needs,” he says.Rocky Island Tire carries several differentlines of tires so there are manyoptions available.“The wrong tire can result in poorhandling for your car and a possibly dangeroussituation,” says Greg.To increase the life and wear of tires,regular rotations are recommended andas a service, Rocky Island offers free tirerotation for tires purchased at the shop.“We recommend every 6,000 kilometres,”he says. “We look for unusual wearand more.”With three tire technicians on staff,trained and qualified staff use the shop’sextensive modern equipment to installand balance tires. The technicians aretrained to check tires for unusual wearand tear or anything else out of the ordinary,and then inform customers of anyconcerns.“If we see something wrong, we tellyou, just so you know,” says Greg,explaining that when changing or repairingtires, technicians working on the carmay notice other problems. Customerscan be made aware of small problemsbefore they turn into big problems.He stresses that all technicians andmechanics are paid hourly and do not getcommission for selling parts or service.“Overselling is not encouraged,” heemphasizes.In fact, Greg says they have sent awaycustomers who were looking to replacetheir tires, telling them they didn’t neednew tires just yet. “It is quite common,”he says. “We don’t want to sell themsomething that they don’t need.”Rocky Island Tire Company Inc. hasalways been known for alignments butthey also offer extensive mechanical service.The garage has three licensed technicians/mechanicsand two apprentices.Jamie is also a licensed mechanic.“We talk extensively to customers tolearn about their car’s problem,” saysJamie.He explains it is very important forthem to solve the customer’s vehicleproblems, especially the really challengingones.“We don’t like to tell someone that wecan’t fix it,” he says. “We will figure itout.”As a CAA designated Approved AutomotiveRepair Service, there are severalcriteria that must be met.“We send them (CAA) a customer listand they check our reputation in thecommunity,” he says. “We have to sign acontract every year saying that we willagree to the high standards CAA expects.We are happy to be associated with thembecause of their reputation for qualityassurance.”A few years after opening, RockyIsland expanded its services to includetrailer hitches, trailer parts and then trailersales. “We saw a need in our communityfor a hitch professional and thatgrew into a line of hitches and trailers,”explains Jamie.Rocky Island Tire Company Inc.,installs trailer hitches and fifth wheel orgooseneck set ups, plus wiring, brakecontrollers and more.“We’ve become the biggest hitchinstaller in Muskoka,” says Jamie. “Ithink it’s because we’ve always been moreinterested in selling solutions rather thanjust selling product.”An extensive stock of hitches is availableon-site plus others can be ordered.Cathy Holditch works as thefinance administrator at RockyIsland Tire Company.18 June 2010 www.whatsupmuskoka.com
Advertising FeatureDuncan Anderson, trailer assistantmanager, with trailers.Trailers are both for sale and for rent atRocky Island Tire. They sell Wells Cargobrand enclosed trailers.“Their brand has always been aboutquality, like us,” says Greg. “We are notnecessarily looking for the lowest pricetag. These are built well, a good value andreasonable price.”They also carry JDJ and Canada Trailersdump and equipment trailers. SmallPamela Dubeau, parts managerand assistant service manager.utility trailers, by Davidson, are the populargalvanized multi-purpose trailerssold by Rocky Island. Snowmobile andATV trailers as well as ATV bush buggiesand bush burros are also available.Trailer repairs and service, along withannual Ministry of Transportation trailerinspections, are performed by the techniciansat Rocky Island Tire. “Once again,we saw a need,” explains Jamie.Rocky Island also sells trailer accessoriesand parts, including items forrecreational vehicles such as plumbingand electrical accessories plus axles, bearingsand spare tires for specialty trailers.“Once we started selling trailers, thenpeople kept asking for parts,” Jamie says.Carrying custom wheels led to thedecision to offer customers even moreaccessories such as fender flares, backracks, special custom brakes, stainlesssteel exhausts, running boards and more.Truck accessories, including custom covers,is an area of growth.“It is one-stop shopping,” says Jamie.“Get your tires, wheels and specialexhaust all at the same place.”The building Rocky Tire occupies wasspecially designed for the business in1990 and was very modern and ahead ofits time. The showroom is customerfriendly with a waiting room and coffeesupplied in a clean, comfortable environment.“We tried to make it people friendly,”says Gord. It seems to work as they havemany customers who have been with theshop since the beginning.“I’d estimate 70 per cent of our work isrepeat,” says Jamie.Some customers, who have movedaway still make a point of returning toRocky Island Tire for their purchases.“We have amazingly loyal customers,”says Greg.There are also many regular seasonalresident customers who purchase theirtires and have their car serviced at RockyIsland Tire instead of at their permanenthome.“Many feel more comfortable here andenjoy relaxing in our show room whiletheir work is done,” he adds.Gord, Greg and Jamie all agree treatingcustomers right is how Rocky IslandTire grew to be the business it is today.“We treat everyone fairly but also recognizethat everyone is an individual andis treated individually,” says Jamie.Not long ago, a customer pulled anolder low mileage car out of a barn, wantingto get it back on the road for a familywedding. Together the team at RockyIsland got the piece of family history running,had it detailed and cleaned up andready for the big day. It is just one exampleof making another customer happy.Helping customers on a day-to-daybasis is what they enjoy doing. Whetherselling or installing tires, assisting a customerwith a trailer hitch assembly orfinding the cause of that strange soundunder the hood, Rocky Island Tire CompanyInc., has been assisting customerswith their automotive needs for the past20 years. They look forward to servingcustomers, both new and existing, formany more in the future.ResidentialCommercialCongratulations Rocky Island Tireon 20 years of service!Interlocking StoneRetaining WallsSodding & Hydro SeedingSite PreparationsGrounds MaintenanceBox 1556, 200 Maple St.Bracebridge P1L 1V6645-9103GORDON, GINGRICH, HARRIS & FLEMMINGChartered AccountantsAUDITING & ACCOUNTINGSERVICES✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶CORPORATE, ESTATE &PERSONAL TAX PLANNING152- 3 Manitoba Street 7 William StreetBRACEBRIDGEPARRY SOUND705-645-5255 705-746-5828www.cggh.caPARTNERSF. Glenn Gordon, C.A. – Stephen Gingrich, C.A., CFPBrandy Harris, B.Acc., C.A. – Howard Flemming, C.A.Congratulations on 20 successful years!CONGRATULATIONSFROMCEQUENT PERFORMANCEPRODUCTSON YOUR 20 TH ANNIVERSARY.Thank-you foryour ongoing support.www.whatsupmuskoka.com June 2010 19
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