A Perfect Marriage

left to right - Dale Ingram, President and CEO of Premier Wheel Workz, Inc; Trooper Earle, CEO of Premier Companies; Tommy Crenshaw, Vice President of Operations for Premier Wheel Workz.

“No one can touch us in the market. We now have more to offer than anybody.” Premier Companies President Trooper Earle speaks of the revolution in the wheel and tire industry caused by the recent joint venture of his rocketing franchise conglomerate and tire and wheel leader Wheel Workz, LLC. “Our expertise in RTO organization and franchising combined with the experience and background of Wheel Workz in automotive, retail and marketing has set us up to be unrivaled in this business extending across retail, service, repair and rent-to-own. We complement each other in ways that leave no holes in a business structure ideal for dealers who are looking to franchise and make their successful mark in wheels and RTO. Our goal is to be the place where everyone in town comes for wheels and tires, and we want also to be the company most attractive to entrepreneurs in or coming into this industry. And as Premier Wheel Workz, we now are there.”

Dale Ingram, COO and chairman of the board for Wheel Workz, echoes this anticipation, which he shares with his partner Tommy Crenshaw, CEO/president and member of the board of directors. “The fact that the three of us bring a completely different set of skills excites me the most. We are the only ones in this industry who have this unique mix. I’ve been doing this for an awful long time, and I’m very excited about it!” Dale will serve as the president of Premier Wheel Workz.

Expanding The Premier Companies

Earle sees greater opportunity than he could have imagined for his expansion into the wheels industry, begun three years ago. Broadening his market base to include industries related to RTO, Earle formed Premier Home Furnishings and Premier U-Getcha Cash Services along with Premier Wheel Rentals. “We do franchising well and have nailed down the system to successfully launch and support entrepreneurs who wish to own their own businesses. Seeing its potential, we added wheels as an option for RTO dealers a few years ago and have proceeded with baby steps while building the business model we feel will help dealers succeed. We have that now through our joint venture with Wheel Workz. What we need by way of support on the complex automotive operation, they provide - from retail knowledge within the industry, to service and repair to operational support and aggressive pricing from their wholesale distribution. And what they need by way of expertise in RTO and franchising, which includes store opening and start-up support, financing and HR support, we provide. I am very excited about combining forces with Wheel Workz as it brings a capacity neither company could have otherwise. Neither of us could have scripted a more perfect arrangement.”

Wheel Workz

Dale Ingram, seasoned in marketing and automotive operations, partnered in 2004 with Tommy Crenshaw, a 25-year veteran in the industry, to create Wheel Workz LLC, and the two began the process of franchising the existing Wheel Workz operation. Wheel Workz is a leader and innovator in custom tire and wheel applications – in fact the largest independent distributor and retailer of original equipment and custom wheels in the South. Their slogan, “Where the athletes and stars bring their cars,” accurately describes the thriving business they have built that has, until the past few years, catered exclusively to the retail market. Their success can be attributed to Crenshaw’s wide-ranging knowledge of wheels, refurbishing and manufacturing capacities as well as Ingram’s solid marketing and sales savvy. But they felt they could capture all of the market and not just limit their operation to retail, hence their foray into RTO franchising.

“Tires and wheels are the newest addition to the rent-to-own industry – a $6.8 billion industry as of 2007,” says Crenshaw. “We naturally wanted to see how we might bring it into our operation and so started developing our franchises. We spent quite a bit of time and money on the store design and the look and feel we thought would be most appealing. We wanted our franchises to offer more than other tire and wheel stores by featuring a complete program of rent-to-own, sales, service and repair. The result is our stores are so much more than rent-to-own or standard tire and wheel stores. Our unique combination means more market share, more profit and a better return on a dealer’s investment.”

Despite initial success, rent-to-own and franchising are admittedly less than second nature to them. Preferring to concentrate on their strengths in retail automotive, both Crenshaw and Ingram view the opportunity to team with Trooper Earle, president and CEO of Premier, as a home run.

“It’s the perfect marriage,” says Crenshaw. “We now have two companies and three individuals who all bring something different to the table and enable our joint venture to cover the market. Trooper has finance and administration expertise, not to mention an extensive background in RTO and franchising. Dale is great at marketing and sales and sales performance that has played out beautifully for us with Wheel Workz. And I know the technical side of tires and wheels, an important aspect of the business that gives us an edge over our competitors who come into this very custom, complex world without the knowledge to provide the high quality services demanded in this industry.”

Offering More

Trooper says to expect future Premier Wheel Workz stores to be much more retail oriented than its competitors. “Unlike the other guys in RTO, we will do a lot of retail and high-end custom work but also offer RTO programs and more modest product for those who need it. Our competitors largely focus on RTO and payment plans and not necessarily on retail. Or they only offer retail. Between us, Wheel Workz and Premier can offer it all.”

While they believe free standing locations are the best, Premier Wheel Workz will support dealers in adding wheels and tires to current stores as well as guide them through a stiff learning curve in hopes they can one day branch out to a bigger wheel operation. “We want our dealers to have the most flexibility,” says Earle, “so we will encourage them to eventually focus on free-standing stores with a wide variety of high- and low-end product and cater to the retail and rental purchasers.”

Ingram feels confident about a successful future for Premier Wheel Workz and the invaluable support it will offer to dealers. “What made us want to do this more than anything is that Trooper shares our philosophy on taking care of franchisees. All three of us are passionate about teaching them, walking them through the process. We have proven experience and success and now a business model that can’t help but take off.”

The national office of Premier Wheel Workz is located in Memphis, Tn. For more

For more information, contact Tommy Crenshaw at 800.779.3639 ext. 401, or visit www.wheelworkz.com

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