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This is Fred Ball for Zions Bank, speaking on business.
I was recently visiting with Kevin Axelgard, the general manager of Dinosaur Tire Service in Price, Utah. Kevin was telling me about the changes in ownership of the giant tire companies and how the products have improved over the years. I told him about when I was a young high school student, I bought an old 1935 Plymouth and how frequently I would have flat tires. I commented that I remember putting patches on top of patches on my old inner tubes. Kevin asked me how long it has been since I repaired a tire. Well, I couldn't remember. Tires don't have inner tubes anymore and we seldom get flats. Kevin reminded me how people would prepare for an automobile trip by putting a canvas bag of water over the bumper to fill the radiator and place a couple of extra tires on the roof or in the trunk. It was not uncommon to change a tire two or three times on a trip from Price to Provo.
One of the very best values around today is a tire. The price has remained consistent over the years but the quality has improved so much. Tires today can go 60,000 to 100,000 miles. Old tires had a life expectancy of about 10 to 12,000 miles. Seldom do motorists experience tire problems today.
I asked about the retread business. I remember how I would shop for retread tires for my early cars but I don't hear much about retreads today. Kevin said it is still a viable business using hi-tech equipment and achieving superior quality. Retreads are used a great deal for trucking companies, mining, heavy hauling and industrial applications. They are very economical when you consider cost per mile.
In fact, the retread business is really what started Dinosaur Tire. In 1947, Walt Axelgard started a small Chevron station in Price. Shortly after, he added a re-tread shop and to this day, Dinosaur still does a great deal of re-treading in a very hi-tech retread facility.
The family owned business still sells tires but also performs a variety of services including alignment, brakes, shocks, struts and many other services for Price motorists.
For Zions Bank, I'm Fred Ball. I'm speaking on business.
