Manager Paul Howell and Assistant Manager Mike Nestor have just under two weeks to get everything ready for the opening of Les Schwab Tires on Oct. 18. Under construction for several months the tire store joins the more than 400 locations already in business.
Les Schwab Tires, under construction for several months in the former Huling Bros. used car location at the corner of Alaska Street and Fauntleroy Way s.w. is scheduled to open Wednesday, October 18th.
The store has retail space of 8,500 sq. ft. and six service bays. There is an additional 3,665 sq. ft. in the basement warehouse that will hold product inventories for tires, brakes, shocks and alignments.
The store will employ 10-12 people and additional employees will be hired based on the volume of business.
The new manager is Paul Howell, recently arrived from Midvale, Utah where he worked for Les Schwab for more than 8.5 years, but he's spent 21 years with the company. The new West Seattle store is larger than his previous place.
Do the Les Schwab people really run out to greet customers? "We really do," said Howell. "It's to kind of get an idea what the customer is about. We greet them with a nice smile and ask them the questions to get to what they need before we even invite them into the store."
Howell promises they will come out to greet people regardless of the weather. "You're going to have to see it," he said laughing, "If it's raining, snowing or sleet we'll come out."
The new Assistant Manager is Mike Nestor. He is a recent transfer from Puyallup and has been with Les Schwab for 9 years. He's well aware of how people respond to ice and snow in the Seattle area. "We've got one of the biggest parking lots in the area to accommodate customers and get it put together. We have a group of guys who are existing Les Schwab employees who are transferring in, that will train the crew and they are motivated to service the customer."
The general contractor for construction of the building is Fisher & Son and they are based in Burlington, Washington.
According to the company, Les Schwab will have a booklet, produced with the Washington Department of Transportation, and videos in store to provide customers with information on how to drive safely in winter weather conditions. These materials will be available at the end of this month or early November.
The company is named for founder Les Schwab and is headquartered in Bend, Oregon. The private company employs more than 7900 people in the eight western states where it operates selling tires, brakes and shock absorbers.
