HANCOCK COUNTY — A tire retailer is rolling new locations into Cumberland and Greenfield.
The additions mark the continuation of an expansion into Indiana that started in 2015 for the nearly century-old Belle Tire, which has headquarters in Allen Park, Michigan. The company has 108 locations in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.
“We felt we could take our program, our brand, our people, our philosophy and enter into other markets and duplicate that and we felt that Indiana was a great place to do that,” said John Szeliga, vice president of retail operations for Belle Tire.
The company’s Cumberland branch shares a parking lot with Meijer. Szeliga said the location is expected to open later this month.
Greenfield’s Belle Tire will be at 328 Martindale Drive, close to the Comfort Inn just off State Street near the Interstate 70 interchange, Szeliga said. Some site preparation has started, and the store is expected to be open in early June.
Szeliga said once excavation begins, it typically takes about 100 days, weather permitting, before it opens.
“We feel the demographics are right in Greenfield,” he continued. “We think it’s a perfect fit for a Belle Tire location. We’re really excited to be part of the community.”
Belle Tire’s Cumberland and Greenfield locations will follow the company’s typical layout of roughly 10,000 square feet and 10 bays, two of which are alignment pits, Szeliga said. Stores usually carry about 3,000 tires, he added.
The store also will offer a range of other automotive services.
Belle Tire locations typically employ 20 people, Szeliga said.
Ray Turner Jr., director of retail operations for Belle Tire, grew up in Cumberland, about five minutes away from where the new store is opening. It’s a bit of a full-circle moment for the Warren High School graduate, who started working in the tire industry as a teenager alongside his father.
Turner’s parents live in Greenfield. His father and brother-in-law will soon be working at the Cumberland store.
In an interview at Belle Tire’s new location on East 86th Street in Indianapolis recently, Turner said he’s looking forward to being close to home again as he helps prepare the Cumberland and Greenfield stores for their openings.
His focus with the company of late has been on opening stores and recruiting employees. He said it’s always important to Belle Tire to hire from within the communities in which it operates.
“We want to create as much local economic impact as we possibly can,” Turner said.
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"We feel the demographics are right in Greenfield. We think it’s a perfect fit for a Belle Tire location. We’re really excited to be part of the community. We feel we provide a level of service to customers they don’t currently have in the marketplace."
John Szeliga
Belle Tire vice president of retail operations
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