Photo / William Hall
VIP operates 59 stores in New England, including this one in Yarmouth. More are on the way.
Updated: August 16, 2019
Driving in the fast lane, VIP Tires changes up management team
Courtesy / VIP
As it expands its geographic footprint, Auburn-based VIP Tires & Service is also restructuring its management team, from left, Gary MacCausland, John Quirk, Tim Winkeler, Allan Kirkland and Scott Pickard.
By William Hall
VIP Tires & Service, an Auburn-based chain of 59 New England car servicing centers, is about to reshuffle its senior management team, and seems poised to make other changes.
The company said last week that the following executives will take on new roles Sept. 1:
- John Quirk, currently chairman and CEO, will become executive chairman;
- Allan Kirkland, chief financial officer, will become CFO of VIP’s holding company, Quirk Automotive;
- Tim Winkeler, president and chief operating officer of VIP, will become its president and CEO;
- Scott Pickard, vice president of finance, is being promoted to CFO; and
- Gary MacCausland, vice president of operations, is being promoted to senior vice president of operations and merchandising.
The leadership moves are intended to allow Quirk and Kirkland to focus on real estate management, new store development and acquisitions, according to a news release.
That's an increasing focus for the 93-year-old, family-owned business, which has recently been adding a couple of stores a year but hopes to accelerate the pace to as many as five annually, Quirk said in a phone interview.
"We opened our first store in Vermont last fall, and we're really in a growth stage," he told Mainebiz.
In addition to the Williston, Vt., branch, VIP has 23 locations in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The rest are in Maine, from Arundel and Sanford in the south to Houlton, Presque Isle and Madawaska in the north.
All but 14 stores are VIP-owned, and the company now does about $80 million in annual sales. That volume has been revving up too, at an annual growth rate of 7% to 10%, Quirk said.
More in store
Inside the stores, there are other changes coming.
About half of the VIP branches have been recently remodeled, and Quirk says the remaining ones will be updated in the next two years.
But he admits tire shops aren't glamorous spots, and doesn't oversell the redos.
"Anyone can have a clean, modern [garage] but the most important thing is investing in the people," he said by phone.
VIP, which has over 500 employees, pays for extensive training of its technicians, according to Quirk. His aim is for those workers to become the go-to mechanics for customers, not merely tire installers.
Tires represent about 35% of VIP's business, with service about 65%. Quirk would like to see that ratio at 30-70.
"This is a relationship business," he said. "We do sell a lot of tires, but our goal is to earn an automotive customer for life."
Roots go deep
The VIP website says the chain is New England's largest privately held automotive service provider and tire dealer. That's a far cry from the company that began in 1926 outside of Boston, and which also has roots in Lewiston.
Quirk's grandfather, Edward Quirk Sr., opened Quirk Tire and Service Corp. in Watertown, Mass., and John's father, Edward Jr., took over the business in 1955. John began working there around age 15, sweeping floors.
He eventually succeeded his father, running what was then a two-store tire company. But its commercial business was dropping, and Quirk saw an opportunity to do more in the retail market.
In 2001, he purchased VIP Discount Auto Center, which was founded by Lewiston native Tom Auger in 1958 as L&A Tire Co. By 2001, VIP had evolved into more of a parts business, with over 40 stores.
Since the VIP name was better known, Quirk adopted it for his business, although the family name is still used by the holding company. Today, VIP still operates a branch in Watertown. And Quirk, 60, has three grown children who might follow in his footsteps.
"I hope someday down the road they all consider joining the company and carrying on the legacy of the company through the fourth generation of Quirks," he said.
Quirky coincidence
John Quirk's tire and service business isn't the only New England automotive company owned by a Quirk family.
Quirk Auto Group of Maine, founded over 40 years ago in Bangor and now run by Jack Quirk Jr., is a chain of car dealerships with 400 employees and additional locations in Augusta, Belfast and Portland.
In Massachusetts and New Hampshire, Quirk Auto Dealers operates 14 franchises. The Braintree, Mass.-based company is headed by Dan Quirk, who bought his first dealership in 1973.
Back in Auburn, John Quirk said he's occasionally sold tires wholesale to Dan Quirk's business, and the two met years ago when John delivered a set of new rubber for Dan's Porsche.
John has "very little to do with" with Quirk Auto Group of Maine. "Our core customer drives an older vehicle or older truck, so we don’t view the dealerships as direct service competition," he said. "Most customers come to us after the OEM warranty period expires, which for most cars is three to four years."
Despite the coincidence, John insists there's no relation between his family and the car-selling ones. "Believe it or not," he said, "the Quirk name is not that uncommon."
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments