About Us
BUILDING AN
Iconic Brand in Canada
Over the years, Big O Tires stores across British Columbia have built a reputation for offering tire value and excellence in customer service. Our story all started the same year Danny DeVito took the helm of a tired old taxi depot on TV, Reeses introduced its ‘pieces’ and Garfield changed our impression of cats forever!
In 1978, Big O Tires hung its first shingles in British Columbia under the newly formed group operating as Big O Tires (1978) Ltd.
Our 40+ year history in BC shows a track record of delivering outstanding service and exceptional value to customers in the markets we serve.
Over the years, more and more independent tire shops and service centres have joined our group. Today, our reach expands as far north as Prince George down to the Okanagan in the south and all the way over to Vancouver Island.
But to borrow from the immortal words of broadcasting great, Steve Harvey, that’s not the rest of the story!
THE START OF Something BIG!
1962
It all begins in 1962…
1978
The brand heads northbound…
Today
Today, a Canadian retail success story…
To appreciate the whole Big O story, you have to turn the clocks back to 1962. Back then, Sean Connery’s James Bond was facing off against Dr. No. John Glenn took a few laps around the planet. Movie Starlet, Marylin Monroe tragically died of a drug overdose.
At the same time, the market in the US for replacement tires was exploding. But independent tire dealers found themselves struggling to compete with major tire manufacturers’ own company stores.
That’s when a handful of progressive independent tire dealers realized that they could band together. By uniting to form a tire-buying cooperative they could secure volume pricing. This allowed stores to compete with the manufacturers. And while able to compete on price, stores could still offer the personalized service customers could only expect from their local service shop.
In the years that followed, Big O Tires evolved into a full-fledged franchise operation throughout the US. The company also continued to find innovative ways to benefit independent dealerships and their customers.
By 1978, word had spread north about Big O Tires success. Independent tire stores and service centres in Canada recognized the value of the Big O model. The appeal of competitive pricing while still maintaining exceptional customer service was a compelling formula.
In 1996, Big O Tires joined forces with TBC Corporation. At that time, TBC was one of North America’s largest marketers of automotive replacement tires.
Today, Big O Tires has over 450 locations across 25 states in the US. In Canada, Big O’s 24 stores in British Columbia serve customers across the province. All of this means we serve the needs of more customers than almost any other retail tire brand in North America. And we’re proud of that success!
You can read more about the US Big O Tires story by clicking here.
BIG O TIRES HALL OF FAME: CELEBRATING THE BIG O STARS WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO OUR SUCCESS
Big O Tires Hall of Fame celebrates the people and milestones that gave forged one of the most respected tire and auto service brands in North America.
While we have had many amazing store owners and service technicians who have come through our organization and served our customers, all contributing to the evolution of our Big O Tires brand, there are some who’s impact has had a profound and lasting effect on our company. These exceptional people, gifted with vision, passion and commitment have helped build our reputation (as we use to say ‘a reputation you can ride on’) in ways that we feel are worth special mention.
This page is dedicated to those ‘Hall of Famers’ who have paved the way to our remarkable success and who’s roadmap we still follow today. We thank them and we celebrate their efforts and their commitment to a vision to make each Big O Tires retail tire and auto service centre a place where trust is always a big deal and customers could always rely on!
To learn more about the history of Big O Tires in Canada, how we started and where we’ve come from, check out our history page by clicking here.
For more on the history of Big O Tires in North America in the United States, click here.
OUR ORIGINAL FOUNDERS
- JACK NISBET
- BILL DONALDSON
- BILL SENFT
- BILL MCALLISTER
- MEL BRADSHAW
- TED STRANGE
- AL SOKALOFSKY
- *GEORGE & PETER PICTON
- GIL BRACONNIER
