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WHITBY FREE PRESS WHITBY FREE PRESS, DURHAM MOVES. NOVEMW \GE IA 530 Dreyer Drive Wesi Ajax, Ontario 427-4141 GREA T SUBS SOFT ICE CREAM IIOT DOGS More than a Sub Shop... want it al but don't want to pay for it Avalable at: POSHAWA-WHITBY 420 Glen HII Drive at Dundcis St. E. Whitby 430-2350 Good dvie helpedbuild tersley Tire lotGo ofesihlariies. By MIKE JOHNSTON Bob Attersley was 27 when he opened bis first Attersley Tire store in Whitby on April 1, 1960. The store was open from 7 a. m. to 7 p.m., six days a week and Atter- sley was involved in ail aspects of the business, including handlling the books on Sunday, while playing. hockey for Kingston in the Eastern Professional Hockey League. Today, Attersley is 54, mayor of Whitby and bas eight Attersley Tire locations -one in Kingston, tbree in Oshawa, tbree in Toronto and the original store in Whitby. "I have neyer had a duli day. Witby bas been just great to me," says Attersley, who moved to Whit- by fromn Oshawa in December, 1958., Tire business first suggested in Oslo It was also in 1958 that Àttersley as a member of the Whitby Dunlops, won a gold medal in the world hockey championsbips in Oslo, Norway. "I was working for Dunlop Tire at that time, doing a lot of promotion work for tbem. 1 must bave gone all over Canada," be recalis, as be sits bebind bis desk at the Wbitby municipal building. It was during the trip to Oslo that Attersley was approacbed by Bil Hanna, sales manager for Dunlop, wbo brougbt Up the idea of Atter- sley opening a tire store. "I didn't know anything about tires then. I bad tbought about a career in real estate," says Atter- sley. But after competing as a member ALERNATOR - 2 Vtu- 75 Affi BATTERY - SOS Ampffipo r«Woe Fm BOX - Oom»eWd WUIs4 St1"E.paddr BIRAKE(S) - pw - Fom ci10. BE RItI'I CORROSION à ANTI-CHEFPAOTECEEON FUELTANE - 57 UT. (2-5gUIRflW mwltd 588 cp GLASS.TETEO - 8 if'IR EEAER - w9SUSIS LW bME1SSAGE àS1NDER NDCATORffNS- RADIO. un mSnuUrmi>ETRu'2dggfta SEAT. RENCM SJIOCK ABSORR$ -1- .OuL N,3HO'J'y .-rbntAr« STEERINO - .dt" urI ioe¶type TRANMUISION -S5psed wT.lB mUnf WINOSHIES.OWU'ERS - 2- ipmied" RiM mzwmOU' of the Canadiari Olympie hockey team at the 1960 Squaw Valley Win- ter Olympics in California, "I opened Up Attersley Tire." The store was located at 401 Dun- das St. E. Then, Witby bad a population of 15,000. In that first year Attersley Tire grossed Eight stores now gross $17 million In 1987, the eight Attersley Tire stores are expected to gross $17 million. The Wbitby store moved to its present location at 103 Dundas St. E. in 1967. "I bad a lot of support tben from Dunlop Tire and people such as Don Wilson of Whitby Motors (forerun- ner of Gus Brown Motors) and Harry Donald (owner of a car dealership that eventually became Nurse Cbev-Olds). By 1,964, Attersley was ready to expand. He decided to open a com- mercial truck brancb of Attersley Tire. "There were a lot of trucking companies in Oshawa at that time," says Attersley, noting all were interconnected to General Motors. It was from the Oshawa base be expanded the commercial end of Attersley Tire. Attersley was familiar with the Kingston area from hockey. 50o in 1969, be expanded bis business there. opening a retail outlet for cars and a commercial outlet for trucks. Fie also opened a plant wbich replaced treads on worn-out tires. "We wanted to move east and 2 WHEEL DRIVE PICKUPS MIDSIZE DAKOTA COMPACT HAN DLING, FULLSIZE PERFORMANCE As Low as $9,7 20 Make Vour Best Deal During Fast Start -'88 SINGVAR M OTORS LTD. 'c1428 KIMO 31.9 EAST, OSHAWA 7 2 - 1 7 2 3 1 7 E oy Rdo Hu.No 2 serve the Montreal-Toronto corridor," says Attersley. Then, in 1972, the Kingstoni plant moved to Kingston Township, into a $350,000 building which Attersley calîs 'elaborate." By 1969, Attersley was able to devote his time to the sales end of the business. It was also during the 60's, in 1964, that Attersley became in- volved in municipal politics. That decision was partly due to Attersley leaving hockey in 1960. I was always used to a diver- sified life," he says of his decision to run for councillor. Fie also believed it was his way of giving something back to a Town that had been so good to him. Fie became councillor in Decem- ber of 1964. He left municipal TABLE 0F CO NTENTS Paýgrte,2Ai mo)n' (iar I>use aCi", politics in 1972 but returned in 1976. In 1975, when Dunlop closed its doors in Wbitby, Attersley Tire's new supplier became Goodyear.1 The stores also offer Bridgestone and Michelin Tires. In 1977, Attersley purcbased Red- lèrn Automotive Supply in Toronto1 and opened bis first Attersley Tire store in Toronto. Keeping politics and business separate Attersley says be bas no dif- ficulty keeping bis business and political life separate, declaring a conflict of interest wben the need arises. But business is more competitive in Kingston and Toronto than in Wbitby. "That's perhaps because of my political situation here, " be says. But no matter bow hectic bis life was as co'nceillor, it became twice as busy when be ran for and won th-ese6at of mayor in Dece'mber. 198(). Fie says he was well aware of the lime commitment involved as mayor of a mnunicipality and also well aware that he had to maintain a bhigb , level of service" throughout the Attersley chain. So. in 1980, be offered profit-sbaring to his estimated 180 employees. "That way everyone becomes a boss. Wben I became mayor in 1980 1 knew it wouldýtake a lot of time." Attersley estimates he spends 16 hours a week with bis business and 60) hours a week as mayor of Wbit- by. 'Running a business and town, there is a lot of variety and 1 neyer get tîred of it. But there are also a 1Attersley attributeshisces to many reasons, from employees to staff to dealing witb the public. '&I ha d good advice from people in the business and I have the proper staff at Attersley Tire. 1 think I'm just 'one of the boys' to themn because I-have doneeverythiflg they are doing." He also attributes success to a belief that a business should con- stantly be upgrading its service for the customer. Along with the eignt Attersley Tire locations, there are also 41 service trucks available 24 hours a day for road emergencies. When Attersley rnoved bis headquarters from Greyburn Rd. in Oshawa to the Thornton Plaza earlier this year, he introduced a dial-a-ride service to pick customers up and drop them off Don 't stop, just keep looking ahead when their vehicles were ready. 'You can't stop in business. You have to keep growing. If you don't. someone is going to take you out of there." Fie also credits bis wife of :32 years, Joan. with wbat he bas ac- complished. Today Attersley is chairman of the board of the Attersley Group qf Companies, an umbrella cor- poration that includes Attersley Tire Service Ltd., Attersley Family Properties Inc., Attersley Automotive Inc. and Inter-City Bandag Ontario Mt. As for the future of Attersley 1Tire. Attersley can only see one direction -"forward." E: AUTO NEWS -"!" al ak-bot PICKUPSooo NOW AVAILABLE FOR 88, the 3.9LT V6 E.F.I. Lii VT i