“If we can’t guarantee it, we won’t sell it.”

Les Schwab, Founder of Les Schwab Tires passed away Friday, May 18, 2007, in Prineville, Crook County, Oregon. He was 89.

For the town of Prineville and Crook County, Les Schwab was more than just a businessman. He was also a local icon.
If you grew up in Prineville, you knew the story of Les Schwab tires, and how Les built the company from the ground up, from an early age.

The company has been a mainstay in town, helping it through the difficult times when the timber industry was in a slump.
Les Schwab tires was almost like a member of the family to many. When entering Prineville, one of the first things visitors see is still the broad, blue Les Schwab warehouses bearing the message “Welcome to Prineville.”

The company employs a lot of local folks, but it employs thousands across the west. (The company currently operates more than 410 stores throughout the West, with 7,700 employees.)
Les set standards for running his tire company that most companies in this day and age don’t even bother to aspire to.

While Les Schwab Tires is a profitable business, (The company does more than $1.6 billion in sales each year.) it was more than just monetary gain that was the focus of the company. Through his vision, he created a business based upon customer service and the care of it’s employees. Which not only kept customer and employee loyalty but earned him and the company much respect from many.

Every Schwab employee starts in the same job-changing tires. There’s no preferential treatment. If you want to be a manager, you start out at the bottom and work your way up.
The companies has a profit-sharing plan was a head of it’s time. It’s one that returns half of each store’s profit to those who work there.

Although Les is gone and will be sadly missed by many, the legacy and the vision he built from the ground up, will live on.

A public memorial will take place May 31, 2007.