Courtesy Warren Tire Service Center
By Jill Nagy
“We’ve always wanted to be in the Wilton-Saratoga are,” said Bob Kellogg, president of Warren Tire Service Center Inc.
That will happen in August, when he expects to open a 16th outlet at 573 Route 9 in southern Wilton.
Kellogg said the company has received all the necessary government approvals and recently began clearing ground and putting in foundations and the parking lot.
More extensive construction, by CGM Contracting of Waterford, is scheduled to begin in the spring.
The new facility will be a 6,300-square-foot building with eight service bays, as well as retail and wholesale space. It will be constructed on 5.83 acres across the Northway from the Wilton Mall, in the most southern part of Wilton.
Previously, Warren Tire sought to take over the former Sears automobile service facility at the Wilton Mall. That did not work out and then the current site became available.
Warren Tire was founded in 1983 by Kellogg’s father. It was located on Warren Street in Glens Falls, hence the name Warren Tire.
Kellogg joined the company in 1995. He has since been joined by his sister, senior vice president Denise Potter; his nephew, Derrick Potter, Denise’s son and a vice president; and his daughter, Megan Kellogg. Denise and Derrick take care of payables and Derrick also looks after IT and computer duties and coordinates many facets of the office work.
Megan is involved in advertising and promotion and attending to the company’s charitable and humanitarian work.
Kellogg said one of the major charity projects is Wait House in Glens Falls, a shelter for young people with problems transition into the community. Kellogg helped found the facility and serves on its board.
Last November, the Tire Industry Association recognized Warren Tire for its philanthropic work. “They flew my daughter and me out to Las Vegas,” he recalled, and gave them a plaque and made a donation to their charity.
When the new Warren Tire outlet opens, an additional seven people will be added to the company’s payroll. Kellogg expects that number to grow to about 11 employees. The company presently employs 131 people at its 16 locations in six counties. Finding qualified employees is “sometimes a challenge,” he said, but their policy of promoting from within helps attract good people.
Kellogg said the company already has several large accounts in the Wilton and Saratoga area: the Saratoga School District, the New York Racing Association, the Saratoga County Highway Department, and a Target warehouse, among them. Currently, they service those accounts through their Clifton Park and Glens Falls outlets.
“We are really looking forward to being in Wilton,” Kellogg said.
He can be reached at the company’s corporate headquarters on Highland Avenue in Glens Falls. The telephone number is (518) 792-0316.