TBC Corporation

What does TBC Corporation do?

TBC markets and distributes replacement tires across North America. It owns private label brands like Doral, runs the NTW wholesale network, and operates the Big O Tires franchise system, but does not manufacture tires itself.

Is TBC Corporation publicly traded?

No. TBC was publicly traded on the NASDAQ until 2005, when Sumitomo Corporation of Americas took it private. Since 2018 it has operated as a 50-50 joint venture between Sumitomo and Michelin.

Who owns TBC Corporation?

TBC is owned equally by Sumitomo Corporation of Americas and Michelin North America under a 2018 joint venture agreement. Don Byrd serves as CEO.

Where is TBC Corporation headquartered?

TBC is headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. It operates more than 100 distribution centers across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

What brands does TBC own?

TBC owns proprietary tire brands including Doral, Multi-Mile, Eldorado, Sumic, Telstar, and Jetson, plus the Big O Tires franchise and the NTW wholesale distribution network.

When was TBC Corporation founded?

TBC traces its history to 1956, when a group of tire retailers formed Cordovan Associates as a purchasing cooperative. It became Tire & Battery Corporation in 1972 and later shortened its name to TBC.

TBC began in 1956 as Cordovan Associates, a purchasing cooperative formed by independent tire retailers who pooled buying power to negotiate better prices from manufacturers. In 1972 the group reorganized as Tire & Battery Corporation, reflecting its expansion from tires into automotive replacement products generally.

The company went public on the NASDAQ in 1983 under ticker TBCC, building a wholesale distribution network and acquiring retail chains through the 1990s and 2000s. It acquired NTB (National Tire & Battery) and Tire Kingdom, building a company owned retail network alongside its wholesale business.

Sumitomo Corporation of Americas acquired TBC in 2005, taking the company private and connecting it to Sumitomo's global tire operations. The 2015 acquisition of Del-Nat Tire Corporation brought additional private label brands including Doral under the TBC umbrella.

The defining modern transaction came in 2018. Sumitomo Corporation of Americas and Michelin North America combined their North American tire distribution and service operations into a 50-50 joint venture, creating National Tire Wholesale as the combined wholesale arm and making TBC a jointly owned enterprise between the two parents.

In June 2023 TBC sold its company owned retail operations, 595 NTB and Tire Kingdom service centers, to Mavis Tire Express Services, exiting direct retail while keeping the franchise and wholesale businesses. CEO Don Byrd has refocused the company on wholesale distribution and the Big O franchise system.

TBC has faced no major regulatory actions or public controversies. As a joint venture between two large parents it attracts occasional industry attention around channel dynamics, since its owners are also suppliers and competitors, but no antitrust or compliance action has been recorded.