01/25/2024
It's official: my family and I sold Berg Tire, Inc. last week to Gills Point S Tire & Auto DBA Rolling Rubber. Berg Tire was founded by my grandfather, Earl Berg, in 1985. My dad (Jay Berg) also joined him then and eventually took it over when he retired. My dad bought the current building Berg Tire occupies today in 2000. It was a big jump for the business, but an investment that paved the way to becoming what the company is today.
In 2013, I moved back to Glendive after graduating college. The Bakken oil field was at its peak, and that influx of business allowed us to improve and help grow our team. During that time, we were able to hire Josh Kuehn; he was a pivotal piece in helping develop the mechanical side of the business. We could offer accessories, more mechanical services, and put out some high-quality custom jobs.
In 2020, we hired two key members. Rikki Berg was ahead of our accounting/record-keeping division. Blaine Berg was able to step in as our assistant manager. They have been a big part of our growth the past few years, with Blaine stepping in as the full-time manager with the new company.
This business has been a blessing to our family, and we could have never been able to do it without the consistent support from our community. There are so many great people that I have been lucky to get to know and will greatly miss. Thank You, Glendive, Terry, Circle, Wibaux, and others who supported us over the years. We will forever appreciate you.
Thank you to all the employees that we had over the years; we appreciate the hard work that you all put into our company. The last person I want to shout out to is Jeff Avens; some of you know him as "Truckie." He is the most loyal employee that Berg Tire has ever had; he put in 60+ hours for years and has helped thousands of people in his time at the store. We are forever grateful to him. At 65 years old, he still works on heavy equipment and can run a tire machine better than anyone. He truly cared about Berg Tire; my uncle Scott always joked, "he thinks it "Jeff Tire." It is hard to find people who care that much about the well-being of our business and its customers.
It might be the end of this chapter for my family, but I believe in the business's long-term future. My staff will continue to operate the store for Rolling Rubber. They have an excellent plan in place to keep growing the business. Thank you again, Glendive, I appreciate everything you have done for my business, family, and staff.
Gill's Point S Tire & Auto Service, which is based in The Dalles, Ore., has acquired Glendive, Mont.-based Berg Tire Inc.