Discount Tire, a national tire and wheel retailer, will expand its Iowa presence in July when it opens a second store in Cedar Rapids.
The privately owned Scottsdale, Ariz., company will occupy a 6,900-square-foot store at 1500 Blairs Ferry Rd. NE.
Rob Wise, regional vice president for Discount Tire, said the store will employ about 10 people with a mix of full- and part-time employees.
Discount Tire opened a store in 2014 at 3050 Wiley Blvd. SW. The chain operates 10 stores in Iowa.
Founded in 1960, Discount Tire has grown to more than 990 stores in 34 states, selling a variety of brands.
Founder Bruce Halle opened the first Discount Tire store in 1960 in Ann Arbor, Mich. With a loan from a friend, he purchased his inventory, which consisted of six tires.
Halle could not afford to buy an air compressor, requiring him to run to a nearby service station to fill a portable air tank.
Under Halle’s leadership, Discount Tire more than doubled its number of stores between 2000 and 2014.
Halle died on Jan. 4, having built the largest independent tire retailer in the world, according to the New York Times.