At just 20 years old, Paul Day had a job interview that changed the course of his life.
It happened by chance, a friend was involved with the opening of Big O Tires at 220 W Main St. and got him to apply.
“I had some background in mechanics and got a job offer from someone I knew who was involved with opening the store,” Day recalled. “I interviewed on the day they opened and got hired.”
That was on Dec. 14, 1978.
The Sacramento native bought into the business in 1988 and in 2007, Day and his son Josh, who had been working in the shop since he was 14, paid out his partner and became the sole owners.
Besides being able to work with his son, Day says his favorite thing about working at Big O for so long is the relationships he’s built with long-term customers. He also likes helping people maintain their vehicles.
He’s on the company’s National Marketing Committee which meets in Florida twice a year. The camaraderie Day has developed with fellow franchise owners is just another perk of his gig.
The biggest change he’s seen over 40 years is the evolution of vehicles.
“The basics have not changed, it’s still servicing the customers. What’s changed is the kind of vehicles we work on from less technology to more technology,” he said. “When I started there weren’t really computers in vehicles. Now there are computers for everything from the heater to the transmission.”
Another significant difference he says he’s observed is how much more fuel efficient automotives are.
Day says he’s beginning to think about retirement, but it is probably five or six years away still. He currently works in the store three days a week.
When the time comes, he’ll leave running his beloved shop to Josh.
