CARLSBAD, N.M. — Big O Tires franchisees Tim and Terri Hollander recently opened a greenfield Big O store in Carlsbad, expanding their business to four locations in New Mexico.
The new location, on state route 62 south of Carlsbad proper, features eight service bays and 7,500 square feet of space. Carlsbad is a city of about 30,000 located in southeast New Mexico, about 40 miles from the Texas border.
“We are excited to continue to grow, adapt, improve and represent the Big O Tires brand,” Mr. Hollander said. “We look forward to preserving Big O’s heritage while building a legacy for our growing store family for generations to come.”
Building a new store was an “eye-opening” experience, he added, taking into consideration all the various store design aspects, local zoning ordinances, etc. and then having to cope with effects of the COVID-19 pandemic during the final stages of construction and into the opening.
The Hollanders have been Big O franchisees since 2006, starting with a single store in Wickenburg, Ariz., before selling that location in 2015 and buying a three-bay Big O store in Roswell, Mr. Hollander said.
The couple then bought a seven-bay Point S store in Ruidoso Downs and converted it to Big O signage, followed by the acquisition of a five-bay Big O store in Alamagodoro.
Before becoming a franchisee, Mr. Hollander was a store manager for nearly 20 years at the Big O store in Longmont, Colo., working for Big O Hall of Fame Franchisee Mike Lyons, according to TBC Corp., franchisor of the Big O Tires business.
The Hollanders’ Big O franchise is a family affair, with son James Evans and daughter Tori DeTaranto both working in the business. Mr. Hollander said he expects his children and son-in-law Dylan DeTaranto to become partners in the business eventually. A second daughter, Traci, is in college.
Mr. Hollander said the new location, which employs 17, has the potential to generate over $4 million in sales annually.
The Hollanders are among a half dozen or so Big O franchisees in New Mexico, operating 18 stores in the “Land of Enchantment.”
