My vision for a long time has been to be able to take what we do in this particular location here in Memphis and duplicate it around the country.
Tommy Crenshaw, Vice President of Operations, Premier Wheel Workz

Premier Wheel Workz held its first sales and operations training session for franchised dealers this week in Memphis, Tennessee.

Premier Wheel Workz held its first sales and operations training session for franchised dealers this week since Williamsburg, Va.-based Premier Wheel Rental and Memphis, Tennessee based Wheel Workz formed a new joint venture in December. Staged at the Memphis Premier Wheel Workz super store, topics ranged from the philosophy of retail wheel sales, rental purchase, repair, pricing and support as related to this very specialized product, as well as service and support to dealers, marketing strategies and a variety of other topics.

According to Premier Wheel Workz Vice President of Operations Tommy Crenshaw, the meeting was a huge success. "My vision for a long time has been to be able to take what we do in this particular location here in Memphis and duplicate it around the country. We have a great group of people between Premier and Wheel Workz, some coming from the automotive side, some coming from the rental-purchase side. We are merging the two together to become the best in both industries."

Following the desired model, a high-end wheel and tire store that will sell, finance and offer rent-to- own, Premier Wheel Workz is charting new territory in an emerging industry that, according to The Premier Company's president/CEO Trooper Earle, offers no model to follow.

Following the desired model, a high-end wheel and tire store that will sell, finance and offer rent-to- own, Premier Wheel Workz is charting new territory in an emerging industry

"By opening up this market, we can do so much more volume because between Tommy, Dale and me, we understand the dynamics of both rental-purchase and retail. We can make anything possible for our dealers and their customers. While there are competitors who are starting to offer this combination too, they don't have the depth of understanding of both types of markets – retail and rental-purchase. Their specialty is usually one or the other. Between the three of us at Premier Wheel Workz, we understand this unique mix of RTO and retail. We are opening up a new world and opportunity to say we can service everyone and do it better than anyone else."

Present for training was Chuck Botts who opened his Premier Wheels store two years ago in Nashville, Tennessee. "This is a big change for us," he said. "It's teaching us how to be wheels people in addition to RTO people. That's what these guys do brilliantly."

Tommy Gould opened his Greensboro, NC wheels operation last September and is looking forward to increasing his revenue stream and customer satisfaction. "We'll have a wider array of products and services that will create a greater revenue stream and enhance our ability to grow the number of stores at a quicker pace."

See photo galleries of past Premier Events: Premier Rentals Convention 2007 (159) Premier Rentals Business Meeting 2007 (55) Premier Rentals Convention 2006 (91) Podcast interviews with Premier Company Franchisees: PLAY : Rose Tamoloso - Franchisee, Premier Rental Purchase PLAY : Sandi Whited - Franchisee, Premier Rental Purchase PLAY : Rick Vadnais - Franchisee, Premier Rental Purchase PLAY : John Darden - Franchisee, Premier Rental Purchase PLAY : Josh/Ruben Goss/Flores - Franchisees, Premier Rental Purchase

Keith Slater, Premier dealer in St. Petersburg, Florida, opened last October and is excited about an additional revenue stream that doesn't focus solely on rentals. "The retail stream increases our buying power and makes the bottom line a little more profitable," he says.

Brian Moyer, from American Tire Distributors, attended the meeting and was impressed by the energy of the program. He is eager to watch it grow. "Premier Wheel Workz seems to have the key ingredients, that being Trooper's innovations from a financial standpoint and Tommy's and Dale's combined expertise with Wheel Workz. It's a great launch."

With energy building for this new joint venture as the new year speeds along, the president of Premier Wheel Workz, Dale Ingram, is excited about all that this new entity will offer customers. But he pays particular note to what it will offer dealers. "It was good to meet with everyone and let them know we are really behind them and are going to be there for them. We have the resources and people to help them be a success. The real model we want out there is a high-end wheel and tire store that will sell something, will finance and will offer rent-to-own."

Earle gets the last word. "When we started our foray into the wheels industry as Premier Wheel Rental, I never envisioned the possibilities we would have now that we have joined forces with Wheel Workz. It's an honor to join with them and benefit from their expertise in the industry. The full array of products and services that we can offer together far exceeds what we can do alone, and I'm excited to be partners with them."

The national office of Premier Wheel Workz is located in Memphis, Tn. For more information, contact Tommy Crenshaw at 800.779.3639 ext. 401, or visit www.wheelworkz.com.