Washington, DC, (April 18, 2022) – FOCUS Investment Banking (“FOCUS”), a national middle market investment banking firm providing merger, acquisition, divestiture, and corporate finance services, announced today that three auto service and repair businesses have been acquired by Big Brand Tire, a one-stop tire and auto repair provider based in Phoenix. FOCUS represented C&R Tire, S&S Tire & Auto, and Community Tire Pros & Auto Repair in this transaction.

The deals, comprising 14 locations, closed in mid-December 2021. They boost Big Brand’s presence in the Phoenix area to 24 locations and to over 165 outlets in Arizona, California and Colorado.

In a recent issue of Tire Review Magazine, Joe Buscaglia, CEO of Big Brand Tire, stat- ed, “Big Brand plans to continue to both infill and expand to new markets adjacent to its current footprint. Entering this next chapter of growth, we have a best-in-class team and the right foundation, built on scalable digital infrastructure, to realize our vision of bringing a strong service culture and leading value proposition to more customers.”

Michael McGregor, Managing Director in FOCUS Investment Banking’s auto after- market group, added, “This was the most unique transaction that we have ever done. We took these three complementary tire businesses, combined their financials into one entity ‘on paper’ that we called ‘Project Cactus,’ and went to market collectively as a 14-location store group. We did far better than we would have done going out separately. My compliments to the owners and to my colleague, Cyril Schlup, for keeping the faith that FOCUS could get this done and for working well together through all the ups and downs.”

Community Tire Pros, owned and operated by Howard and Patricia Fleischmann for the past 23 years, has been known for its philanthropic efforts throughout the Phoenix area. C&R Tire is a family-owned tire and auto repair shop started by Ralph Holmstrom Sr. that has been in business in Phoenix since 1996. It has locations in Anthem, Cave Creek, Phoenix, Paradise Valley, and Scottsdale.

S&S Tire was founded in 1976 by Bob Slagle and grew to three locations over the years. His sons Rob and Dan Slagle will continue to operate their specialty wholesale tire business, Affordable Tires USA, which has warehouses in Glendale, AZ, and Greenville, SC.

“The FOCUS Investment Banking team was able to combine what seemed to be three very complicated deals into one rather simple transaction,” commented Rob Slagle, General Manager of S&S Tire. “Despite being close friends with the other two business owners, I’m not sure we could have pulled this off without the expertise of the FOCUS Team.”

About FOCUS Investment Banking (“FOCUS”)

With more than three decades of experience, FOCUS Investment Banking is a trusted name in middle market M&A advisory ser- vices worldwide. Whether helping to sell, buy, or raise capital, FOCUS strives to maximize the value of every transaction for the benefit of its clients.

FOCUS Investment Banking has been one of the most active M&A advisors in the U.S. automotive aftermarket over the past decade. FOCUS’s Automotive Team has helped dozens of companies in collision repair, tire & service, oil & lube, parts, and auto- motive distribution achieve their strategic objectives. With over 40 years of experience in the automotive aftermarket, completing dozens of successful transactions, our clients trust us to deliver results.

Securities transactions conducted by FOCUS Securities LLC, an affiliated company, registered Broker Dealer member FINRA/SIPC. For more information, visit https://focusbankers.com/automotive/.