Boynton Beach tire store has treaded through good, bad in 50 years
Posted: 6:00 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 5, 2014
By Alexandra Seltzer - Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
BOYNTON BEACH — Ruth Besecker remembers Federal Highway in Boynton Beach in the 1960s as a two-lane road with not much going on. When the mall came years later, residents couldn't believe they "had escalators in Boynton."
She and her late husband, Don, came to South Florida from Pennsylvania in their 20s to get away from the north and make a living. It wasn't easy. When the couple opened Goodyear dealer Easy Pay Tire on Federal Highway in 1964, business was slow. Don had many sleepless nights but tried to shelter his wife from the struggles. He worked to get the finances out of the red so he could take home a paycheck.
"And then word got around and people started coming," Ruth said.
In 1970 the Beseckers moved their shop across the street to where it is now, and where on Thursday, Ruth, her son Doug Besecker and the employees celebrated the business' 50th anniversary with local officials and residents who have been customers for decades.
"This is part of our family. It's the store. It's what my brother and I grew up in," Doug Besecker said. "My father, this was his life. He didn't play golf, he didn't go fishing. This was his life and when I came into the business I knew it was my goal to make sure it stayed successful and stayed the way that he ran it."
Don and Ruth Besecker opened Easy Pay Tire 50 years ago in Boynton Beach. Don has passed away, but his son ... read more
Doug Besecker, who with his brother Dave worked at the store as youngsters, left the family business for about 10 years. He came back in 1991, and took over after his dad suddenly died in 2006.
The Besecker family's clientele includes several city officials. When former Mayor Woodrow Hay found out the store was in its 50th year, he wanted to plan something big. On Thursday, the Greater Boynton Beach Chamber of Commerce and Hay organized the party, which ended with a fly-over from the Goodyear Blimp. Four raffle winners will get a blimp ride later.
Hay said it was important for the city to recognize the Beseckers' accomplishment, and had to convince Doug Besecker to let him organize the event.
Mayor Jerry Taylor, also a customer, agreed: "What a pleasure it is to have a company operating in our city for 50 years. I can't name another one. That really means a lot to our city."
Taylor said he hopes this will motivate other businesses.
"They see somebody that has been there for so long and has a good relationship with the city. That tells other businesses that the city is open to being proactive with their businesses," Taylor said. "That's one of the city's responsibilities to help businesses growing in the community."
Friends, family members, employees, and public officials commemorate Easy Pay Tire in Boynton Beach's 50th year of business Thursday, October 2, ... read more
Taylor noted the city is working on the redevelopment of the town square area and awaiting work to start on the residential and retail project 500 Ocean at Federal and Ocean Avenue.
"This downtown here is going to explode," Taylor said. "We're really on the cusp; things are really going to be coming out of the ground."
Ann Alvey, who is a 10 percent owner of Easy Pay Tire, has worked at the store since 1970. She said she thinks the store's good reputation is the reason the business has been able to survive the highs and lows of Boynton.
Easy Pay Tire's 50 years is also special to Goodyear.
"He's worked on vehicles and sold tires to four generations," said Bill Friel, a general manager at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.
Friel said of about 5,000 Goodyear dealers, about 100 have been in business more than 50 years.