At least 2 tyre dealerships destroyed by Missouri tornado

By Kathy McCarron, Crain staff (TB)

Joplin, Missouri -- A Cross-Midwest Tyre commercial service center and a Goodyear Auto Service Center were among the hundreds of businesses and homes destroyed by a massive tornado that tore through the city of Joplin, Missouri on 22 May.

The twister, considered one of the deadliest in recent history, killed at least 117 in the city of 50,000 people. According to an Associated Press report, the local fire chief estimated the tornado destroyed possibly “thousands” of homes and hundreds of businesses, including a Home Depot outlet and a Walmart store.

Located just behind those two large retail big-box stores was the Cross-Midwest location, which included a commercial truck service center, warehouse and offices. The entire complex-including six service trucks-was decimated by the tornado, according to company President Greg Trum, who was surveying the site a couple of days later. Trum told Tire Business there were no injuries among the 12 employees, who were not in the dealership at the time of the storm, but one employee did lose his home.

The Kansas City, Kan.-based commercial dealership has operated the Joplin location since 1996. Trum said the clean-up process has begun and he plans to rebuild.

Meanwhile, a team of Goodyear corporate representatives was travelling to the city to assess the damage to the company-owned retail store on E. 20th St., according to a Goodyear spokesman. It was too early to set a time table on rebuilding the location. A second Goodyear outlet was undamaged.

Two Allied Oil & Supply Inc. locations also escaped damage, the Omaha, Neb.-based company said. However three of its employees lost their homes.

From Tire Business (A Crain publication)