How They Make It: Coker Tires
Harold Coker started Coker Tire Co. in 1958 with the goal of providing rare and obsolete vintage tires to antique car collectors. By 1974, it had evolved into primarily a BFGoodrich dealership with a small division for the vintage tires-a division he put under the control of his son Corky. At the time, the vintage division had 500 square feet of floor space, one employee, and represented less than 5 percent of the company's total business. Today, the vintage rubber division accounts for 95 percent of the business, has 40 employees, covers 95,000 square feet of space in six buildings, and ships tires everywhere in the U.S. and to more than 32 foreign countries. Coker does its own manufacturing in both the U.S. and overseas and makes everything from skinny tires for vintage cars to retro drag slicks. The company is the exclusive distributor of BFGoodrich Silvertown, Firestone and Firestone Wide Oval, and U.S. Royal vintage tires and even makes tires for bicycles and scooters.-Rob Kinnan