History
Because most of the tires produced at this time were being allocated to World War II U.S. military vehicles, a rubber stamp was needed in order to sell tires. Forrest applied and was granted the right to sell in either Carlsbad or Clovis, New Mexico. Literally, the location was decided by the flip of a coin, and Carlsbad, today's corporate headquarters, was chosen. On January 1, 1946, H.H. Thomas partnered with Forrest creating Forrest Thomas Tire. Forrest's twin sons, Dick and Bob, joined the company in 1958. Both sons graduated from Texas Western, known today as the University of Texas El Paso and leaving behind promising NFL football careers to pursue the family business.
Thomas retired on January 1, 1962, changing the name back to Forrest Tire Company. Five years later, Forrest passed away leaving the business in the hands of his sons. Since that time, Forrest Tire has expanded to eight locations (Carlsbad, New Mexico; Hobbs, New Mexico; Lovington, New Mexico; Clovis, New Mexico; Artesia, New Mexico; Odessa, Texas; El Paso, Texas) and a state-of-the-art Bandag Retread Facility in Carlsbad, New Mexico. It is in its third generation of ownership, with the fourth approaching rapidly. Forrest Tire is known for its exceptional customer service and good, honest employees - the keys to its success for over 60 years. Today, Forrest Tire has 182 employees, nearly $40 million in annual sales, 50 service trucks and 2 OTR trucks. The company offers retail tire sales, commercial tire sales, brakes and alignment services, and front end shops. The current owners are Mike Forrest (Odessa, Texas), Paul Campbell (Hobbs, New Mexico), Richard Forrest (Carlsbad, New Mexico), and Bobby Forrest (Carlsbad, New Mexico). Michael Forrest Jr. (Odessa, Texas) and Jeremy Ryan (El Paso, Texas) are quickly taking the reigns. | ||
