On May 1, 1944, Elvin Forrest, eager to start his own tire dealership, founded Forrest Tire Company, after 25 years of factory and field experience with Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.

During WWII, rubber was the first non-food item rationed and most of the tires being produced were allocated to U.S. military vehicles, which meant that government authorization was needed to sell tires to civilian customers. Forrest was granted permission to sell tires in Carlsbad or Clovis, NM. After flipping a coin, Forrest set up shop in Carlsbad, NM which years later would became the corporate headquarters.

On January 1, 1946 the company’s name was changed to Forrest Thomas Tire, after Forrest partnered with H. H. Thomas. In 1958, after graduating from Texas Western, now the University of Texas El Paso, and leaving behind promising NFL football careers, Dick and Bob, Forrest’s twin sons, chose to pursue the family business and joined Forrest Thomas Tire.

After Thomas retired on January 1, 1962, Forrest Sr. changed the company’s 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 grown into nine locations throughout Texas and New Mexico.