important principles of business. “He
said, ‘You treat people right, and you
treat your employees like family,’” said
Rusty. “I've never met anyone as strong,
brave, and fearless as my daddy. He had
looked death in the eye every time he
flew into Germany. He just took the
bad with the good and made the best
of it. Daddy and my Uncle Wallace,
who played major league baseball for
many years, were both denied the
opportunity to go to college because
of their circumstances. But they never
resented those who had it easier. They
helped send their youngest brother
to Georgia Tech. Daddy never held a
grudge. Years later, when his elderly
and infirm father needed his help, my
father forgave him and helped him.”
In August 2000, Rusty’s son Morris
graduated from the University of
Georgia and made the decision to come
home and follow in his grandfather
and father’s footsteps. Morris worked
and managed the wholesale operation
for several years, and then took over
the retail part of the business. Morris
now does it all including buying from
and dealing with various vendors and
manufacturers.
“The landscape in the tire industry
has changed a lot over the past 20
years,” said Morris. “We are now dealing
with vendors that source tires in China,
Taiwan, Indonesia. We frequently
have to buy in full containers making
for logistical issues. We have recently
become a Bridgestone/Firestone dealer,
adding to the Michelin, BFGoodrich,
Uniroyal, and other products we already
offer. Since many of the Bridgestone,
Firestone, Michelin and BFGoodrich
tires are made in the USA, it gives us
a better product offering we can get in
faster for our customers.”
Georgia Tire sells wholesale and
retail. “We sell just about any kind of
tire you can imagine,” said Rusty. “We
install tires and do general automotive
repairs in the shop. We’ve got a large
family of customers, many who have
been with us for forty years, and a great
family of employees. Florence Fountain,
our bookkeeper, has been with us over
30 years; Sales Manager Tim Horton
and mechanic Simpson Sanders over
23 years; Greg Fowler, our Service
Manager, over 19 years; and most of
the rest of the employees over 10 years.
“We are a family business in more
ways than one,” said Morris. “The two
tenets that have served me and served
Georgia Tire the best are: ‘There is
no substitution for hard work,’ and
‘The cool head usually prevails.’” Both
are words of wisdom he attributed to
his father and grandfather. Morris’s
two sons and stepson continue to
carry the family legacy forward in
their work at Georgia Tire. “I hope to
Harry's grandson Morris now runs the
company using two tenets that his
father and grandfather taught him:
“There is no substitution for hard work,”
and “The cool head usually prevails.”
52 TOOMBS COUNTY MAGAZINE