Our Community: Robert Ballard, Chapel Hill High School Automotive Teacher

Aerial photo showing green trees and buildings

“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.”

William Arthur Ward

Think back on your time in school, and the teachers you had. You may not even remember quite  a few of them. But it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll remember a great teacher, the one that inspired you to do more than your best — not just to learn, but to become more, and transform into a better person for it.

We’re blessed to have many teachers like that in the Chapel Hill area, inspiring our kids to greatness and preparing them for bright, productive futures. And today, we’d like to tell you a little more about one of those teachers in particular: Robert Ballard, Chapel Hill High School’s Automotive Instructor.

Robert has lived in the Chapel Hill area his entire life and has been teaching our kids for the better part of 17 years, but it was only recently that he moved to teaching high school classes. 

Robert Ballard

“I’ve really enjoyed making the change from teaching college classes to high school. At the high school age, a lot of kids are making those big life decisions — where to go to college, or whether they should really be going to college in the first place. I find it really rewarding to help the kids at that crucial time in their lives.” says Robert, adding that “The perception is starting to change about what options are available to students coming out of high school. We’re really trying to educate kids on all their options, from college to tech school to apprenticeship programs and more.”

For Robert, those options go hand-in-hand with working with local businesses. “Chapel Hill Tire has been a big supporter of the automotive program [at Chapel Hill High School] for years,” says Robert. “They’ve come out and talked to our students quite a few times, helped me certify my program, supported the racing team, and even hired a lot of our students right out of high school. They’re a great business partner, and I love working with them.”

And even though the state-level curriculum might be a bit behind the times, Robert is always looking towards the future of the automotive industry while he’s preparing his students for life after graduation. “The automotive industry has changed a lot, and it always keeps changing. These days it’s more about computers and electronics, and it’s less mechanical — and with that comes different ways of teaching, to help these kids be prepared to do well in automotive in the future.”

We’re honored to be able to partner with Robert and Chapel Hill High School to keep these programs running smoothly, and look forward to many more years to come. Robert is a runner up for Teacher of the Year this year, and we wish him the best of luck as he continues to inspire and educate our brightest young minds!

Our People: Mike Storey, Director of Training

a wrench set and a hat beside a sticker with a smiley face and the words drive happy

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty.”

Henry Ford

If variety is the spice of life, then learning must be the meat and potatoes. Whether you’re 14 or 40, continuing to grow and learn is what gives life substance, keeps your mind and body sharp, and gives you something to look forward to every single day.

And these days, becoming a lifelong learner isn’t just a way to invigorate your daily routine. It’s also a necessity in any career field — but especially one as fast-moving and ever-changing as the automotive industry.

Mike Storey

Mike Storey, our new Director of Training for all of Chapel Hill Tire’s locations, knows a lot about how the industry is changing. And with a whopping 21 different ASE certifications to his name, he also knows a lot about what it takes to be a lifelong learner, and how to pass that on to a whole new generation of technicians.

“I went into a tech school program right out of high school, and I’ve basically been working in automotive for my entire adult life,” says Mike. “It’s always interesting, because there’s always a new challenge, and so many opportunities for improvement. That’s a big part of what I’m hoping to bring to Chapel Hill Tire as their Director of Training.”

More than anything, Mike wants to bring a big understanding of the “why” behind everything to Chapel Hill Tire’s technicians. “That’s really the foundation of the whole training program. You know, today’s car is basically a rolling computer network, with 120 or more modules — and you have to know the ‘why’ behind all of that to be a really great technician.”

And how do you really incorporate that Striving for Excellence into work? For Mike, that means looking at including ASE certifications as part of the promotion plans at Chapel Hill Tire. For motivated and curious team members, there will always be something new to work on, and Mike wants to give them a variety of ways to advance their careers in the automotive industry.

“Chapel Hill Tire has already put a lot of effort into Striving for Excellence, and I want to continue to make that available to more people. I’d really like to see some of our technicians become ASE Master certified. That will take a lot of custom training and fine-tuning — and a lot of time — but I know it’s worth doing.”

For those team members who want to pursue an ASE Master’s certification, it will take a lot of studying! Each Master’s certification covers eight different areas, with tests for each part. We’re lucky to have someone as experienced as Mike to help guide our techs through each phase of the testing process.

We’re so happy to have Mike as a new member of the Chapel Hill Tire family, and he feels the same way: “I’m happy that Chapel Hill Tire has picked me for this job, and I’m looking forward to continuing to be a part of watching this company and its people grow.”

Our Values: Striving for Automotive Service Excellence

Chapel Hill Tire Values

When you go to get your car worked on, how do you know that the business you choose is up to par? And how do you know that the fine folks working on your vehicle really know their trade inside and out, and are capable of getting you back on the road without a hitch?

An auto shop’s reputation goes a long way toward reassuring you on these matters, but it’s only part of the story. To know that you’re getting the best service possible for your car or truck, you’ll need to look towards the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence, or ASE.

Established in 1972, the ASE is an independent non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of vehicle repair and service. They’re the gold standard for automotive service certifications, and their chairman Homer Hogg has this to say about the purpose of the ASE:

“[Our] focus on the advancement of service professionals through testing and certification benefits employers, consumers, and most importantly, service professionals themselves.”

And as part of our commitment to Striving for Excellence in everything we do at Chapel Hill Tire, our service technicians have been getting ASE certified at a downright impressive rate. In 2022 alone, we added a total of 51 new ASE certifications — increasing our total to 141 certifications company-wide, with many more to come in 2023.

That means when you take your car in to one of our 10 Chapel Hill Tire locations, you know you’re taking it to the absolute best service technicians around. But even after earning their ASE certifications, our technicians want to go farther, always learning from the latest techniques and technologies to increase their skill levels.

Mike Storey, our Director of Training that you’ll also meet in this month’s newsletter, is a huge part of what makes our training programs at Chapel Hill Tire so special. As part of his plans for our service technicians’ continued training, he’s building in ASE certification into promotion plans that every team member can strive towards. And he’s perfectly situated to do so, as he is an ASE-certified Master technician with a whopping 21 individual certifications, on everything from diesel engines to advanced performance and hybrid vehicles.

All in all, we make a point of Striving for Excellence in everything we do here at Chapel Hill Tire, and we’re looking forward to seeing Mike pass on his knowledge and expertise to our many ambitious team members. That way whenever you visit one of our 10 locations, you’ll know through and through that you’re getting the best possible service for your car, and the best customer service experience that we can provide, every time!

Our People: Ben Moore, Service Advisor

photo of a set of wrenches beside a bumper sticker with a yellow smiley face that reads "Drive Happy" and a blue ball cap with a yellow smiley face

Service advisor at our Durham location

“As a service advisor, you know, we take phone calls. We ask what people need to bring their cars in for, maybe ask about previous work that’s been done on the car,” says Ben Moore, one of our long-time team members at our Durham location. “But what’s really important is that we always make time to have more than just a business transaction with everyone that comes in. We want to build real relationships with people, and I feel like Chapel Hill Tire’s values really make that possible for me.”

Ben grew up in the Durham area, and worked at a few other shops before making the switch to Chapel Hill Tire. “I’ve been working here for nearly 10 years now, and I can tell you that I have been truly blessed to find this company. I’m working with a lot of guys that I grew up with, so I’m never dreading Mondays. It’s fun coming in to work here, and I feel like I’m just spending the day with my family.”

In his decade of work as a service advisor, Ben has come to embody all of Chapel Hill Tire’s values — but none more than the value of Striving for Excellence. With the support of his managers, he’s constantly setting new goals for himself in the workplace, and pushing himself to be the best team member he can possibly be.

That enthusiasm for striving for excellence has even carried over into Ben’s personal life, especially in his role as a coach for a little league traveling baseball team. “I’ve started taking the same values that we have here at Chapel Hill Tire, and incorporating them into my kids’ baseball team ethic. It’s amazing how well the kids respond to this, you know? They pick up right away on how following a few values makes everybody’s life better, makes us into a better team.”

Ben goes on to say that “The one thing that really changes when you start to live by these values, at home and at work, is that a makes a real culture of excellence. Then when you bring somebody new into your team, your family, your life, they get a feel for how things work right off the bat. That changes everything, especially when you compare it to people who don’t seem to have a set of values to live by.”

And after 10 years of successful work as a service advisor, Ben is looking towards a long and fruitful future with Chapel Hill Tire. “I’m trying to become a manager soon!” He says with a laugh and real enthusiasm, “Only problem is, I really love what I do as a service advisor. But I’m going to take some of the leadership classes that Marc is offering, and use them to better myself both at work and at home.”

Like so many members of the Chapel Hill Tire family, Ben has gone the extra mile to embody our values. And true to style, he really sums it up best: “There’s nothing better than having a great culture and a great group of people that you know have your back.” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves, Ben, and we wish you the best of luck with continuing to strive for excellence in your life at home and at work.

Our Community: 12 Days of Kindness

Aerial photo showing green trees and buildings

“Those who are happiest are those who do the most for others.”

— Booker T. Washington, American educator and Presidential advisor

When we think of community, the first thing that comes to mind is giving back. Whether that’s as simple as sharing a friendly smile when you walk through the doors of one of our Chapel Hill Tire locations, volunteering to help local animals in need, or giving our support to one of our many local organizations, we’re always looking for ways to repay the kindness, generosity, and kinship that our communities have given to us.

This December, we continued a long-standing tradition of giving back: Our 12 Days of Kindness.

Leading up to the Christmas season, we took nominations from our communities for 12 people to be awarded $1,000 in free car care. It was tough to narrow down the nominations to just a dozen — but in the end, we’re so thankful and grateful for the people we were able to reach out to with an act of kindness for the holiday season.

Those include people like:

John Rugabo of the Refugee Support Center in Carrboro, one of our long-standing community partners. His work has been essential in helping those in need in our communities, by distributing clothing, food, and other essential items to the people who need them most.

Judy Taft, an occupational therapist with boundless energy for helping the less fortunate by delivering food, providing assistance with transportation, and serving up meals at the Interfaith Council Community Kitchen.

Nikkima Santos, a community leader and liaison between her public housing community and the local police, who also somehow finds the time to organize neighborhood cleanup events and help deliver food and clothing to neighbors in need.

For every person that we’ve selected, we’ve also made videos highlighting who nominated them for the act of kindness, and a little bit more about what makes them such a special member of our community.

Each of the 12 people we’ve selected for our 12 Days of Kindness exemplifies what it means to really treat your neighbors like a family, and we’re so grateful to be able to give them a helping hand. The success of this project is a testament to the power of small acts of kindness to make a big difference.

If you’d like to know even more about the event and each of the people chosen for our 12 days, you can check them out on our 12 Days of Kindness website or Facebook page.

Our News: Celebrating A Rare Milestone

Five hundred thousand miles: That’s about 200 trips from New York City to Los Angeles, a solid eight trips around the entire Earth, or just over enough miles to make a round trip to the moon and back.

It’s common for a car or truck to rack up a couple hundred thousand miles in its lifetime. But a half a million miles? That’s downright amazing, and something well worth celebrating.

Allison Alger decided to do exactly that for her beloved 1999 Toyota Corolla, in a multi-day event combining celebrations for Veteran’s Day and her car’s momentous milestone, with crowds of up to 100 revelers visiting from all over the country.

Allison Alger

The Corolla’s journey with the Alger family began back in 2005, just after they had moved back to the U.S. and settled in the Triangle. Originally, they were looking for a car for their 15 year old son. And it just so happened that an old friend of Allison’s, her former roommate from the Navy, was getting ready to sell her Corolla and trade up to a Volvo.

“Normally you don’t want to buy from friends,” says Allison, “You know, you don’t want to put any stress on your friendship if there’s something wrong with the car. But I knew her, and how well she took care of her vehicles.”

So the Algers bought the Toyota right away — not knowing that pretty soon, their son would hit his growth spurt and shoot up to 6 feet 3 inches tall! Having quickly outgrown the Corolla, Allison decided she would make it her vehicle instead.

In the intervening 20 years or so, that car has taken Allison faithfully back and forth to her job at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., week in and week out. And just as regularly as she’s driven back and forth to Virginia, Allison has been taking the Corolla to Chapel Hill Tire for routine maintenance.

“There’s only one major part that’s ever had to be replaced,” says Allison, “the radiator. And wouldn’t you know it, it went out when I was on the road and pretty far from home. So I called up Chapel Hill Tire right away, and Brad helped me figure everything out, right there on the phone, even though I couldn’t make it to their shop. He helped me get enough water in it to limp it to a garage that he found, and they got it replaced for me right after that.”

Besides that radiator trouble, the car is in excellent shape. “There’s nothing wrong with it,” says Allison, “The heat still works, the A/C still works, windows still work. It burns a little bit of oil, but that’s about it,” a condition that she attributes to the excellent, consistent work of the specialists at Chapel Hill Tire.

To celebrate their car’s years of faithful service, the Algers planned well in advance, renting out the Rigmore House for the duration of Veteran’s Day Weekend. It was a truly unforgettable three day bash, complete with food trucks, an Elvis impersonator, a band, a DJ, and oil change giveaways provided by Chapel Hill Tire.

So how many more miles does the Corolla have left in it? “I think it has a lot left in it,” says Allison, “And I trust that Chapel Hill Tire is going to help me keep it running right.”

Our congratulations to Allison, her trusty Corolla, and the whole Chapel Hill Tire family that helps to keep it in such great shape!

What’s Up With That? Why Winter Weather Can Kill Your Car’s Battery

There are few things more frustrating than waking up early on an icy cold day, heading out to your car, turning the key — and getting a whole lot of nothing. A few clicks, maybe the start of a turnover, but no ignition.

Unfortunately, finding your car battery dead on a cold winter’s day — even when it seemed to be working fine just days ago — is a fairly common occurrence. Here’s why it happens.

Car Batteries and Sponges

When you open up a new kitchen sponge fresh out of the pack, it’s as ready to go as it will ever be. Just a touch of soap and water, and it’s the right tool for cleaning dishes, countertops, and even the burnt bits at the bottom of your stove.

For another few days or weeks, that same sponge will handle your cleaning jobs admirably. Just rinse it out, leave it to rest next to your sink, and apply a new dab of soap and water each time you go to use it.

But after many more cycles of soap, wash, and rinse, you’ll notice it start to wear out. It may still clean alright on a surface level, but it will start to develop a funny smell that just won’t go away. That’s a natural sign that it’s time to replace your sponge.

The same is true of a car battery: Right after you replace one in your car, it’s at the best performance level that it will ever be. But after dozens or hundreds of cycles of giving power to your car’s electrical system and being recharged by driving, that battery has seen better days. And just as a stinky sponge can really put a crimp in your cleaning plans, so can a stinker of a battery keep you from getting to work on time.

Temperature is the Real Killer

But now imagine this: What if you used that same fresh and new sponge for cleaning up, then left it outside in all kinds of weather? In the heat of the summer, it would dry up in the noonday sun. As temperatures drop, it would freeze in the first nights of winter. Either way, your once-useful sponge would have its life span seriously reduced.

The same is true for your car’s battery, and it’s why we have a particularly difficult time with dead winter batteries here in the south. After spending a whole summer at egg-frying temperatures, your battery has seen better days. It’ll keep working throughout the hot season, but when it comes time to do some work in the winter — where you’ll need more cranking amperage just to get that first spark — it’s already worn out.

When is it Time to Replace Your Battery?

Now for the good news: Your battery is about as tough as it looks in its hard plastic case, and can survive for more than one changing of the seasons.

In fact, the average battery lasts for around three years — more if your car is running really efficiently, and less if you have some electrical issues drawing too much power from it.

But when it does finally come time for your battery to give up the ghost, there’s a very good chance that it will be right when you most want it not to, on a cold winter’s day.

To prevent that irritating fate, we recommend making battery testing a regular part of your car’s routine maintenance schedule. When you come into your nearest Chapel Hill Tire location for any services, we’ll gladly check your battery for you at the same time. And if it looks like your battery’s on its last legs, we can recommend a replacement for you right then and there.

Our Values: Winning As A Team, With Our Families and Communities

Chapel Hill Tire Values

When you think of what it means to be a family, what comes to mind?

Life Magazine author Jane Howard said “Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.”

Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said “In family life, love is the oil that eases friction, the cement that binds closer together, and the music that brings harmony.”

And renowned actor and activist Michael J. Fox may have summed it up best: “Family is not an important thing. It’s everything.”

Taken together, those quotes build a powerful message: That family and love are essential to every aspect of life — and that very much includes the workplace, too.

In our values at Chapel Hill Tire, one of the ways we express that sense of family is through our commitment to Winning As A Team. Just what does that mean? Let our owner Marc Pons tell it best:

“It means that when we are successful, we recognize that everyone contributes equally to the customer experience. Any breakdown from shuttle driver to service advisor to technician creates a bad experience. A great experience means everyone is doing their role and going the extra mile for the customer and each other. So when we are successful, the whole team needs to be recognized.”

And most recently, we were able to live that value in a way that helped to further connect our work families, home families, and communities: Through an exciting Family Night watching a Durham Bulls game!

Marc continues: “We also want to make sure that we celebrate in ways that allow people to include their families. Our employees want to share what’s special about Chapel Hill Tire with their families. Our team brought out their spouses, children, sisters, brothers, mothers and fathers to the game. We all had a great time together, and that’s what winning as a team is all about.”

And while the game may have been a blast, it seems that the opportunity for everyone’s extended families to get together was the real draw. “Of the three and a half hours we were there, I probably caught about 10 minutes of the game,” says General Manager Todd Ward, “and I just loved getting to see everybody together and having fun.”

It’s this commitment to treating each other like family and winning as a team that keeps our crews together, and it’s what motivates us to keep including our customers and communities in that family as well. We strive to share that with everyone who comes to visit one of our Chapel Hill Tire locations, and hope that you’ll agree that when you’re here, you feel like family.

Our News: A New Location, and New Car Wash and Detailing Services

aerial photo of green trees and a curving road

In this month’s news, we have two exciting announcements to make!

First, Chapel Hill Tire is expanding its range of locations in the Triangle — and while we can’t share all the details yet, as soon as we have things nailed down you’ll be the first to know. We’ve been hard at work to secure this new location, and we’re going to be so excited to welcome more people in our communities as part of the Chapel Hill Tire family.

But we’ve saved the most exciting news for the end: At six different Chapel Hill Tire locations across Chapel Hill, Durham, and Carrboro, we are now offering a comprehensive cleaning and detailing service!

This isn’t just any old car wash though. In addition to washing, waxing, and vacuuming, we’re also offering fine-tuned detailing through paint correction, stain removal, carpet shampooing, and more.

But the best part? If you don’t have time to drop your car off and wait, we can still get it looking brand new and shiny for you.

As part of our service packages for our Drive Clean, Drive Happy car wash and detailing, we’re also offering free pick up and delivery. So while you’re working at the office or out on the town for a bit, we’ll be hard at work getting your car cleaned, detailed, and ready to go. Because there are few feelings better than stepping out of work and into your freshly cleaned and detailed car.

To see our range of car wash and detailing services and to schedule an appointment, click the image below.

What’s Up With That? How Tire Pressure Affects Your Gas Mileage

Checking tire pressure

As you’re cruising down the highway, you probably don’t often think of your car’s tires. But put just a little bit of ice and snow on the ground, or start maneuvering around tight hairpin turns, and it quickly becomes obvious how important your tires’ traction really is. And that traction, as well as almost everything about your tires’ performance, depends very strongly on proper tire pressure.

The trick of it is this: Even though it might look like your tires are fully touching the ground while you drive, they’re actually using a much smaller contact patch. And for the average tire, this area where the tire is actually touching the ground while you’re moving isn’t much bigger than the sole of your shoe.

When your tires are properly inflated, their contact patches are like a well-fitting pair of shoes.

High Heels and Clown Shoes

So imagine for a minute: What if your shoes didn’t fit well at all?

Overinflated tires are like shoes that are too small. Their contact patches (soles) are smaller than you’d expect, and that makes it awfully difficult to keep the right traction and stability while you’re moving — just think of what it would be like to wear high heels on an icy sidewalk!

Similarly, low tire pressure and underinflated tires are like wearing a pair of clown shoes. Their contact patches are bigger and floppier, and that makes them harder and less efficient to move around in.

But the perfectly inflated set of tires is like the perfect shoe, giving a smooth and comfortable ride and plenty of traction even when road conditions get dicey. And that efficiency is key to getting the best gas mileage out of your vehicle, just as wearing a perfect pair of shoes makes it easier to walk longer with less fatigue.

Right Tire Pressure, Better Gas Mileage

This isn’t just a fun analogy, though — it’s also backed up by science from the U.S. Department of Energy.

In a study from 2014, researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory tested tires across a range of inflation pressures and highway driving speeds from 40 to 80 miles per hour. And their results were pretty amazing: In addition to being much safer to drive on, properly inflated tires can have as much as 10 percent better fuel economy compared to underinflated ones.

Checking Your Tires

Now that you know how important tire pressure can be, you might be wondering: How do your tires currently match up?

Most cars list an ideal tire pressure on a sticker inside of the driver’s side door; open your door and look down, and you should be able to find it pretty easily. Failing that, you can also find optimal tire pressure listed in the owner’s manual for your car.

Or you can save yourself the hassle, and bring your car by any of our Chapel Hill Tire locations to get the pressure checked and adjusted. That’s a great time to make sure your tire tread is in good shape too, so you can rest easy knowing that your car will get you from here to there and back again without any problems.