Earlier this year, OK Tire hosted their 2025 Annual Conference, which took place in sunny Cancun, Mexico. In addition to many networking opportunities, numerous training sessions, and a trade show, the event presented OK Tire with an opportunity to celebrate their top stores with an awards ceremony.

“OK Tire has been part of the Canadian landscape since 1953,” says Shane Butner, Director of Marketing & Communications for OK Tire. “Our annual conference is a celebration of everything this proudly 100% Canadian company stands for. It is a chance to bring together all of our outstanding partners in the automotive space, it offers us a chance to highlight some of the standout dealers in our network and reinforce OK Tire’s long-standing and deep-rooted commitment to community engagement.”

In fact, community engagement is one of a number of factors that OK Tire considers when choosing the stores that are the worthiest of national or regional accolades. Butner notes that excellent customer service/experience, community support, innovation, branding and store performance are all key considerations.

National recognition

OK Tire has been part of the Canadian landscape since 1953, and currently, there are 325 independently owned OK Tire locations across the country. One of these is OK Tire Saanichton, located in the town of Saanichton, just north of Victoria, British Columbia.

Owned and operated by Wade Bland, OK Tire Saanichton was named “National Store of the Year” for 2025. Although Bland is very happy and proud to be recognized by OK Tire, he wishes that his late father Alan could have been there to celebrate the award with him.

Bland and his father started the business in 2004. An experienced automotive technician, his father had been in the automotive industry for as long as Bland can remember. “My dad was a mechanic for my whole life, at least,” says Bland. “He started the business from scratch, and I went to work for him,” recalls Bland. “Then, in 2008, we moved to a new location, which is where we are to this day.”

Despite the success of the business, Bland recalls that his father eventually decided that joining a banner would be a good idea. The only question his father had, was which one it should be.

“My dad did his research and found that OK Tire was the best fit,” Bland recalls. “So, we joined OK Tire in 2010. Ten years later he passed, and that’s when I took over running the business.”

Bland says that OK Tire’s reputation set them apart as the organization that his father wanted to be a part of. “OK Tire was a good fit for my dad, and in retrospect, I think my dad made the right choice,” he adds.

Exceptional staff

Bland is quick to point out that one of the main reasons why his store was able to rise to “National Store of the Year” status is his staff. “It’s all about taking care of our customers and being honest and forthcoming,” he says, “and our staff is definitely why we have been successful.”

Honesty is paramount, Bland says, especially when customers come in with their vehicles and may not be aware that there’s a problem brewing. “We’re big on preventative maintenance,” he adds, “so when we see that one of our customers is likely going to have a problem with something on their vehicle down the road, we make them aware of it, and that’s when honesty is so important.”

With four bays and six full-time staff, OK Tire Saanichton cares for the needs of retail customers, as well as fleets. The goal with the latter is to keep their vehicles on the road, while minimizing downtime. “We know that our fleet customers want to keep their costs down, and that they need to get their vehicles back on the road as quickly as possible,” Bland adds. “That’s important to them, which is why it’s important to us as well.”

Future plans

Bland hopes to grow his store’s footprint in the near future by adding another bay. Business is booming, and the extra bay would allow him to reduce wait times for his customers. “We’re usually booked out a few weeks,” he says, “so there’s quite a demand. We have a very loyal customers base, they appreciate our honesty, and we get lots of customer referrals.”

The steady business is not the result of any special marketing campaigns, Bland explains, because besides sponsoring local sports events, OK Tire Saanichton doesn’t do any advertising at all. “Word of mouth advertising is what has made us successful,” he says, “and it’s the best kind of advertising, after all. We’re just going to keep on doing what we’ve always been doing.”