When the opportunity to purchase Goodyear Checkpoint Tire Center II in Wheeling became available, longtime employee and then manager John Johnson jumped at the chance to make a life-changing decision. John and his wife Maureen purchased the business, located at 723 W. Dundee Road, in October 2009 and haven’t looked back since. They began making updates and renovations to the space as soon as the deed was in their hands; John and Maureen painted, renovated the bathroom and waiting room and made the building handicap friendly. As they just celebrated their second anniversary as owners of Checkpoint Tire Center II, John shares, “We’re extremely proud to be where we are today. We’ve not only enhanced the space but also updated the equipment with the purchase of state-of-the-art products for the service center, increased our customer base and improved quality of service which brought us about 20% growth since taking ownership.”

No stranger to that particular Goodyear Checkpoint Tire Center location, Chicago native John Johnson began his work there as a technician in 1990. He was promoted to manager, overseeing all operations just a few years later. Maureen Johnson joined the Checkpoint Tire Center team a little over two years ago, and has developed into a very “hands-on” partner. “Between the two of us, we always know what’s going on in the front and the back of the shop. It’s important to us that we stay involved with our staff and in-touch with our customers.” Maureen explains.

When asked why John loves his job, he confesses, “I enjoy teaching customers how to prolong the life of their vehicles by coming in for regular checkups. Despite the “Tire” in our name, we do about 70% in auto care and 30% tire maintenance. Each of our ASE-certified technicians is expertly trained and has been here for many years. Combined, we can diagnose and repair almost any vehicle.”

John has been working in the car business for almost 40 years. When he was just sixteen, he started out as a porter at a Ford dealership in St. Charles, IL. A few months later he was able to purchase his first car, a ’67 olive green Mustang. “I absolutely loved the freedom that came with having my own car, and on top of that I was making money doing what I loved to do!” Prior to his first “real” job, he was busy fixing the family cars with his dad and brothers. “We never took our cars to the shop. My family is originally from a small, southern town where it was pretty standard that people knew how to repair their own vehicles. My dad passed on this same type of thinking to us, and I took it to the next level,” John recalls.

John claims that he’s always had a knack for “diagnosing issues with people having car trouble. Now, years later, I’m in the driver’s seat of a different situation – running my own business. It’s funny because I never consider what I do work.”

Together with Maureen, he’s turned Checkpoint Tires II into so much more than just “work” – it’s a family business. John and his team understand cars and the people who drive them, and their motto is “They provide the right solutions to each customer, one customer at a time.”