OK Pneus Ste-Brigitte, Que., has been awarded OK Tire Stores’ “National Store of the Year” for 2020 announced at the company’s 2021 annual conference, held virtually this year.

The honor of National Store of the Year is awarded to an OK Tire location that frequently upholds OK Tire’s motto, “Honestly Driven” and consistently provides outstanding quality auto service to their community. The store owner Martin Allard was presented with the award, celebrated by colleagues and industry partners.

“Receiving this award means so much to us. We strive to be a staple in our community and being honored with this award highlights our hard work and dedication to quality service and honesty,’’ says Martin Allard.

“We know we wouldn’t be here today without the trust of our customers, and we’re thrilled to continue to put our best foot forward for our community.”

“Our 2020 National Store of the Year distinguishes itself from the others through their knowledge and reputation of always providing expert service,” says OK Tire chief operating officer, Michael Rutherford.

“2020 brought many new challenges to communities across Canada, and we’re tremendously proud of the team in Sainte-Brigitte-des-Sault for continuing to uphold OK Tire’s outstanding reputation and for setting a standard to inspire all store owners.”

Additionally, this year’s OK Tire Stores Inc. ‘Regional Store of the Year’ awards, recognizing the best service providers from a group of over 325 OK Tire retail locations nationwide, have been awarded. Stores awarded include:

• ​OK Tire Burnaby Kingsway (Pacific Region)
• OK Tire Drayton Valley (Alberta Region)
• OK Tire Brandon (Prairie Region)
• OK Tire Kingston (Central Region)
• OK Pneus Gatineau (Eastern Region)
• OK Tire Woodstock NB (Atlantic Region)
• OK Tire Kincardine Commercial (Commercial Store of the year)

For the second time in the history of the company, awards were given to the business partners who demonstrated outstanding commitment and support across three categories:

• Tire Supplier of the year – Toyo
• Accessory Supplier of the year – Wheel-1
• Dealer Support supplier of the year – NAPA Auto Parts

OK Tire also recognized anniversary milestones for many of its employees and stores. “We know our achievements as a whole are because of the dedication shown not only by our dealers but also from our employees,” says Jim Caldwell, president and CEO of OK Tire. “We feel it’s important to recognize our fantastic team across the country and acknowledge those who have made a significant impact on the success of our great company.”

This year’s Don Blythe Lifetime Achievement Award was granted to Greg Kwasnicki, Commercial Product Analyst, Inventory Management for OK Tire. Kwasnicki worked with OK Tire for 43 years and has since retired on Feb. 26, 2021.