Since opening Cainsville Tire Discounter in 1987, Geoff Edge has successfully continued the family legacy in the tire business dating back to the 1930s.
Edge, who himself has been involved in the family business for decades, explained his early start.
“My grandfather, Bill Edge, started Brantford Tire Exchange in 1937 down on Charlotte Street in Brantford. I still have pictures of the old shop. We eventually moved to Wharfe Street, which was behind Colborne and Clarence, near the old Harold & Goetz. When my grandfather died in 1963, my dad then took over Brantford Tire. [Around that time] I attended Brantford Collegiate Institute [and] after school, I would walk from school to work there for a few hours, changing tires, helping out….and learning the business,” he said. “Later, while earning my business diploma at Mohawk College, I would wake up early, take a service truck to change tires for our biggest account, Finch Transport, and then head to class. After graduating from college, I had to figure out my next move. I stayed in the tire business largely because my dad needed me. That’s just what you did back then….you helped the family and I continued in the business.”
For the next 20 years, Edge learned the ins and outs of the tire business, and would eventually get a chance to open up his own shop, albeit during a challenging time.
“My grandfather had brothers who were also in the business. One opened Simcoe Tire, and another, Claude Edge, opened Paris Tire and Eastwood Tire. In 1987, Claude bought us out and merged Brantford Tire with Paris Tire. The plan was for me to eventually buy him out through shares. To make a long story short, things didn’t work out, so I left. Claude ended up going bankrupt with Brantford Tire, which dissolved my shares and left me with almost nothing,” he said. “Despite that…I was confident in myself; I knew the business and how to make money…[and] because of my time at Brantford Tire and the success we had there, I knew I could just pick up the phone, call my old customers, and say, ‘I looked after you then, and I’ll look after you now.’ I was able to bring a lot of my old customer base over, so I never doubted my ability in growing my own business. I knew it would be a long road, but once you’ve been on your own, it’s hard to work for someone else.”
Around 1992, Edge would buy their current property, and has grown the business ever since then.
“We are on the property that had been Reader’s Farm. The facility consists of the original farmhouse, an office in the old hay barn, and an attached slaughter barn. Reader had converted it into the Town & Country Furniture building…[but] when we bought it…we knocked out walls and installed bays, lifts, and floors to turn it into a tire shop [and] we’ve been there ever since,” he noted.
However, for the successful business owner, he has learned a great deal from two people in his life.
“I learned everything from my father and my great-uncle. My great-uncle used to take me out in the service truck to change heavy transport truck tires at Finch Transport. We also had a small retreading shop, so I learned how to retread, repair, and service tires from the ground up. My business degree helped me understand financial statements, profit and loss, and amortization,” he said. ”I have two sons…[and] when they graduated from North Park, neither wanted to enter the tire business after seeing me come home tired and dirty. Both went off to university. But they eventually saw opportunities in the tire business. My oldest, Danny, studied business for five years at Western, and Willy studied mathematics at Waterloo. Eventually, Willy came to me and said he really enjoyed the business. I welcomed him with open arms. [But] Danny didn’t want to handle day-to-day retail, so he ended up working in dealer development for the Tire Discounter Group [which is] a buying group I’m part of that does over a quarter-billion dollars in sales.”
Nevertheless, there have been a few key principles that have guided Edge for the years.
“It boils down to a couple of simple rules…like treating people the way you want to be treated. Nobody wants to get ripped off. Goodyear once noted that the main reason people buy from you is that they feel you genuinely want and deserve their business. If you convey that you’re going to look after them, give them a fair deal, and appreciate their business, they’ll stick with you. The second rule is always pay your bills on time…which will help you avoid trouble. And my accounting philosophy is simple….if I start the month with money in the bank….pay everyone including my employees, and end the month with a surplus…that is a success,” he said.
And one of the cornerstones to Edge’s success has been delivering exceptional customer service.
“To be a good salesperson and look after customers, you need three things. Firstly, personality. Nobody wants to buy from an unpleasant person. Secondly, you have to know your product inside out. We study tires day in and day out, we attend repair training at Tech University, and understand how to fix them properly. Being nice isn’t enough if you don’t know what you’re talking about….you can be friendly and knowledgeable, but if you don’t make the sale, you haven’t accomplished your goal. And at the end of the day…the ideal sale is when the customer leaves feeling like they got a great deal. If you provide follow-up service and show appreciation, they’ll come back if they ever have a problem,” Edge explained.
Along with the business, the entrepreneur has been a proud member of the Brantford community.
“I’m a Brantford boy. I was born in Brantford, and raised in the Terrace Hill neighbourhood. I went to Graham Bell, then BCI. I played sports here and of course, ran my business here, which helped me meet many great people …when Cainsville Tire is at full capacity, we service around 80 cars a day. Doing that for close to 40 years means meeting a lot of people in the local community, “ he said. “I also believe in giving back to the community directly rather than standard media advertising. I have sponsored local wrestling, hockey teams, and the Laurel N Hardy baseball league for over 20 years. We also support the local Air Force Club and their events. The community always remembers you when you support them and give back.”
Nevertheless, Cainsville Tire has maintained services only dealing with tires, which has
“We are strictly a tire shop focusing on sales and service. I don’t do general mechanics or front-end work. I have eight service members, 14 tire changers, six balancers, and five bays. We handle transport trucks, farm equipment, industrial machinery, and even wheelbarrows. If it has a tire, we fix it. While the passenger car market is large, we also serve commercial operations like roofers, pavers, concrete teams, landscapers, farmers, and carnivals. You can’t take specialty or heavy-duty equipment to a big-box store like Walmart…[so] we handle custom repairs that other garages turn away,” he said. “Additionally, through our partnership with the Tire Discounter Group, we are direct dealers with roughly 14 major tire manufacturers, [and] because we leverage quarter-billion-dollar buying power, our prices are competitive, and my distributor delivers to us four times a day. We differentiate ourselves through our inventory, top-tier equipment, and extensive staff training. When someone blows a tire and is stuck, we have the stock and expertise ready to fix it immediately.”
After almost 40 years of owning Cainsville Tire, Edge looks to continue ensuring its success, as his son is poised to take over one day.
“At 70 years old, my primary goal is ensuring the shop runs seamlessly whether I’m there or not, with the right people managing each department. Secondly, I want to support Willy. He is doing a fantastic job, but I want to ensure he is surrounded by dependable, competent staff, just as I was with Jerry, who has been with me for 40 years… having reliable support prevents burnout and ensures long-term success. As for me, like an old John Wayne movie, I want to ride off into the sunset…head down to Florida, enjoy a cold beer, and know that everything at home is running smoothly,” he noted.
However, Edge reflected on close to a century of tire service and sales across three generations and multiple businesses and maintaining an important part of Brantford history.
“It’s been a lot of hard work, but it’s been wonderful. Running a business means always looking over your shoulder at competition and expenses, but it has allowed me to travel across Canada for tire conventions, meet incredible people and build something special in the community. And it’s great that my son gets to do the same now,” Edge said. “Also…while we are running a business here…our shop is practically a museum of tire history. It sits on an acre and a half with 15,000 square feet of space across the original farmhouse, hay barn, slaughter and pig barns….all filled with tires, equipment, and historical pieces. I have antique tire machines from the 1930s, a photo of my grandmother regrooving a tire in the 1940s, photos of Brantford Tire’s original 1937 service trucks, and old pricing sheets. Beyond tire history, the building holds the history of Reader’s Farm and the Town & Country Furniture building. I love showing people around because once that history is gone, it’s gone. And looking back…it’s been a privilege to work with my father, and great-uncle…and now work with my son, and to serve this community, and build a lasting business.”
