And they did go forward, protecting his mission-to helps its workers serve customers with integrity-at all costs. Succession planning was a foreign concept at the time, but “Bill had the foresight to put plans into place to allow his team to go forward,” Smereka adds.
“A drunk driver crossed the road and drove into him,” says Smereka. Twenty years after founding Fountain Tire, Bill passed away suddenly in a car accident in 1976. Like so many others, his legend was cemented by tragedy. “He was very concerned that there were lots of young, ambitious people leaving rural towns in Alberta,” says Hesje, “so he did everything he could to encourage them to stay.” “He offered in-the-field service to farmers whenever they needed it,” gushes general manager Shad Smereka. “Of course I never met him,” explains today’s CEO Brent Hesje, “but I’ve heard so many good things.” The company’s story begins in a double-bay garage in Wainwright, Alta. (Amber Bracken)Īt Fountain Tire, the legend and legacy of Bill Fountain is still going strong. Tibi Gheorghe changes a set of tires on a customers vehicle at Fountain Tire in Edmonton on Oct.
