NOKOMIS EAST BUSINESS ASSOCIATION

Johnstons have run Steve's Tire & Auto since 1990s

  • Johnstons have run Steve's since 1990s_Bob Albrecht.mp3

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Colin Johnston, owner of Steve’s Tire & Auto – with service centers at 54th Street and 34th Avenue as well as 46th Street and Nicollet Avenue – projects a warm, friendly, and easygoing demeanor. Judge him not by the sizeable GMC pickup in which he arrived to be interviewed for this piece. When asked the color of his truck, Colin replied, “Pull Me Over Red!”
Now 34, one could say Colin was just about born into the automotive service business as you shall read below. In December 2021 he acquired “Steve’s” from its founder and his uncle, Steve Johnston. Colin stated his business purchase was made “without hesitation!” Those close to Colin were supportive and he harbors no regrets about his decision to carry on his family’s operation.
Colin and his younger sister were raised in the Kenny neighborhood of southwest Minneapolis near 60th and Dupont. He attended Blessed Trinity and Southwest High. From the age of around five or six, Colin tagged along with his dad, Rollie Johnston, who worked at the 34th Avenue automotive shop.
As a child and in his youth, Colin possessed seemingly natural curiosity about taking apart car components, repairing them, and putting them back together. Colin worked at the 34th Avenue location while in high school and the ensuing years proved that he was quite mechanically inclined and possessed unusual aptitude surrounding most matters automotive.
Having completed some college courses in business management, Colin believes his most effective training was hands on. Colin emphasized that his parents encouraged him to follow his bliss in his choice of a profession. It just happened to be the case that his was a car-crazed family!

THE BIRTH OF A FAMILY BUSINESS
In 1981, Steve Johnston went to work at the 46th & Nicollet location and about a decade later bought the business from owner Tim Murphy. In the mid-1990s, Steve bought the 34th Avenue business from a different owner.
Both locations had been Unocal 76 stations. By the late 1990s, they had affiliated with Mobil as privately owned franchises after Unocal migrated to the southern states.
In 2008, as the 46th Street bridge over Highway 35W was replaced, Steve believed the timing was perfect to raze the original 46th and Nicollet building. He replaced it with an all-new structure that took eight months to complete before reopening in early 2009.
In 2014, the building on 34th Avenue was remodeled and expanded. Gas pumps, which had been available at both locations, were phased out upon completion of each updated facility.
Today, Steve’s Tire & Auto repairs engines and transmissions, provides oil changes, and sells batteries and tires – though none of these areas Colin considers a specialty his business is known for. About the only service Steve’s does not provide is body work.
“What we are best known for,” Colin said, “is customer service. And we are very good diagnosticians.”
Most of Steve’s customers are aligned with the neighborhood, whether as residents or people who work at nearby businesses.
Colin is proud to say that customers can usually schedule appointments only a few days out. An exception might be during the holiday season when Steve’s often experiences a surge in business, although Colin noted they stay busy year-round.
Colin divides his time evenly between his two locations, working about 60 hours Monday through Friday ;plus he is on call at other times. He said that while he rents both buildings, he would one day like to own the buildings – if and when the time seems right.
“The 46th and Nicollet location serves a higher car count, likely due to its highly visible location just off 35W,” Colin added. LubeXPress oil change bays account for a great deal of the business at that location.
Steve’s has the coveted Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) accreditation – which attracted the eye of the American Automobile Association (AAA) with which Steve’s is aligned as an endorsed affiliate.
Through AAA, customers are referred to Steve’s (not for towing) and their AAA membership means certain discounts may apply. Steve’s is also a Goodyear Tire affiliate. While they offer other brands of tires as well, Steve’s is able to get the best pricing through Goodyear.

A BUSINESS WITH HEART
Colin – who as boss believes he is a decent delegator – employs a general manager, Rob Stadtler, who has been on staff 15 years and floats between the two locations. Store manager Adam Myers holds the fort at 46th and Nicollet.
There are 15 additional staff members at 46th and Nicollet and six at 54th and 34th – including one master technician at each location. The Steve’s Tire and Auto staff includes five women, one of whom is a service advisor and four of whom are lube technicians.
Though a South Minneapolis kid at heart, Colin now lives on two-and-a-quarter acres in Dayton, Minn. with his wife, Michelle, and their daughters Savannah (2) and Mia (10 months). Most of Colin and Michelle’s extended family currently reside in the north and east metro areas, and Colin rather enjoys his half-hour commute to and from his two shops in the city.
Interestingly, Colin has observed that the number of vehicles per household in the areas his business servers seem to have decreased somewhat. “Some people have different transportation plans,” Colin noted. “This might change as increasingly more people return to work onsite.”
A confessed avid gearhead both while on and off duty, Colin still rolls up his sleeves and gets under the hoods of his customers’ cars now and then. He just loves working on cars and all the variety that work entails. Although Colin does not profess to have one favorite vehicle, he is especially fond of classic cars of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s.
While there are many demands imposed by all aspects of Colin’s busy life, he forges cheerfully throughout all the ebbs and flows. He enjoys knowing his staff members and their families quite well, noting that his longstanding 54th and 34th crew is especially tightknit.
“As is our customer base. Many of our repeat customers have grown to feel like family,” Colin said.
Steve’s Tire & Auto is a proud member of Nokomis East Business Association (NEBA). Colin enjoys making time for NEBA participation and doing so helps keep his business active in its community.
If your bricks-and-mortar or home-based business would enjoy the benefits of membership in NEBA, please get in touch with us at nokomiseastba@gmail.com, or visit our website: nokomiseastba.com.
NEBA board member Bob Albrecht owns Bob Albrecht Real Estate, LLC. He lives and operates his residential brokerage on Shoreview Avenue in Keewaydin.

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