Owner Of Warren Tire Continues To Grow Business, Will Build New Shop In Greenwich

AHLA: Hotel-Generated Tax Revenue Expected To Reach New Heights Th is Year

Hotel-generated state and local tax revenue will reach new heights nationally ($46.71 billion) and in states across the nation this year, according to state-by-state projections released in March by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and Oxford Economics.

Average U.S. hotel occupancy is projected to reach 63.8 percent in 2023—just shy of 2019’s level of 65.9 percent. Staffi ng is expected to remain a challenge for many U.S. hotels in 2023, as the industry continues to grow its workforce back to pre-pandemic levels.

“Hotels are making significant strides toward recovery, supporting millions of goodpaying jobs and generating billions in state and local tax revenue in communities across the nation,” said AHLA President and CEO Chip Rogers. “To continue growing, we need to hire more people. Fortunately, there’s never been a better time to be a hotel employee, with wages, benefits, flexibility and upward mobility better than ever before.”

To help hotels fi ll open jobs and raise awareness of the hotel industry’s 200-plus career pathways, the AHLA Foundation’s “A Place to Stay” multi-channel advertising campaign is now active in 14 cities, including Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York, Orlando, Phoenix, San Diego, and Tampa.

For more info on the campaign, visit thehotelindustry.com.

Additionally, AHLA affi liate “Hospitality is Working” recently launched the Workforce & Immigration Initiative. The effort is aimed at urging Congress to address workforce shortages with bipartisan solutions to incorporate more immigrants into the American economy.

On average nationally, every direct hotel job supports an additional 2.6 jobs in the community, according to the projections.

BY PAUL POST

One of the Capital Region’s largest tire retailers is growing again with the $400,000 expansion of existing facilities in Greenwich, Washington County.

Warren Tire Service Centers, which has stores in Saratoga Springs and Clifton Park, has purchased a vacant former Cumberland Farms store, with plans to create three new service bays, add 14 parking spots and hire two additional service technicians.

“We’re expecting a 30 percent increase in business,” company President Robert Kellogg said. “It’s a growing area. Greenwich is a hub for a lot of surrounding towns such as Schuylerville, Salem and Argyle, plus the town of Greenwich itself is growing. It’s a little overwhelming with the amount of space we have currently. We need more space to accommodate all our customers.”

The Queensbury-based company, which has 16 stores in seven counties, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this month. It was founded by Kellogg’s 80-year-old father, Wayne, 80, the chief executive officer who is still involved with daily operations, although he is no longer an owner.

Robert Kellogg’s nephew, daughter and son-inlaw are part owners, too, of this third-generation family-run business.

“We’re big enough to compete with the largest nationwide chains, but still small enough to know everyone that works for us and our customers, and to stay on top of running the company well so we can keep providing the high-quality service they expect,” Kellogg said.

The current Greenwich store is at 88 Abeel Ave., slightly behind a Stewart’s Shop at the corner of Main and Wilson streets. The former Cumberland Farms store is directly across Abeel Avenue, a quiet residential street.

Warren Tire expected to close on the property on April 6.

Plans call for a complete renovation of the existing building without changing its footprint.

“We’re really fixing up the place,” Kellogg said. “We want to bring it up to modern codes. It will have a gabled roof, dormers and a nice brick exterior. If everything goes well we expect to be in there in August.”

The company sells several well-known brands of consumer and commercial tires, the latter for large trucks, and provides many types of automotive service.

The Greenwich store gets considerable business from Washington County’s large agricultural community, a major part of the local economy. “We sell farm tires and have road service trucks that go to farms,” Kellogg said.

The company has no immediate plans for opening more new stores, but is in the process of securing a new commercial tire warehousing facility, in Schenectady.

“We’re real close to finalizing a lease with an option to buy,” Kellogg said. “We’ll have tires and wheels in stock there for dump trucks and tractor-trailers, and it will be a place to dispatch service trucks from.”

He said retail sites are chosen with an eye toward filling gaps in the market, while staying in close proximity to corporate headquarters.

“So we can be involved,” he said. “We like to be hands-on.”

One of Warren Tires’ newest stores, which opened in 2020, is at 581 Maple Avenue (Route 9) near the border of Saratoga Springs and Wilton, almost directly across from Smith Bridge Road.

“We wanted to be in Saratoga for a long time, but couldn’t find a location,” he said. “That’s been a really good spot for us. It closed the gap between Clifton Park and Glens Falls.”

Kellogg attributed the family-run company’s growth and success to “a good reputation with our customer base and vendors” and “loyal longterm employees.”

“About half of our 149 employees have worked here 15 years or more,” he said. “That’s really helped our business. Providing that consistency every day to customers is really important. We’ve continued to grow to meet the demands of customers. We never expected this from our original plan.”

Hotels across the country are on a hiring spree because they’re looking to fi ll many of the jobs lost during the pandemic, AHLA said. As of December 2022, national average hotel wages were at historic highs of over $23/ hour and hotel benefits and flexibility are better than ever. Nearly 100,000 hotel jobs are currently open across the nation, according to Indeed.

The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) is the largest hotel association in America, representing more than 30,000 members from all segments of the industry nationwide – including iconic global brands, 80 percent of all franchised hotels and the 16 largest hotel companies in the U.S. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., AHLA focuses on strategic advocacy, communications support, and workforce development programs to move the industry forward. Learn more at www.ahla.com.