Haas opened his first store in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1947. From those humble beginnings the company has grown to a chain of 25 stores in 3 states. The legacy began in 1933 when T.O. was offered a job working at his brother's retread plant in Weslaco, Texas. Having no money, he bought a 1919 Model T for $25 from his uncle on credit. worked in the retread plant and he sold the product in the lower va
lley of the Rio Grande for 8 years. In 1941, T.O. enlisted in the Air Force and that is where he started his mechanical training in the area of air craft maintenance. He was assigned to the Lincoln Aeronautical Institute in Lincoln, Nebraska where they built planes used in WWII and it was there where he met Terry Kopek at a dance for soldiers hosted by the YMCA. The couple married in 1943. When the war ended, T.O. and Terry opened their first store in Lincoln in May of 1947. spent his days out selling his tires to businesses in Lincoln and at night he worked in the shop retreading the tire orders. Terry kept the books. By subletting his rented space and phone with two other businesses, they were operating in the black within the first month of opening. In 1949, Haas purchased the O.K. Rubber Welders franchise for the Lincoln area. After increasing purchases by nearly 3000%, T.O. was appointed District Manager for the O.K. Rubber Welders the following year. The position called for distribution of materials to other franchises, thereby launching Haas in to the wholesale business. After six months of negotiation, T.O. Haas was awarded a franchise from TBC Corporation in 1968. The Memphis, Tennessee based company provided Haas with a proprietary line of tires for distribution in Nebraska and northern Kansas. In 1977, T.O. and Terry sold the business to their children appointing their eldest son, Randy, to run the business. The company continued to grow and expand their franchise footprint through the years and in 1984 they bought out another tire distributor in Beatrice under the name of Oldfather's OK Tire who was also a member of the original OK Rubber Welders group. This acquisition accelerated the retail growth of the company with the addition of ten retail stores in Lincoln, Omaha, Beatrice, Fairbury and Tecumseh. It also expanded the wholesale footprint and brought additional tire brands in to the mix. Haas Tire has retail stores in Nebraska, Kansas and Iowa. They provide a wide range of tires for cars, pickups, suv’s, tractors, trailers, atv’s, pivot irrigation systems and more. They also perform various automotive services including oil changes, alignments, brakes, engine diagnostics and other preventive maintenances and most of their technicians are ASE Certified. In 2014, T.O. Haas Tire bought Hardcore 4x4 in St Paul, Nebraska - a company specializing in lifted suspension and other accessories for the 4 wheel drive enthusiast. The Hardcore 4x4 has since been expanded in to all 25 locations. Haas Tire has stacked up an impressive collection of awards in their 70-year history. Some of the most notable awards include the Better Business Bureau Integrity Award, Lincoln's Choice Award, Best of Lincoln, Best of Omaha and the Nebraska Crime Prevention Association Vehicle Award. They also enjoy being recognized by OSHA's Safety and Health Award Recognition Program (SHARP) for having the most SHARP Certified locations in the state of Nebraska. The company follows in the footsteps of their late founder, T.O. Haas, who was inducted into the Tire Industry Hall of Fame in 2000; honored with Tire Business Magazine’s Humanitarian Award in 1997; and received Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Police Officers Association of Nebraska and the Lincoln High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
