Coker Tire brings classic tires, business to Southern California

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Classic cars are popular in Southern California, but owing them comes with certain challenges, like finding a place to get proper tires.

That's where Coker Tire comes in, a Tennessee-based company that's opened a new 100,000 square-foot facility in the City of Industry.

"Most modern tire dealer guys don't deal with these tires," said Corky Coker, president of Coker Tire in City of Industry. "We chose to come and locate in California because there's so many car guys here. You know, you drive the freeways, you drive the 5, the 60, the 405, there is something on the road every day," said Coker.

Coker has tires for any kind of car going way back to the beginning of cars. Corky Coker is the man behind the variety of black rubber. He's a colorful man who's passionate about all things related to cars, and is passionate about his business expanding here.

"Legislators in Sacramento need to understand that America thrives on its technology, its innovation, and we need to make things. So, guys, ease up just a little bit and you know, we all need to be clean, we need to be efficient, and we need to be fair, and we're doing that. And that's why we came here. We want to help drive industry back to Los Angeles, back to California," said Coker.

Others in the hobby are applauding Coker's move west.

"It's a very good thing. As a business owner here in SoCal, it is difficult. Sometimes it feels like the government is not very friendly to small business owners in the state of California, but this is the state that the industry was born," said Steve Strope.

Coker's tires are made at their factory in Tennessee. They're then sent out to the West Coast to be made available for customers. The wheels go the opposite direction, made right here in Southern California.

Making things is seemingly a lost art these days.

'We chose to come to California because there is so much business here, and there's so many craftsmen. Especially in the wheel business. We make things. America needs to get back to making things. And we do that here, right in the City of Industry," said Coker.

So the next time you see a cool classic car on the road, there's a very good chance that it has tires imported from Chattanooga, Tenn., and wheels imported from City of Industry, Calif.