Business owners; city, county, and chamber of commerce officials; and others attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Countryside Tire and Auto Service on South Rutgers Avenue on Friday, Feb. 3, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Countryside Tire and Auto Service gave a car to Emory Valley Center during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its new shop on South Rutgers Avenue on Friday.
The car is a brown-and-black 2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser. The gift includes 12 months of repair and maintenance.
Goodyear Tires donated tires for the vehicle, and Advance Auto Parts donated parts, said Jeff Cheek, who owns Countryside Tire and Auto Service with his wife Marilyn.
Chris Levesque, who has worked at Countryside Tire and Auto Service for about three years, is an Emory Valley Center client.
The shop moved last year to South Rutgers Avenue in central Oak Ridge. It had been on Brisbane Road in east Oak Ridge.
It’s in the building that once housed The Keeping Room. Countryside Tire and Auto Service made use of the existing building and tried to keep the same facade.
The shop now has six bays. That’s up from four. It’s doubled in space, from 3,000 square feet to 6,300 square feet. The new waiting room is nicer, and there is now an area for children, Cheek said.
Countryside Tire and Auto Service has been open about 10 years. Jeff and Marilyn Cheek have owned it for about 5.5 years.
Jeff Cheek said real estate agent Tom Beehan suggested The Keeping Room. He thanked others involved in the deal, the business, and his community involvement, including the Anderson County and Oak Ridge chambers of commerce, TNBank, and the City of Oak Ridge.
The city has been very helpful, Cheek said.
“Anyone who says the City of Oak Ridge is not business-friendly has not been through the process,” Cheek said.
Countryside Tire and Auto Service had a contract on The Keeping Room property in March, and the shop closed on the purchase in June. It’s mostly good fortune to be so close to Main Street Oak Ridge, Cheek said. Main Street Oak Ridge is the redevelopment of the former Oak Ridge Mall, which has now been demolished, with the exception of Belk and JCPenney.
The Cheeks’ purchase closed in June. Main Street Oak Ridge had a ceremonial groundbreaking the next month, in July.
The new shop is also across the street from a new ORNL Federal Credit Union branch.
Cheek said the shop has seven employees, and about $800,000 has been invested in the new location.
Emory Valley Center helps people with intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities. The agency cprovides a comprehensive array of educational, vocational, residential and rehabilitation services, programs, and support on a monthly basis to more than 1,200 children, adults, and families in 16 East Tennessee counties.
Countryside Tire and Auto Service gave a car to Emory Valley Center during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its new shop on South Rutgers Avenue on Friday, Feb. 3, 2017. Pictured above are Janet Wood, Emory Valley Center vice president of community engagement; EVC client Chris Levesque, who works at Countryside Tire and Auto; and Jeff Cheek, co-owner of the shop. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Countryside Tire and Auto Service now has six bays. That’s up from four. The shop has doubled in space, from 3,000 square feet to 6,300 square feet. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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