"We saw a void in West County that we've needed to fill for some time," said Steve Matz, general manager of Stone Wheel in St. Louis.  "We looked at the big picture and decided not to be in the middle of the hornet's nest on Manchester Road."

Rather than compete with the many large program distributors' jobber stores in the area, Matz said he felt the fifth location should be in an area just outside the congestion.

"The advantage is that we'll be able to deliver parts much quicker in Chesterfield and still service the outlying areas adequately," he said.

A small portion of the business was taken from our St. Peters and Crestwood locations, but service has been increased to accounts in those areas, resulting in an increase in sales, Matz said.

"Out here we're getting first calls from customers that we never thought we'd do a lot of business with," he said of the new 6,100-square-foot warehouse.

Part of the long-term success of Stone Wheel is our dedication to wholesale business, unlike much of our competition that also sells retail, Matz said.  Compared to other parts outlets, the cost of doing business is much less than a distributor that must have a high-visibility, retail-friendly location, he said.

Another factor that keeps our cost of doing business down is that many of the administrative functions such as accounts payable and receivable are handled at Stone Wheel's headquarters in Willowbrook, Ill., near Chicago.  "It keeps our overhead low and allows us to focus on our local priorities," Matz said.

"We're very relationship based and don't sell to just any shop," he said.  "We concentrate on the shops that support us and build relationships with them; that's been a big part of our success."

Another big part of Stone Wheel's success has been with carrying parts that professional installers prefer, offering them at a competitive prices, Matz said, adding that brands they carry include Bosch, Denso, Cardone, Moog, Monroe, Champion, SKF, Wagner, and Walker to name a few. 

About a year ago, he said they took on ACDelco, a move that has paid off. "Our clientele trust the ACDelco name," he said, adding that ACDelco offers extensive training--both internet and hands on--at their facility in south St. Louis, Mo. They have very capable field representation that assists in conveying the many ACDelco tools, promotions, and functions available.

Matz was quick to point out, however, that Stone Wheel can't be everything to everybody.  "We limit our product categories," he said.  "We don't have everything automotive and probably never will."  He added that they still carry OE wheels, an original product of the 96-year-old business.