Honoring Their Roots
New JKB Tire owners continue long-standing family business . BY JENNIFER BROZAK
Even at the age of 90 , longtime Murrysville resident and business owner Jack Paton was still heading to work six days a week . Therefore , when he passed away in January 2016 , the future of his business , JKB Tire , remained uncertain . After all , Paton had steered the business since the day it opened more than 30 years ago .
Born in Sewickley in 1925 , Paton and his wife , Eve , had been an instrumental part of the burgeoning Murrysville business scene . A World War II veteran , he was a founding member of the Murrysville Telephone Company , as well as the Murrysville Swim Club . Eve , who died in 2013 , was a longstanding member of the Murrysville Women ’ s Club , and both were active in numerous local and national charities .
Not wanting this legacy to wane , Paton ’ s grandchildren , Jack Basilone and Jamie Schneider , have breathed new life into JKB Tire . They decided to take over the business shortly after their grandfather ’ s funeral .
Basilone and Schneider moved quickly , uprooting their professional careers and personal lives to take the reins of the business — while still grieving the loss of their grandfather as well as their mother , Deborah Paton , who had passed away just three weeks before .
“ Of course we would have liked more time to process everything , but we wanted to carry on the legacy of my grandfather ,” says Basilone . “ Murrysville is such a small , tight-knit community . We had to send a message to our customers that our doors would remain open .”
Paton and Ralston Schneider pose with their great-grandfather Jack Paton .
Both siblings have extensive retail and e-commerce marketing backgrounds , but running a tire business was a completely different experience .
“ We had to rely on the knowledge of the employees who , collectively , have more than 100 years of experience in this business ,” notes Basilone .
The company ’ s general manager , Tim Renko , has been with JKB Tire from the start , and other staff members have been with the company for a dozen years or more , he adds .
“ The guys who work there are so good and so loyal — some of them have been there for more than 30 years ,” Schneider says . “ This business is a piece of our family history .”
Since taking over the business , Basilone and Schneider have implemented numerous upgrades . JKB Tire began as a wholesaler , and still maintains its wholesale business , but over time transformed into a customer-facing retail business . The first order of business , then , was to give the old building on Mellon Road in Export a facelift . They remodeled the interior , updated the carpet and office and added a kitchen area where customers can enjoy drinks and snacks while they wait .
As marketing professionals , the new owners recognize the importance of branding . They created a logo , purchased new uniforms for their employees , and launched an interactive website .
“ We ’ re a family-owned business , and just like my grandfather was , we ’ re on a first-name basis with many of our customers ,” says Basilone . “ We wanted to create a more appealing retail environment for them . Let ’ s face it : tires are important , but no one gets particularly excited about having to buy them . If they have to be sitting in a room waiting for us to fix their tires , we want them to be comfortable .”
Following the path of her grandparents , Schneider and her family are now fully ingrained in Murrysville life ; they relocated from Pine Township and are now living in her grandparents ’ old home in Murrysville .
“ It was a huge change for us , but we didn ’ t want to have a family business and not be part
Jamie Schneider and Jack Basilone
of the community ,” explains Schneider . “ It was important for us to live here .”
She notes that she now understands the charm Murrysville held for her grandparents , as both residents and business owners .
“ Even though it ’ s not a small town , I absolutely love the small-town feel of it ,” she says . “ Our grandparents didn ’ t just live here — they were embedded in the community . That sense of community has trickled down to us .” Basilone , who commutes from Ligonier , agrees .
JKB staff members
“ Being from Ligonier , it ’ s been a great experience to learn firsthand how entrenched in the community my grandfather was ,” he says . “ There is so much growth in Murrysville . We want to be a part of it and become that honest , personable place that customers come to . That ’ s who my grandfather was , and that ’ s who we are , too .” n
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