‘Keeping Chicagoland Rolling’
Photo credit: Cassidy Tire & Service
The scene is Chicago in 1892. Whether you’re on Michigan Ave., Diversey, at the very west end of Addison, or anywhere in the city really, you’re seeing early American automobiles, wagons and buggies on the streets. Many of these tires were fixed and replaced by Cassidy Tire & Service.
The family-owned company has been synonymous with Chicago for 107 years, passed down from generation to generation. Today, the fourth generation runs the largest family-owned tire business in the Midwest.
“Our company actually started as a delivery business,” explains Melanie (Mel) Ahern, one of seven grandchildren of the fourth generation who works in the business and one of five of the grandchildren who own the company. “William J Cassidy and his father, Hugh, delivered caskets by horse and buggy.”
After Hugh Cassidy passed away, William J Cassidy took over the business.
“William J Cassidy was a bachelor,” said Mel. “He took in his sister and helped raise her two kids after her husband, a Chicago firefighter, died of complications from The Great Chicago Fire. My grandfather Hugh Ahern was one of her children.”
In 1914, William J Cassidy and Hugh Ahern sold the first Goodyear tire in Chicago. With that, a small livery business became Cassidy Tire & Service. When Will retired in 1930, he entrusted the business to Hugh, who would go on to raise his family of six sons and one daughter selling tires.
“My dad was driving trucks at the age of 12,” said Mel. “His sons all loved seeing what their dad was doing and followed in his footsteps. We slowly went from one store to multi-stores across and around the city. That was all built upon our family’s love of serving the community through tires and caring about the community.”
Today, there are 15 Cassidy Tire & Service locations throughout the Chicago area and surrounding suburbs like Arlington Heights, Downers Grove and Niles. The Ahern family recently closed the doors at their 344 N. Canal Street location, but will be moving that store to the West Loop in early 2022 because of the partnerships and relationships they have developed with individuals, families and local businesses.
“We’ll keep expanding throughout Chicago,” said Mel. “We don’t want to lose our family identity of ‘Keeping Chicagoland Rolling.’ We treat all of our customers and all employees as if they are our family. And that’s why people keep coming back.”
From TV personalities, to sports teams, truckers, the everyday parent and more, it’s all about building relationships at Cassidy Tire & Service. A perfect example is when the Cubs won the World Series in 2016. Mel being an avid Cubs fan, has the Cassidy Tire & Service shop on Diversey decked out in Cubs memorabilia. The doctor of the Chicago Cubs would get his car serviced and tires fixed at the store and of course, he took note of Mel’s love for the team.
“After they won the World Series, he came back to the store and had me try on his World Series ring,” said Mel. “He said he knew how important this was for me. For him to come back and thank me really touched me. He saw how important the Cubs were to me.”
Cassidy Tire & Service is one of the top 100 independent tire dealers in the United States. They do everything from lawn mower to excavator tires. Over 25 tire brands like Continental, General, Toyo, Cooper, Michelin and Goodyear are available at their stores and are ready to be installed on a car, SUV or semi-truck…anything that has tire can be replaced by Cassidy Tire & Service. This was especially crucial throughout the first year of the pandemic, as Cassidy Tire & Service was one of the few businesses asked to stay open for the city during that time.
“Not everyone gets to help city vehicles, from first responders, to city drivers and healthcare workers,” said Mel. “We were one of the few businesses allowed to stay open during the pandemic because we were asked to provide service for thousands of companies, people and more. It’s truly an honor and a privilege to keep the city going.”
And while they keep Chicago rolling with their services, Cassidy Tire & Service also works hard to keep Chicago going through community outreach and giving back to the city that has given them so much. “We do our part to take care of organizations along the way like Comer Children’s Hospital, the Chicago Food Depository, The Little Sisters of the Poor, schools and more to help keep them going,” said Mel. “But also within our actual work, we do outreach as well. When you know someone has fallen on tough times, you help them with a service they can’t afford or provide a discount when possible. It’s not about ringing the register. You want your customer to be able to get to work, pick up their kids or go to a job interview. You try to help everyone when you can.”
Mel also extends her family’s outreach beyond the city of Chicago by leading service trips in Guatemala as co-founder of Heart to Heart Experiences. The organization works closely with their team in Antigua, Guatemala to help those afflicted by poverty and to build long-standing relationships with community members in the city.
To Mel, whether it’s changing a tire, servicing a vehicle, meeting a new customer, catching up with a longtime client, visiting a child at Comer’s, or catching up on the phone with her friends and Heart to Heart Experiences teammates Hugo and Elmer in Guatemala, it all goes back to the family’s values that have kept Cassidy Tire & Service one of the most successful and strong family businesses in the Midwest and one that values and sees the need of giving back.
“What we do is an honor and a gift, and you treasure that,” said Mel. “It’s returning what we have been given and taking care of Chicago and the world. My family instilled that in us. If we don’t support others, our work is for nothing. Every person that walks in the door should be taken care of with priority and respect. It’s something that should never be taken for granted and never will be at Cassidy Tire & Service.”
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