OK Tire Winkler of Manitoba has been named OK Tire Stores Inc. ‘National Store of the Year’ for 2019, while top suppliers were also honoured.

The awards were presented at the company’s annual conference in late February but only announced now.

OK Tire’s annual conference awards ceremony recognized the achievements of many of their outstanding stores and the company was pleased to present their top honour of ‘National Store of the Year’ to OK Tire Winkler. Accepting the award on behalf of store owners Walter and Alvera Funk, were their children Dwayne and wife Brianna Funk, along with daughter Candace and her husband Daniel Guenter.

“We’re thrilled to be receiving this award and it means so much to our entire team,” said Walter Funk. “We have been serving the community of Winkler and the surrounding area for over 30 years and to be recognized is an honour. We are proud to run our store as a family business, with our four children working alongside us while being able to represent the high service standards OK Tire is known for across the country. We want to thank our fantastic staff and faithful customers who have trusted us throughout the years.”

The store in Winkler was started by Walter and Alvera Funk in 1991 when they had the vision to open their own auto repair shop to serve the rural community. In 2015, they joined the OK Tire network. With nearly 30 years in business, the team have built a very loyal customer base and have enjoyed ongoing and steady growth.

“The leadership and commitment to their customers that Walter, Alvera and the entire OK Tire Winkler team demonstrate daily is truly outstanding,” said OK Tire Chief Operating Officer, Michael Rutherford.

“The heart of OK Tire is our owners and employees, living in the communities they serve, and the team at OK Tire Winkler are perfect representatives of this. We are proud to have them as part of the OK Tire family and look forward to their continued success.”

Also presented at the event were OK Tire Stores Inc. ‘Regional Store of the Year’ awards, which recognized the best service providers from a group of more than three hundred OK Tire retail locations nationwide. Regional stores awarded include:

• OK Tire Vernon (Pacific Region)
• OK Tire Innisfail (Alberta Region)
• OK Tire Watson (Prairie Region)
• OK Tire St. George (Central Region)
• OK Tire Ste-Agathe (East Region)
• OK Tire Saint John (Atlantic Region)
• OK Tire Ajax Commercial (Commercial Store of the Year)

For the first time in the history of the company, awards were given to business partners who demonstrated outstanding commitment and support across three categories:

• Tire Supplier of the Year – Continental Tire Canada
• Accessory Supplier of the Year – Wheel-1
• Dealer Support Supplier of the Year – NAPA Auto Parts

OK Tire also recognized anniversary milestones for many of their employees and stores.

“We know our achievements as a whole are because of the dedication our employees consistently demonstrate,” added Jim Caldwell, President and CEO of OK Tire. “We feel it’s important to recognize our fantastic team across the country and acknowledge those who have made a significant impact on the success of our great company.”

This year’s employee lifetime achievement award was granted to Cynda Pang, OK Tire’s Director of Finance.