How Patti Jindra’s love of learning gives her tire shop the edge

Spend an hour talking about the tire industry with Patti Jindra, owner of Quality Tire Service in Johnsburg, Illinois, and chances are you’ll walk away with 120 new ideas on how to improve your business (I hope you’re a fast note-taker).
Though there is certainly a level of added challenge in this industry being a female shop owner, Patti uses her blend of sharp business acumen, high standards, and an incredible thirst for knowledge to elevate her business to the highest levels of service and professionalism in her market.
Patti stepped into the tire industry in 1995 after meeting her husband, John, a lifelong tire guy who learned the ropes from his father, then the owner of Quality Tire Service. Patti took over ownership of Quality Tire around 20 years ago.
Under Patti’s leadership, Quality Tire Service has become a pillar of reliability and excellence in Johnsburg. This is in large part due to her pursuit of being on the front lines of any education she can get her hands on in the industry. Her commitment to professional development is evident not only in her own certifications for shop performance and management, but also in her insistence that all of her employees maintain their training and certifications as well.
Of course, this education is good for business - but for Patti, it’s not always about building up the company. It’s about taking care of the customer.
“The education aspect is so important because everything changes so quickly, whether it be the rubber, how we're getting tires from a manufacturer, how the manufacturer is getting those tires from across the pond, etc. If we aren't staying on top of our industry standards or our industry protocols, how can we be the best to our customers?” she asks. “Keeping up with training and certifications is essential for us to remain leaders in this industry."
For Patti, taking care of the customer is synonymous with taking care of the community. For decades, the surrounding villages have known to take their vehicles to Patti’s shop to ensure no maintenance issue falls through the cracks.
“Since back in 1959, we’ve always worked with the villages that we're closest to. We've always maintained and installed their tires, and anything else that they require. We've always made sure that we have an alignment machine that can manage the ambulances or their shorter trucks so that we can better benefit them. We even manage the village trucks that do the standard street cleaning and similar work,” she says. “Seriously, do you want your police officer who's supposed to be taking care of your business having a problem with their vehicle? You don't ever want to see that.”
Patti is a member of this year’s Club 3633 because she isn’t afraid to push boundaries and foster an environment where diversity and expertise lead to innovation and excellence.