Carrying On For Lex, Thank You, Very Much

By following the basic philosophy of the company founder — customer service and common courtesy — Scott Williams keeps Lex Brodie’s No. 1 in tire sales

Susan Sunderland
Wednesday - August 09, 2006
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Williams checks with senior salesman Allan Inaba
Williams checks with senior salesman Allan
Inaba

Lex Brodie built a business empire on common courtesy, and Scott Williams is intent on carrying on the tradition.

That familiar slogan, “Thank you, very much,” sums up how Williams, general manager of Lex Brodie’s Tire Company, feels about the breaks he’s been given in life and why, at age 38, he’s posed to take the tire company to its next level of greatness.

That’s even as the company goes through an ownership change. More about that later.

Williams climbed the ranks at Lex Brodie’s, starting as a gas attendant, and today runs the company, its five Oahu locations, and oversees 104 employees. His rags-to-respectable story is inspiring for those in the trenches wondering if they’ll ever make it to the top.


The simple answer: “Yes, if you work hard and apply yourself,” Williams says.

That is a familiar refrain, but does it happen in real life?

Yes, again.

Name: Scott Williams / Age: 38
Job: General Manager, Lex Brodie’s Tire Company
Graduate: Roosevelt High School
Wife: Teri, manages Prince Hotels’ U.S. central reservations.
Children: Ashley, 20; Zack, 18; Britney, 15; Seth, 5.
For Fun: Hiked to peak of Machu Picchu, Peru last year.
Quote: “There’s a huge correlation between gas mileage
and tire pressure.”

Williams was a homeless youth with an uncertain future in 1986 when he walked into Lex Brodie’s to get a job. He was going to school in the day, sleeping in his car at night, and living aimlessly the rest of the time.

Brodie was a strict boss, Williams recalls, but it wasn’t unlike the disciplined “old school” upbringing by his father, Steve.

“My father told me to always be worth at least twice as much as you get paid,” Williams says. “That was job security.”

Williams had dropped out of school during his junior year at Roosevelt High. He returned a year later to complete his education with the encouragement of teachers. A classmate offered him housing at $100 a month.

On the job, he went from filling gas to changing tires. Brodie kept track of every tire change and posted the No. 1 tire changer. For just about every month, Williams was the top tire changer.


“The general manager would tell customers that changing tires was training for the marathon because I would run from car to car,” Williams says.

After three years, he moved to the alignment shop, where he performed in his usual highly motivated style, once doing 42 alignments by himself at the Waipahu shop. Typical output is 20 a day.

“I punched in early and didn’t take lunch,” Williams says.

He did that job for four years, then was promoted to salesperson. After four years in sales, he was named assistant manager and later manager of the Waipahu store. In 2002, Williams became company general manager.

Scott Williams, Lex Brodie and Little Joe
Scott Williams, Lex Brodie and Little Joe

That’s burning a lot of rubber in productivity and burning the midnight oil learning the skills to manage people, balance the books and plan for the future.

Lex Brodie’s is the nation’s 36th largest independent tire dealer with the highest per store sales average. It started as a modest corner gas station in Kaneohe.

Many people expect to see Brodie at the dealerships. The spirit of the tall, slender entrepreneur pervades the five locations at Queen Street, Pearlridge, Waipahu, Kailua and Kaneohe.

When people see “Little Joe,” the cartoon caveman carving a wheel out of rock, they recognize the logo of the shop that resounds with “Thank you, very much.”

Williams’ legendary boss and mentor established the business fundamentals and customer service standards. Brodie personified the business and was its branding force. At age 91, Brodie today is retired and living on Kauai.

In 1990, without much public fanfare, Brodie sold his company. However, his name and marketing image continued in the public arena. Twelve years later, the ownership changed to Finova Capital Corporation, an Arizona-based investment firm.

In 2003, Williams acquired part ownership. As we go to press, another chapter in Lex Brodie Tire Company is about to take place as new owners-investors buy the company, with Williams and some employees sharing minority interests.

The existing management team will stay in place, Williams assures, just as they have through past transitions. To the customer, it will be a seamless transition with no disruption in service.

As ownership of the company changes, stable leadership is left to Williams. In Nike-like spirit, he pursues a “just do it”-style of executive management. He was recently named one of Hawaii’s top young businessmen.

“The company is the strongest I’ve known it to be,” Willams affirms. “We have the best sales numbers we’ve ever had, and added resources will allow us to

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