From Tire Review

Despite the current economic conditions and uncertainty, Les Schwab Tire Centers anticipates growth and is making plans to expand.

According to the Puget Sound Business Journal, Schwab Tire’s chairman and CEO Dick Borgman said the "company is looking at new markets, although the retailer is not ready to make any announcements."

Borgman made the comments during an interview with Puget Sound Business Journal Publisher Emory Thomas Jr. at a Business Journal Live breakfast at the Harbor Club Bellevue.

“Borgman acknowledged short-term concerns about the economy, which is still recovering from the financial crisis and recession,” the Journal noted. “The recent spike in fuel prices also affected Schwab Tire because motorists cut back on driving as gas prices increase.

“The $1.5 billion company, based in Bend, Ore., prefers to enter markets that are adjacent to its existing territories. In recent years, Schwab Tire has moved into California and Salt Lake City, Utah,” the Journal reported.