Employee Ownership and Rural Market Success With Adrian Rodriguez of Commercial Tire

Adrian Rodriguez is the Vice President of Marketing and Retail Sales at Commercial Tire, a leading tire and auto service provider with over 45 locations across Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and Utah. Before joining Commercial Tire, he spent a decade with John Deere, sharpening his expertise in marketing and retail strategy. Adrian helped lead Commercial Tire’s transition to 100% employee ownership in 2019, fostering a culture rooted in accountability and local investment. Outside of work, he’s an avid skier and downhill mountain biker, embracing extreme sports with the same energy he brings to business. In this episode…

Tire and automotive services often operate behind the scenes, yet they serve as foundational pillars of local economies. As some businesses evolve toward more employee-centric models, the conversation around ownership, community impact, and internal culture is gaining momentum. What does it look like when a tire company becomes 100% employee-owned — and how does that change everything?

According to Adrian Rodriguez, who leads marketing and retail sales for Commercial Tire, becoming employee-owned was both a strategic and cultural transformation. The shift not only enhanced operational efficiency through collective accountability but also redirected profits into local communities where employees live and work. By fostering a deep sense of ownership at every level, the company unlocked new opportunities for innovation, loyalty, and long-term sustainability.

On this episode of Gain Traction, Mike Edge welcomes Adrian Rodriguez for a deep dive into Commercial Tire’s evolution as a 100% employee-owned company. Adrian shares how this ownership model impacts culture, accountability, and profitability. He also discusses B2B and consumer marketing challenges, the importance of community engagement, and how internal values drive lasting success. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• [01:45] How Adrian Rodriguez’s career started with free pizza and an internship at John Deere
• [02:41] How a decade at John Deere built Adrian’s marketing foundation
• [04:09] The bold move to 100% employee ownership at Commercial Tire
• [05:35] The culture shift that employee ownership created across the company
• [09:59] Navigating the COVID-19 transition as a newly employee-owned business
• [12:18] Why employee ownership accelerates community investment
• [17:00] How Adrian’s team markets to fleet and HVAC companies
• [19:19] Challenges of marketing consumer services with a “commercial” brand name

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Adrian Rodriguez on LinkedIn
• Commercial Tire
• Dan Kahn on LinkedIn
• Kahn Media
• Mike Edge on LinkedIn
• Tread Partners

Quotable Moments:

• “If every employee saves just 15 minutes a day, that’s real money and real efficiency across hundreds of people.”
• “Ownership isn’t just a title — it’s a mindset that drives innovation from the tire tech to the C-suite.”
• “We’re not teammates — we’re employee-owners. And that changes how we think about the whole business.”
• “Do epic sh*t. Whether it’s leading, marketing, or community building — go all in.”
• “Tires may not seem glamorous, but they touch every aspect of how society moves.”

Action Steps:

1. Create a culture of ownership: Encourage every team member to identify ways they can improve efficiency daily.
2. Use visual tools for sales enablement: Leverage video cards or segmented brochures for tailored B2B outreach.
3. Build wealth locally: Adopt models that allow profits to return to employees and the communities they serve.
4. Embrace marketing playfulness: Use creative, localized campaigns to connect with new markets despite brand name challenges.
5. Lead with mantras: Choose a powerful phrase that reflects your culture and let it guide decision-making.

Sponsor for this episode...
This episode is brought to you by Tread Partners.
At Tread Partners, we provide digital marketing for multi-location tire dealers and auto repair shops.
By using our strategy, branding, and marketing services, we help shops sell more tires and put more cars in bays.
We’ve helped companies like Action Gator Tire, Colony Tire and Service, and Ulmer’s Auto Care Center bring extreme growth in paid leads, ROI, and searches.
So, what are you waiting for?
Visit www.treadpartners.com or email info@treadpartners.com to learn more.