Heritage Tire & Auto Care opens to keep Minerva rolling

When Minerva Tire closed Bits doors earlier this year, a familiar face in the community stepped in to fill the gap. Jim Kohmann, a longtime Minerva business owner and one of the three partners behind Heritage Tire & Auto Care, saw an opportunity to keep hometown automotive service alive in a spot with deep local roots.

Kohmann, along with partners Matt Leeders, president of Daystar Auto Group, and Ricco Perea, the company’s chief financial officer, launched Heritage Tire & Auto Care in mid-August. The shop operates from the well-known Valley Street location that once housed Kohmann’s previous businesses, including a mower and used-car operation and later the original Daystar Powersports. 

It is also the former location of Loudon Motors Ford, adding another layer of automotive history to the property. When the powersports business outgrew the building and relocated to Malvern, Kohmann and his partners decided to turn the space into something Minerva needed most: a new tire and auto service center.

“After Minerva Tire closed, we felt there was a void in the community,” Kohmann said. “We wanted to keep a locally owned place here that people could count on for tires and general auto care.”

Heritage Tire & Auto Care is an authorized Goodyear tire dealer, but the shop can source all major brands through multiple distributors, from affordable everyday tires to premium models like Michelin. Customers can browse available options and order tires directly through the business’s website, heritagetireminerva.com.

Beyond tire sales and installation, the shop offers a full range of general auto maintenance and light repairs. Services include brake and suspension work, exhaust repairs, oil changes and wheel alignments, as well as tire balancing and rotation. While the shop doesn’t perform major engine or transmission rebuilds, it’s equipped to handle nearly everything else that keeps vehicles on the road safely and reliably.

Heritage Tire & Auto Care is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and can be reached at 330-522-0092.

Though the Heritage name is new, Kohmann’s connection to Minerva’s business community stretches back decades. His family has been part of the town’s automotive scene since the 1980s, when his father operated Chrysler Plymouth and Ford dealerships in the area.

“Our family has been in business here since I was a teenager,” Kohmann said. “We’ve always believed in keeping things local. Heritage Tire is really about continuing that tradition and providing honest, community-based service right here in Minerva.”