Mattern Tire marks 30 years in Cadiz

Mattern Tire in Cadiz — and the Mattern family — has deep roots in Harrison County and is quick to lend a hand when the community calls.

The business is marking 30 years in operation and does “just about anything mechanical” in caring for vehicles of any size, said owner Nip Mattern.

“I started the business with my wife on April Fool’s Day, 1996,” Mattern said. “That’s a perfect day to start a business. If it fails, I can blame it on something.”

Nip and Tammy Mattern have been busy with the business ever since.

Despite its April Fool’s Day start, Mattern Tire has done anything but fail, growing into a 12,000-square-foot facility with lifts capable of handling 18,000 pounds.

“We do a lot of fleet work,” Mattern said. “In addition to that, we handle a lot of commercial vehicles, and we needed a facility that can handle just about anything that comes in.”

In 2015, another building on the property was razed to make way for construction of the larger, more modern facility that stands today. The business employs nine people.

Mattern said the tire business is much the same as it was 30 years ago, with some notable exceptions.

“There are a lot more tire sizes now,” he said. “When we started, there were maybe 20 or 25 tire sizes. Now, there are probably 1,500 tire sizes. It’s tough to keep up with new tire sizes as they come out. It seems like every new model that comes out carries a new tire size.”

Keeping up with new technology is also constant, and the business invests in new equipment, computers, software and diagnostic tools each year.

“Now we’re starting to see some electric vehicles come in,” Mattern said. “Not a lot just yet, but we’re making sure we can handle that.”

Mattern said the shop handles much more than tires.

“We handle brakes, alignment — everything mechanical. Anything under the hood,” he said. “We get a lot of big industrial and farm equipment, rusted truck frames. We can do just about anything right here.”

The company draws customers from a wide area, including Jewett-Scio, Bowerston, Hopedale and Carrollton.

Mattern said his family has been present in the area since its earliest days.

“Going back into the 1700s, we were some of the first people to live here,” he said. “It seems like we’ve always had businesses or have been officials in some capacity. We’ve always been active in the area in some way since the beginning.”

Those long-standing roots continue today, Mattern said, noting the business helps with community events, fundraisers and charitable work each year.

Mattern also encouraged drivers to monitor their tires to get the longest life from them.

“You really should inspect your tires often,” he said. “Keep the air pressure at the right level, check the tread depth for wear, and probably most importantly, get tires rotated regularly. That’s something most people just don’t do, but tire rotation is really the best thing you can do to make tires last.”

Mattern Tire is located at 419 Lincoln Ave., Cadiz. The phone number is 740-942-8895.