JACKSON, Wyo. — Jackson’s franchise location of Big O Tires has changed its look and name, but owner Heather Lallatin hopes that the only other change customers see is a more helpful, personal experience.

Over the last 50 years, Lallatin’s father Bob Lallatin has owned or co-owned around 10 different tire stores, and the Jackson shop in the Target plaza has been in the family for 35 years. Alongside her brother, Heather Lallatin is part owner of George’s Tire Pros in Idaho Falls, which made the switch away from Big O last year. Lallatin, as the sole owner, recently brought the Jackson shop into the Tire Pros family.

“We just wanted to get out of the stronghold of the big corporate ways so we could just continue the way we wanted to do business, and keep true to the values and the honesty of just trying to stay small for our community, and continue to take care of our employees the way we felt that employees and customers needed to be taken care of, instead of being told,” Lallatin told Buckrail. “The big corporate values just didn’t align with us anymore.”

According to Jackson Tire Pros’ website, Lallatin grew up in the tire industry and learned every aspect of the business. Her parents built the tire shop on the values of honesty and integrity, she said, and the whole family loves the close-knit community in Jackson.

Facilitating the shift from Big O Tires to Jackson Tire Pros has taken some heavy lifting, but Lallatin is grateful to no longer face the “roadblocks” of corporate limitations. “One day you’re Big O and the next day you’re not,” she said. “Everything has to change, you know, after so many years, including our phone number.”

Lallatin is eager to continue serving the community with the Tire Pros support network and the same crew of employees. According to Tire Pros’ national website, the company has over 650 locations with more than 350 different franchise owners. Tire Pros states that their locations remain independently owned, “but never alone with our unique franchisee model backed by American Tire Distributors.”

Monica is a Staff Reporter who studied journalism at Syracuse University and has been in the valley since 2015. She loves writing about the local food and bev scene, especially craft beer. When she’s not on the clock, you can find her paddle boarding, sewing, or whipping up a new recipe at home.