Big O Tires of Santa Cruz

Full Service Repair and Maintenance Shop … and Tires!

By Edita McQuary

For the past five years, Big O Tires has been a large presence on the 1200 block of Soquel Avenue in Santa Cruz. They were located on Water Street for ten years before that.

This is a family business which Marc Spoorenberg and his 27-year old son, Kyle, run while Ray, Marc’s older brother is a silent partner. Their business card reads “Tires, Service, Straight talk.”

Marc spent the first part of his career as a salesman in the auto industry doing outside sales and dealing with manufacturers. His territory covered Santa Rosa to Gonzalez, California. A friend who owned repair shops convinced him to become a business owner.

Twenty-seven year old Kyle is a graduate of Arizona State University with two degrees and has been working with his dad at Big O Tires for the past two years.

Although Big O is a franchise, they are a local son and pop store with long-time customers who refer their college-age kids to them for servicing their automobiles. Big O Tires has the buying power of the national brand but the personal service of a local family-owned business.

While the name would lead one to think they only sell tires, their business is a fully licensed auto repair facility with 14 employees. They do complete owners’ manual scheduled maintenance services and oil change options with free top-off service. Big O is a full service shop authorized to perform factory-scheduled maintenance for all major automobile brands.

Marc says, “There is no need to drive to the dealership for service. We do a better job for less money with far less hassle. Instead of sitting in traffic and waiting in lines, our customers get to walk across the street, have a cup of coffee at Staff of Life while we take care of their car and send them on their way with a big smile on their face.”

Some of their ­free services are: free brake inspection (no appointment needed); free 22-point vehicle inspection (no appointment needed), free battery and electrical check, free 5-minute wiper blade/bulb inspection; and free local shuttle service.

Insofar as tire services, they provide a free alignment check with printout and free air pressure checks every day (no appointments needed). With new tire purchase, there is free rotation. With any tire purchase there is free flat repair and there is a low price tire guarantee. A Big O Credit Card is available with a 6-month, no-interest financing.

Marc says, “We are big on trust and we are a local family who cares about our customers and although we are a franchise, we run the business like a mom and pop shop.

We love what we do. Big O Tires carries a nationwide network of shops. We can offer our customers the peace of mind that no matter whether they are on vacation or if they move out of the area, our guaranteed products and service travel with them. We care about each vehicle as if it were our own family’s car.”

With their emphasis on exceptional customer service, it is no surprise that the Big O motto is “The team you trust.” But Marc understands that to truly build a trustworthy team, it requires being thoughtful about who is hired and going the extra mile to show their appreciation. “We know that to build a great team, we need to take great care of people. That’s why we have fun mixed in with hard work,” he adds.

“Of course, we also support local charities like the Christmas coat drive, breast cancer support and scholarships for students.”

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Big O Tires is open Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. They are located at 1219 Soquel Avenue, Santa Cruz. Telephone: 831.429.9989. Email: store00”5240@bigostores.com Website: www.BIGOTIRES.com