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To celebrate 70 years, Sullivan Tire takes to the South Shore skies, with the Goodyear Blimp
To celebrate 70 years, Sullivan Tire takes to the South Shore skies, with the Goodyear Blimp

Boston Globe

time29-06-2025

  • Business
  • Boston Globe

To celebrate 70 years, Sullivan Tire takes to the South Shore skies, with the Goodyear Blimp

Advertisement Paul Sullivan of Sullivan Tire watched as guests boarded the Goodyear Blimp in Plymouth on Monday. Brett Phelps for The Boston Globe But today, Sullivan Tire is seen as one of the most successful family-owned businesses in New England — though The company continues to grow as owners of smaller repair shops look to cash out and move on. Since the ESOP's formation around a year-and-a-half ago, Sullivan Tire has added six new consumer-facing locations and three business-servicing spots, per Sullivan's accounting, with around 90 new employees joining. That one shop in Rockland has grown to a company with 134 locations. Advertisement Goodyear, the Ohio-based tire maker, flew into Plymouth to honor Sullivan Tire's 70th year in business, treating a number of employees and customers last Monday and Tuesday with flights above the South Shore. Goodyear operates three of its namesake dirigibles for marketing and goodwill purposes in the US, though technically they are 'semi-rigid' airships and not actually blimps because of their internal structure. Sullivan said his company's relationship with Goodyear dates back roughly four decades, to when Sullivan Tire started distributing Goodyear tires in New England, and to an early ad shot with one of the Goodyear Blimps. The Goodyear Blimp took off from the Plymouth Municipal Airport on Monday. To celebrate the 70th birthday of Sullivan Tire, the blimp came to the South Shore to offer rides to employees and customers. Brett Phelps for The Boston Globe The Sullivan brothers were approached by private equity firms in recent years about selling out. But Sullivan said they couldn't bear to do it. So they turned to an ESOP plan instead to take care of succession. A loan from M&T Bank bought out most of the equity held by Sullivan family members, on behalf of the plan. Selling out to private equity, Sullivan added, 'felt like greed.' 'We cared too much about the people who helped us get here,' he said, high above the Plymouth waterfront. 'Plus, if I have to work on my own automobile, where do I go?' Jon Chesto can be reached at

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