ASSINIBOIA - Integra Tire in Assiniboia celebrates 30 years of excellence with the Karst family.
Brother duo, Darrin and Tracy Karst, began working for their parents at the local Petro Canada service station and repair shop in Assiniboia in 1984. In their teens, the young men learned all the facets of a service station, under dad Alvin’s watchful eye. The Karst brothers were taught not only to fix and repair things, including tires, but also how to become the businessmen they are today.
Shirley Karst told the Assiniboia Times, “Alvin always gave everyone the benefit of doubt and for the most part believed that a handshake was just as good as a signature on a piece of paper. Their mom, Laverne, not to be forgotten, was also hands-on at the station, and kept the books, and performed all the accounting duties. This enabled Darrin and Tracy the best possible start in the workforce, instilling a strong work ethic from a very young age.”
The dynamic duo of the Karst brothers developed a keen interest in the tire end of the business and ended up taking over the tire portion completely, starting their own business in 1994 resulting in a three-decade commitment to their business in Assiniboia.
Karst Holdings was incorporated and the brothers knew to make things viable they would need to branch out into an entirely independent building, thus purchasing what was an RV dealership and created their current Integra Tire location here.
The first five years there had limited office space and a somewhat limited shop space, which was workable with them and their first two employees, Garth Coghill and Tammy Zerie.
Coghill worked in the back and operated the farm service truck, while their sister Tammy, did all the accounting and administrative work. The early days had Darrin and Tracey working hard to build their business, handling almost all of the weekend and after hours work themselves. Work weeks consisted of six days right from the start, and Shirley said, these work weeks often still offer six-day-a-week service hours.
“During the last 30 years, many Karsts have walked through the doors. Through their teenage years, Darrin and Tracey’s boys, Dylan and Bradyn, worked in the shop, as well as Lacy who worked up front for a brief period.”
Tracey’s wife, Shirley, heads up safety and PR aspects of the business while their daughters Jill and Erynn spend as much time as they can doing odds and ends, mostly in the office, although not officially on the payroll. Their son, Kyle, is finally old enough to work as a student in the back shop.
Tammy’s children, Austin and Megan, also worked at the shop.
“As each began it’s important to note that all the kids have started by learning the basics which included cleaning/maintenance in the shop and worked their way up. They might be family, but if anything, that makes Darrin and Tracy’s expectations even greater for them than those of their fellow employees,” added Shirley.
Darrin’s mother-in-law, Edla Barnes, worked as custodian for many years before her recent retirement in January of 2024. At various times in the past 30 years, three of the Karst cousins and Darrin’s brother-in-law have also served as employees.
In 2019, son Dylan returned to Assiniboia with his fiancé Alanna to join the business, and in 2022, purchased a percentage of the business, making him the first of the second generation to be part of Karst Holdings Incorporated. There are 15 employees who are part of the business, working alongside Darrin, Tracey and Dylan.
Asked what is the key to success in operating a family business in small town Saskatchewan, Karst responds, “For us to be able to say that we have been proudly serving the south for 30 years is both an honor and a privilege. Aside from the usual answers like working hard, having a good inventory on hand (a few years ago, we had tractor tires that no one else could find and actually had John Deere ship new units out here to have us put the tires on them!), having access to shipments from Regina daily, competitive prices etc., the one thing that we can attribute all our success to is customer service.”
Learned from dad Alvin and mom Laverne all those years ago, Karst affirms their customers are their friends and a friend is always there for you through the good, the bad, and the ugly helping you when you need it the most.
Because one of the biggest industries in southern Saskatchewan is farming, the team at Integra Tire have dedicated themselves to help their farming friends, offering two full-time service trucks to help out during busy farming seasons, and beyond.
The Karst team say they pride themselves on good workmanship and taking care of their friends in the best and safest way possible. They attribute their employees for contributing to their success story.
What began as one shop position and one office personnel has blossomed into six full-time tire technicians, two of which are service truck operators, in addition to full time heavy duty and automotive technicians, full time journeyman parts technicians, full time safety position as well as two student positions.
“Like any business that has lasted through multiple decades the only constant we can rely on is change! In 1994 we opened as an independent store under the TireCraft brand, and in 2008 we became an Integra Tire store. In the months prior to the switch the TireCraft franchise had been sold, and subsequently closed its doors. While contemplating which franchise would be the best fit for us, we received a phone call from David Cosco (one of the creators and owner of TireCraft) who with the news of the TireCraft closure decided to come out of retirement. He said he was starting a new business called Integra Tire and asked if we were in,” said Karst.
The newly named business began with a simple phone call, a strong friendship and a mutual trust to become Canada’s first Integra Tire dealer. While the Karsts say they are first and foremost a tire shop, they also offer a full line of automotive and heavy-duty mechanics, alignments as well as SGI inspections. “If it has anything to do with wheels or an engine, chances are we can help you with it.”
The Karst team said that one of the biggest changes they made is the addition of a service manager, served by Scott Fender, who was born and raised in Assiniboia and began his new position in September of 2023. Fender has proved invaluable, bringing with him more than 30 years in heavy-duty service and staff/time management experience.
“As far as products go, we have seen everything getting bigger as the years go on! From automotive to Ag, you would be hard pressed to find a tire size that we carried 30 years ago, and if you can find it, chances are it will be higher priced some of the newer, larger tires, especially in automotive. Thirty years ago, you would have never seen tracks for tractors carried at a business like this.”
Integra Tire is always updating their equipment and diagnostic tools to ensure they have the latest technology. Through the years, the business has added a tire storage building, as well as two storage buildings and a large tire compound.
One of the family business highlights including the opportunity to give back to Assiniboia and surrounding communities as their reward for continued support, from sponsoring curling bonspiels to $3,000 to each of the three school’s nutrition programs, to name but a few.
Another highlight was being recognized by their peers, winning the Dealer Award of Excellence as well as the Integrity Award at annual meetings.
The Karst family is happy to be hosting a barbecue at the shop on April 19 to celebrate their 30th anniversary. They will be partnering with the Golden South Childcare, with their members cooking and selling in exchange for the profits being donated to them. This will give the Integra Tire Team an opportunity to meet and greet their customers and guests.
