-Project: New Discount Tire store
-Location: 5612 Highway 153, at the corner of Oyler Lane and Highway 153 in Hixson
-General contractor: Romach Inc., in Franklin, Tenn.
-Size: 7,373 square-foot building, including showroom that overlooks three service bays. The store, one of the new prototypes for the company, will employ 15-20 full- and part-time workers
-About the company: Discount Tire first opened its doors in 1960, when Bruce T. Halle rented an old plumbing supply building in Ann Arbor, Mich. In 1970, the company moved to Arizona to expand its national footprint and has since grown into the nation's largest independent tire and wheel retailer, operating 950 stores in 33 states.
-Local plans: Discount Tire spokesman Greg Miller said the Chattanooga area "is a key focus of Discount Tire's continued expansion." The Hixson store is the first of at least four planned new Discount Tire stores to open in metro Chattanooga. A Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., location will open later this year. Discount Tire opened a store in Cleveland, Tenn., in early 2014.
-Competition: The Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Discount Tire is building its new Hixson store directly across the street from a similar store opened last year by rival Tire Discounters, the Cincinnati-based chain that entered the Chattanooga market in 2015.
-Schedule: The new Hixson store is scheduled to open in October.
- Compiled by Business Editor Dave Flessner who may be reached at dflessner@times freepress.com or 423-757-6340