Legacy and Innovation With Dennis Feldman, Keleyah Miller and Justin Pursell of ITDG Next Gen

Dennis Feldman is the Chair of the ITDG Next Gen Committee and a third-generation operator at Performance Plus Tire, a family-owned business in Long Beach, California which specializes in classic car tires and aftermarket wheels.

Keleyah Miller is the Vice Chair of the ITDG Next Gen Committee and part of the third generation at Main Street Tire in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she and her siblings are leading a company that is now 80% wholesale.

Justin Pursell serves as Secretary of the ITDG Next Gen Committee and oversees commercial, wholesale, and retread operations at Bergey’s Commercial Tire, a fifth-generation company in Pennsylvania with a century-long legacy in transportation.

In this episode…

The tire industry continues to evolve as family-run operations face digital transformation, shifting market pressures, and generational handoffs. As new leaders step into roles shaped by legacy and innovation, balancing tradition with forward-thinking becomes crucial. How can young leaders modernize operations while honoring decades of family heritage?

According to Dennis Feldman, who chairs the Next Gen Committee for Performance Plus Tire, the key lies in strategic upgrades, relationship building, and community collaboration. Along with Keleyah Miller and Justin Pursell, he emphasizes the role of ITDG’s Next Gen group in preparing young leaders for succession and growth through networking, mentorship, and shared learning. Together, they reflect on how family ties, vendor partnerships, and conferences strengthen both culture and business outcomes.

On this episode of Gain Traction, Mike Edge welcomes Dennis, Keleyah, and Justin for a conversation about generational leadership, the mission of the ITDG Next Gen Committee, and the practical steps they’re taking to future-proof their tire businesses. They dive into the emotional dynamics of working with family, the challenges of modernizing legacy systems, and the strategies that keep independent operations competitive in a shifting market. Dennis, Keleyah, and Justin provide insights into the importance of community, the power of long-term vision, and how peer support within ITDG fuels innovation across the board.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: 

• [01:48] Dennis Feldman shares his role at Performance Plus Tire and his niche in classic car tires
• [02:36] Justin Pursell explains his leadership at Bergey’s and the scope of their operations
• [03:28] Keleyah Miller describes Main Street Tire’s wholesale focus and family involvement
• [04:52] The goals of the ITDG Next Gen Committee and how it nurtures leadership
• [06:38] Challenges and advantages of working within multigenerational family businesses
• [17:26] Keleyah’s family mantra: “Prepare for your grandkids, and your kids will fall into line”
• [18:32] Justin’s wildlife photography hobby and connection to nature outside of work
• [19:57] Dennis reflects on modernizing his family business while preserving legacy

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Justin Pursell on LinkedIn
• Performance Plus Tire
• Mainstreet Tire USA
• Bergey’s Tire & Auto Service Centers
• Independent Tire Dealers Group
• Mike Edge on LinkedIn
• Tread Partners

Quotable Moments:

• “Prepare for your grandkids, and your kids will fall into line.” – Keleyah Miller
• “What other career lets you see your dad every day while building something meaningful?” – Dennis Feldman
• “We’re going to get up in the morning and sell tires — no matter what.” – Justin Pursell quoting Jason Rook
• “Next Gen is here to educate, connect, and guide young leaders into broader roles.” – Dennis Feldman
• “You can gain a lot of success when you make the right relationships.” – Keleyah Miller

Action Steps:

1. Evaluate your leadership transition plan: Identify next-gen leaders in your organization and outline how to involve them in long-term strategy.
2. Join a collaborative group: Gain access to networking, vendor partnerships, and growth opportunities without losing your brand identity.
3. Modernize your systems: Consider upgrading legacy point-of-sale or e-commerce platforms to stay competitive and efficient.
4. Foster legacy and connection: Build a company culture where both family members and long-term employees feel deeply valued.
5. Attend industry conferences: Engage with peers, vendors, and leaders through events like ITDG’s annual conference to stay informed and inspired.

• Dennis Feldman
• Gain Traction Podcast
• ITDG Next Gen
• Justin Pursell
• Keleyah Miller
• Mike Edge
• Tread Partners

Transcript

00:02
Welcome to the Gain Traction Podcast where we feature top tire and auto repair professionals, shop owners, industry executives and thought leaders and share their inspiring stories. Now let’s get started with the show. 

00:18
Hey folks, welcome to the Gain Traction Podcast, the official podcast for tire business. We have a roundtable of key people involved with ITDG’s Next Gen group. As our guest today, Dennis Feldman with Performance Plus Tire out of Long Beach, California. He’s the chair, Kalia Miller of Main Street Tire in Colorado. She’s the Next Gen Vice chair. And Justin Purcell of Berge’s Tire in Pennsylvania. He’s the Next gen secretary. But before we begin, this episode is brought to you by Tread Partners. Tread Partners is the leading digital marketing agency that specializes in digital marketing for multi location tire and auto repair shops. Tread Partners works with clients that have hundreds of locations, down to even five locations. Let Tread Partners take a look under your digital marketing hood today. 

01:04
To contact trade partners just visit treadpartners.com you guys know I like to do a past guest shout out. So my past guest shout out is Joe DeMarchio Jr. He is a phenomenal guy. Had a great interview, had a great time on the interview and doing a podcast with him. And if you want to listen to it, you can go to Gain Traction Podcast. Dennis, Kalia and Justin, welcome to Gain Traction Podcast. 

01:29
Thank you, thanks for having us. 

01:32
I’m glad to have you. Dennis, start with you since you’re the chair of the Next Gen group at the Independent Tire Dealer Group Committee. The Next Gen committee. Tell us you know a little bit about yourself, how long you’ve been in the business. 

01:47
Yeah. So Dennis Feldman, Performance Plus Tire as you said and the chair of the Next Gen committee here at the Independent Tire Dealers Group. We’re a family owned business. I’m third generation operator of our retail business based out of Long Beach. We also have a facility out in Knoxville, Tennessee. So we spend a good part of our time going back and forth between California and Tennessee. Kind of have a specialty or niche in the classic car segment of our industry. So pretty well versed in the white wall tire space as well as the aftermarket wheel space for street rods and hot rods and things of that like and yeah, happy to be here. 

02:33
That’s awesome. Justin, what about yourself? Sure. 

02:38
So I work for Bergy’s Inc. It’s a 100 year old company consisting of medium heavy and consumer products. We have parts, we have tires, trailers, you name it. The transportation industry, we’re kind of involved in it. So I Oversee our commercial tire, wholesale tire and retread operations. I’ve been with the company for about 11 years now and I reside in upper Bucks County, Pennsylvania. 

03:08
That’s awesome. 100 years though. That’s impressive. 

03:11
Yeah. 

03:12
Wow. Yeah. So Jen, you’re in a family business, right? How far back is it? We’re going back like three or four generations. 

03:22
Fifth generation. 

03:23
Fifth. Wow, that’s phenomenal. Well, Kalia, what about yourself? 

03:28
I’m Kalia out here in Cara Springs, Main street tire. I’m also third generation. Started as retail about 50 some years ago and now we’re about 80 wholesale distributorship here servicing all the Color Springs, surrounding areas, you know, up Denver, Castle Rock, all those areas. Mostly, you know, most of our business is independent retailers out here. We also do a lot with the dealerships and everything. And then we still have our retail also. About 20 of what we do is all the resale or retail side. And we’re, you know, we’re just, we’re family owned, family operated. You know, all of us kids are now in here. I’ve been, you know, full force in the company for about five years now. My siblings are out here doing it with us and you know, really family oriented over here. 

04:26
That’s awesome. Well, you guys have some, I mean you’re all involved in big time generational business. We’re not talking one and twosies here. So I’m glad to have you part of this. I’m glad that you all represent the itdg. But let’s talk about Next Gen. What does that org, what’s the committee do and what does it mean for the entire group, the independent tire dealer group? Anyone one of y’ all want to take that? 

04:52
Yeah. So Next Gen is a, is like a sub organization within the independent tire dealers group that’s focused on positioning young leaders within ITDG to take on broader leadership roles within the group, specifically to position them to become board members, you know, long term for the group, to help steer the group and to also be a, a networking organization among young leaders in the group. You know, I mean our industry is so unique in that it’s like so legacy, family business oriented. And we have a lot of war stories I think we can all share as far as what that entails as far as being in a family business, working with your family, you know, experiencing the multi generational dynamics that come with that. It makes it a lot different than, you know, other types of Corporate environments. Right. 

05:58
Yeah. 

05:59
When, you know, ultimately the leadership structure could be one that’s, you know, heavily influenced by what, you know, family members, different goals and desires are for growing a business. And I think that it’s a, I think it’s an opportunity for people that, you know, whether or not they’re actually in the family business or like in the family, like Justin or in the case of Kalia and I like, very much integrated in the family, maybe even too much. And just to like, get a feel for like, you know, what comes with that. How do you steer the growth of your business based on that? 

06:37
Well, it’s interesting you bring it up like that. I had an interview, this is months back and the audience may be familiar with it, but we had more tire out of Illinois and then Bobby Gillespie down in Alabama on with Randy o’ Connor and I think it was Cal and Kayla at the Moore shop, but they’re brother and sisters and they run it now. And they were just. Every one of them were talking about, you know, I don’t know if I could have been the first generation person because that first generation guy, he had to wear every hat and do everything. And they joked about, you can ask our dad. He would tell you he was an expert HR guy, expert mechanic, expert, you know, he had to do it all. 

07:14
But, you know, and what’s interesting, what you guys get to experience is, you know, new set of eyes, new generation, new energy, new life in a company. And it’s interesting to see how you guys have to work that dynamic or that transition from, you know, earning, I guess, their trust to they let go of the reins. Is that a good way of putting it? 

07:38
Yeah, I would say so, for sure. Or, or maybe not so much letting go of the reins if that’s not realistic, depending on the business that you’re in. But. But also like redefin, like what that looks like and how you feel as a, as a young leader in the company. 

07:55
Justin, how do you experience that with five generations? 

07:59
It’s definitely interesting. I mean, the family here is still very much involved. Our CEO is fifth generation. I mean, he gets around, visits all of our locations, knows a lot of our technicians, drivers, managers by name. I think that’s something that’s pretty special here. 

08:20
Yeah. 

08:21
You know, before getting into the tire business 11 years ago, I worked for a, you know, just a regular retail company. And, you know, you’re kind of a, a number in a pool, basically. And, you know, I think it really is special here where you know, the family gets around, knows a lot of people personally and really it’s not uncommon to see a lot of 30, 40, even 50 year folks that have been working here in several different positions around the organization too. 

08:51
So that’s impressive. 

08:53
Yeah. 

08:54
Clea, your third generation. So do you guys, you feel the same struggles in that generational passing of the torch. 

09:04
It can be, it can be hard to work with your family but honestly the way we see it or the, you know, the family side of our business, I feel like we’re really some of the lucky ones where we’re really close anyway. So. Some days are tough, don’t get me wrong, some days can be hard. But it’s worth it, you know, to be able to pass it down, to walk into this legacy, you know, leave the legacy for the next, you know, to be a part of something that means more than your corporate world, you know, everything is only about the dollar. 

09:39
Yeah. 

09:41
To, to be a part of a family and a part of a business. Including our employees. You know, we’ve got employees. Our, our, we have one tech who’s been on our retail side for 48 years now. He worked for my grandfather. So to be a part of this team of people who even people that aren’t blood related, to be this close, this involved, to be able to take care of each other the way we do, that’s special. You know, working for a long term goal, that means something. Really, truly means something. And you know, a family like ours that we’re so close anyway, I mean family dinner every Sunday night at my parents house. We’re, we’re tight family and it just, it makes it all worth it. 

10:31
That’s awesome. That’s beautiful. But the 48 years, man. Wow. I’d like to meet this guy. That’s impressive. 

10:36
And he’s a great guy. 

10:39
And everybody can learn something from somebody like that just by his example. Period. 

10:43
Yep. 

10:44
Speaking of next gen though. So what’s next gen’s next move this year? What are you guys working on? Anything particular? Any big events coming up or just you guys just get together and network and talk about, you know, where you’re, where you’d like to see things go for the industry. 

11:01
Well, we just had the ITG annual conference and for those listening, just a shameless plug. 

11:07
Feel like go for it. 

11:09
If you feel like you’re qualified to be an itdg, you know, as a independent dealer, you know, looking for you know, volume opportunities in ways that wouldn’t come otherwise. We’ve got excellent staff headed by, you know, CEO Jason Rook and our sales team, Chris Berry and Mike Burns. You know, it’s been a tremendous resource for us. And so we just had our annual conference out in Arizona refresh off of that just this past weekend. So we’re all just getting home now. 

11:40
And the forecast for the rest of the year for NextGen is to host quarterly calls or meetings to just corral next gen leadership within the group to further educate the next gen leadership as far as what the group can do for their respective businesses and to what extent they, as next gen leaders might be familiar with the nuts and bolts or inner workings of the group. You know, that would be like an aim of ours. Like just some next gen leaders just might not be as like, familiar with what ITDG is doing for their organization now. And so the idea is to give that to them and then to also just get a better feel for what different group members do and what their niches are and how we can collaborate together to find growth in this very unique and challenging environment. 

12:30
Did you all get to make the conference? Were you all out there? 

12:34
All three of us. 

12:35
Justin, what was your takeaway from the conference itself? 

12:39
I thought it was definitely time well spent. You know, obviously there’s a lot going on in the entire world right now just with, you know, tariffs and many other things that we can’t quite control ourselves. But you know, I’ll kind of quote the president, Jason Rook, you know, he sort of started things off with, you know, we’re going to get up in the morning and we’re going to sell tires, and when things get tough, we’re going to get up and sell tires. And you know, I think that was kind of a very important thing to kind of keep in the back of our minds just a focus on our customers, control what we can control here. And you know, we’re kind of all in this together and we’ll pull through together. 

13:21
Yeah, I like that. No, and it’s. And look, the thing that’s really cool about ITDG is that you’re independent, but now you’re in a bigger group, you get buying power, but you have a voice that’s a big voice, I’m saying, within the industry because I think. Aren’t you guys at like 1100 rooftops or something like that? 

13:39
Yeah. And growing. 

13:40
Yeah. Yeah. So that’s a lot. And everybody keeps their own Brand. Correct. I mean, you’re just. I mean, the organization is. Is an organization, but at the same time, you. You. Everybody keeps their own individual brands. You’re just. You’re just part of a bigger buying group. I mean, is the simple way of putting it right? 

13:58
Exactly. 

13:59
Kalia, did you. Did you gain anything from the conference or enjoy some. Anything like in particular or network with anything? Anybody particular? 

14:08
Oh, it was awesome. So much to learn, so much information that’s valuable to not only better the success of ITG as a whole, because, I mean, we’re all working together to build this, you know. Yeah, we’re all independent companies running our own businesses, but. But ultimately, at the end of the day, we’re all working together to better each other’s success, better the success of the. Of. Of the group. The. You know, the. The more successful the ITDG is, the more successful all of us are. And what information can we take from this to do more in our own companies, in our own businesses with our own employees being there and getting. Getting that one on with people, too, to build their relationships? You know, what can I learn from you? What can you learn from me? What can our companies do to work together? 

14:58
You know, how can we help each other learn and grow? You know, these. These annual meetings, a chance for everybody to. Everybody to learn everybody to get to know each other, spend valuable time with people that, you know, you. You can. You can gain a lot of success when you meet the right people, when you make the right relationships, you know, and that’s what it’s all about. This industry is. It’s, you know, tough industry. But like Justin was saying, you know, Jason got up there and we sell tires, and we all sell tires, so let’s all do it together. 

15:36
I love it. I love it. Is there any particular, like, classes that they offer that you guys like the most at these kind of conferences that TDG host or vendors that come in and talk to you guys? 

15:50
So we have a vendor trade show that is designed to, you know, put the programs within the group in front of each member, and that is really instructive. Next gen is. Is gearing its regular programming moving forward not so much on, like, classes, but more just, like, informational sessions to kind of explain, you know, how itdg can support these different parts of your business operationally or, you know, your product screen, whatever. 

16:21
But. 

16:22
But yeah, it’s meant to. It’s meant to engage the group members with, you know, vendors as well as other resources the group has as a whole. 

16:29
That’s Awesome. I mean, I. I can’t imagine, like, I know. Actually, I know some dealers that just. They’re still very independent, and I. I always think, man, they need to be part of a group like iddg, just simply for the camaraderie. I mean, just the friendships you make. And then. And then, you know, somebody else can kind of lean on for advice or whatever. But then you meet vendors that are very supportive because, you know, they know they’re catering to an entire big group. So you become. Even though you’re an individual, you become more important to them. Each. I would say you become very important to each, you know, vendor in a different way than you could on your own. 

17:08
Exactly. Right. 

17:09
Yeah. Well, just let the audience know a little bit more about you guys individually. Kalia, I think I told you I was going to ask you, do you have a mantra or code that you live by, something that maybe your family does? 

17:24
You know, we grew up in this, and all of us kids watched our parents give everything they had to build this, you know, prepare for the future if. If this is the future that we wanted. And my. My parents always, you know, we always told them, you know, you’re building us a legacy. You’re building us legacy. And they. My dad always used to tell us kids, he said, if you. If you always prepare for your grandkids, your kids will fall into line, your family will be taken care of. So everything you do, all the decisions you make during the day, your business, how we build it for the future, we’re building it for our grandkids. Because our families that way will always be taken care of. They’ll always fall into line. 

18:15
I really like that because it’s really thinking long term and not short term and not thinking about yourself, right? 

18:22
Yeah, absolutely. 

18:24
That’s awesome. Justin, do you have a particular hobby that you like, you do outside of work? 

18:31
Yeah, I mean, I have several hobbies. And, you know, I think, unfortunately, a few of them, you know, don’t have as much time for them as I would like. But two. Two that I do hold kind of near and dear. Big wildlife photographer like to get out on the weekends. 

18:45
Oh, yeah. That’s awesome. 

18:46
Yeah. 

18:47
Get the. 

18:47
Get the camera out, you know, go for a hike. And fortunately, living in the upper Bucks county area in Pennsylvania, it’s a. It’s a gorgeous area with a lot to offer. I mean, I have a bald eagle nest about 10 minutes down the road from me and several national parks right around the area. 

19:03
What’s. What’s. What. What do you Consider the coolest picture you’ve ever taken. 

19:09
Probably go. I probably go with the bald eagle nest. I got one picture, both of the parents and two of the eaglets, you know, a couple months after birth up in the nest and parents are feeding it fish from the lake. Pretty cool shot. 

19:24
You didn’t crawl up in the nest with them, did you? 

19:26
No, no. 

19:27
I’m just kidding. I’ll tell you, I’ve, I’ve. I’ve gotten to see an eagle nest up close. I mean that thing’s like a, a tree house, isn’t it? I mean it’s. 

19:35
Yeah. Usually about 10ft wide. Yeah, it’s way about as much as a car. It’s pretty. 

19:40
Yeah. I mean, I couldn’t believe like some of the limbs in that sucker are like big. I mean, you know, you’re like, how did you get that up here? I wish I would have seen that part of it, you know. Yeah. That’s so cool. Dennis, I was going to ask you got a story you could share with us? 

19:55
Yeah, I mean I think it kind of speaks to just like where I’m at with our family business and just what I think a lot of folks in our space and maybe listeners could relate to as well as far as evolving our business. You know, in the past couple years we’ve taken some considerable leaps into reshaping the business operations, particularly like replatforming like our E commerce business for example, just recently and prior to that switching to a new point of sale system and CRM, you know, moving off of some pretty old legacy stuff and that sometimes inherit that in a family business. We were as of a couple of years ago still using dos to extract accounting data from our business. And some might still be. So no judgment, that is you. 

20:49
But, but I, you know, it’s representative of, you know, what I think we as next generation leaders are looking to do to, you know, modernize our businesses or position us for growth. And that doesn’t always come with. 

21:05
You. 

21:06
Know, with even handedness, if you will, as far as like getting on the same page with family. And that’s kind of the story that came to mind was just you know, like navigating some of that, particularly with my dad and making sure that we could modernize in the same way and have that be without conflict. Something that I’m always reminded of from his time working with my grandparents who founded the company was that feeling or that sentiment that he always had that was that, you know, at the end of the day he didn’t take for granted that he got to see my grandparents every day, particularly my grandmother, our founder. And some of those more challenging moments, I have to remind myself, like, you know, and what other career could I claim that opportunity to see my dad every day? 

21:59
No, and that’s. That’s a huge benefit I had. A good friend of mine lost his dad when he was 22, and he said his advice to me was, spend as much time with your dad as you can. And I did, before my dad died. And it was one of those things, you know, I didn’t have any regrets. In other words, I did, you know, I took his advice and because I knew his dad well, too. But it just. It’s one of those things that you can take for granted. Right? I mean, if you see each other every day, that. I don’t know what you want to call it, repetition or normalcy of something. You just don’t realize how special it is sometimes. But that’s cool that you guys get to do that. 

22:34
And you figured out a way to work together copacetically, I guess you’d say, right? 

22:39
Exactly. 

22:39
Yeah. Well, guys, you guys have been a real joy to have on here for the podcast, and I really appreciate you coming on representing independent tire dealer group as well as the committee next gen. Is there anything that you guys would like to say to the. The dealer listening audience that I have that might be persuasive, why they should be involved? 

23:00
Keep chugging. It’s worth it. This industry, it’s a, you know, these groups, this group is a family. ITDG is one big family, all here to help each other. If you are in this industry, there’s no better group you could be a part of. I. I truly believe that. And. And as somebody who. My dad has been a part of ITG since 2003, somebody who has seen it since. Since I was born, you know, grew up knowing what this group was all about. Knowing members of this group that have been a part of it since, you know, since I was little, it’s. It’s worth it. There’s nothing better in the world. 

23:38
That’s well said. Well, guys, thank you for being part of the podcast. I really appreciate it. Kalia, Justin and Dennis, it’s been fun, and I wish you guys much success this year. 

23:48
Thanks a lot. 

23:49
Awesome. Thank you so much. Thanks for having us. 

23:52
Hey, you’re welcome. So to all our listeners out there, thank you for always tuning in. We really appreciate you. We love you. You know that we’re grateful for you until next time. Have a great day and be safe out there. 

24:05
Thanks for listening to the Gain Traction podcast. We’ll see you again next time. And be sure to click subscribe to get future episode.