The TBC Corporation, headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

Palm Beach Gardens is a city in Palm Beach County in the U.S. state of Florida. The city is in the center of a rapidly-developing area north of West Palm Beach in the northern part of the county and the South Florida metropolitan area. , the population was 48,452...

 was a publicly-traded corporation from 1983 to its purchase by the Sumitomo Corporation

Sumitomo Corporation

Sumitomo Corporation is one of the largest worldwide trading company , and is a diversified corporation. Sumitomo is headquartered in the Harumi Island Triton Square Office Tower Y in Chūō, Tokyo, Japan...

 in 2005. During the corporation's short independent existence, it acquired a number of businesses related to automobile parts and tires.

Brands controlled by the corporation include:

• TBC Private Brands which produces and distributes tires for sale in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
• Carroll Tire Company, a tire warehouse operation purchased in 1998.
• Big O Tires
  Big O Tires
  Big O Tires, LLC. is North America's largest franchiser of tire retailers. It is headquartered in Centennial, Colorado, and has more than 540 franchises in 21 U.S. states and Canada. It sells its own Big O private brand tires and other brands...
  
  , North America’s largest franchise operation for automobile tires. Purchased in 1996. Part of the TBC Retail Group.
• Tire Kingdom Purchased in 2000.
  • Tire Kingdom International Part of the TBC Retail Group.
• Merchant’s Tire and Auto
  Merchant’s Tire and Auto
  Merchants Tire and Automotive Center falls under the acquisition of Tire Kingdom by TBC Corporation. There are approximately 115 stores nationwide as of 3/16/2011.-History:...
  
   Part of the TBC Retail Group.
• National Tire and Battery
  National Tire and Battery
  National Tire and Battery is an American brand of auto service centers. It was formerly owned by Sears until it was spun off in 2003.Sears created the brand in 1997 by consolidating the Tire America and National Tire Warehouse brands, adding the "B" to include its DieHard brand of batteries...
  
   Part of the TBC Retail Group.
• Treadways  Part of the TBC Retail Group.

Political activity

The corporation was the largest single contributor to the 2010 campaign of Allen West for the Florida's 22nd congressional district

Florida's 22nd congressional district

Florida's 22nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Florida. Based in South Florida, the district encompasses the coastline from northern...

.