For Tom Steele, 74, founder of Tom Steele Tire Service Inc. (TSTS), his interest in automobiles started as a teenager when he worked for the Phelps-Dodge. He was then hired at Firestone Tire on Jefferson Boulevard where the majority of his knowledge of the tire and car care industry was founded. He eventually bought the downtown Firestone Tire store and in 1978, Steele opened his own store on the corner of Rudisill Boulevard and Clinton Street. TSTS moved to its current location on North Clinton Street in 1983 and opened a second store on Illinois Road in 2004