NEW ON THE BUSINESS SCENE: NEW FACILITY FOR PLAZA TIRE

Plaza Tire Service Inc., headquartered in Cape Girardeau, has opened a new store in Pocahontas, Ark., and moved to a new facility in Desoto, Mo.

The seven-bay store in Arkansas, previously Pocahontas Tire & Services, is located at 2111 Highway 67 South. Mike Hand, who was with Pocahontas Tire for 17 years, is manager of the Plaza Tire operation.

Plaza Tire operates 22 stores in four states -- Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and Arkansas. The Pocahontas store is the second in Arkansas. A store opened in Paragould last year.

At Desoto, the company moved into a new, five-bay, facility at 610 S. Main St. Plaza Tire has operated a store in Desoto since October.

The company offers full lines of Dayton Centennial, Bridgestone, Firestone and Michelin tires, along with a full-auto service department, which provides brakes, shocks, batteries and wheel alignment.

Plaza Tire was founded in 1963 by Vernon "PeeWee" Rhodes of Cape Girardeau. The company originally started as a full service carwash at 2149 William. Today, at that site, Plaza Tire operates a 12-bay service center, along with a 60,000-square-foot warehouse and 8,000 square feet operations office.