Jerry Bromeland, right, and his son Eli, run Jerry’s Tire and Service in Elmore. Jerry bought the business 20 years ago and his son Eli has been working there for the past 15 years as the main service technician. Another employee is Eli’s nephew, Chase, who has worked at the business for the last year and a half.

Jerry Bromeland has been the owner and operator of Jerry’s Tires and Service in Elmore for 20 years. And in those 20 years he has sold a lot of tires.

“We do a sell a lot of tires,” Jerry says. “And I mean, a lot of tires.”

Their customer base is not just Elmore, but the whole surrounding area. Many of their loyal customers are from just south of town in Iowa.

So, Jerry Bromeland knows a lot about tires. And what people can do to prolong the life of their tires.

“The number one thing is air pressure,” Jerry says. “You should always check the pressure and keep it at what the tire is supposed to have.”

That is especially true in winter, when the pressure can get too low very quickly. Many cars these days have the pressure gauge in the tire stem and motorists can get an alert. But Jerry suggests checking them anyway and keeping them inflated where they need to be and don’t just wait for the warning signal.

“You are going to get a lot more out of your tires if they are properly inflated, and not underinflated,” Jerry says.

Rotating tires and keeping them balanced is also key. Jerry says front tires will wear faster than rear, so you need to keep them rotated.

“I think proper inflation and rotating tires regularly and nearly double the life of the tire,” Jerry says.

While they do sell a whole lot of tires at Jerry’s Tires and Service, they also do a whole lot of service work there, too.

“Yes, we do a lot of tuneups, new batteries and oil changes,” Jerry says. “And everything else.”

Jerry’s son, Eli is the service technician and has worked there for 15 years.

“We do all kinds of service work here,” Eli says. “Brakes and shocks, water pumps, power steering, and some transmission and engine work as well.”

Eli’s assistant is his nephew, Chase, who has worked at Jerry’s for a year and a half.

While there are some times like in January when things slow down a little, but the whole rest of the year, things are hopping at Jerry’s and they stay really busy. And it has been that way for the last 20 years.

Jerry, who grew up in Frost and graduated from high school there in 1973, is thinking about retiring.

“I worked for 18 years at the Co-op Oil in Buffalo Center, five years for a repair place in Freeborn and one year at an Albert Lea dealership,” Jerry says. “Then I started looking for a place of my own.”

He talked to Willie Prescher in Blue Earth and the co-op in Buffalo Center, but ended up buying the station in Elmore.

“It was a Webb’s Service Station and I bought it from Rich Kastner,” Jerry says. “It had gas pumps and a bulk fuel truck. And it had had a store in it at one time.”

Jerry discontinued the gas pumps because, he says, he wasn’t making any money on them.

“You had to take a full load and then try and get it sold and paid for in 30 days,” he says. “In a small town like Elmore, that is difficult.”

So they went to service work and selling tires and batteries and other auto parts and have made a go of it for 20 years. They also have a tow truck/wrecker that they use to tow vehicles when needed.

Jerry’s also is a coffee/meeting spot in Elmore. Some regulars show up in the morning to have coffee and discuss the latest news in Elmore.

Jerry’s Tires and Service is a family business, with Jerry’s son Eli working there, and his son Ben once worked there, but now works for the county in Blue Earth. And Eli’s nephew works there now, too.

“My grandsons, Eli’s boys, Haukyn and Weston, work here too,” Jerry says with a smile. “The 10-year-old is really good at it, but I only let him work on grandpa’s car, not on any customers cars.”