90 Years. 90 Stories.

Jeffrey Chazelle

Jeffrey is a former employee with Purcell Tire and was with the company for 14 years.

I went to work for Purcell Tire right after graduating high school in 1979, alongside my brother Jim. Our dad, Leroy, was working there at the time and encouraged us to give it a try. I started in the truck department, first working with the molds and then building tires. Back then, everything was done by hand. I built precure tires, worked in inspections, and eventually became a foreman. I spent about 10 years working in the retread plant.

I left briefly in 1989 to pursue another opportunity with the mines but came back to Purcell in 1991 and continued working in the truck plant for several more years.

Purcell was a great place to work, and even after I moved on and eventually retired from Doe Run, I always talked about how great Purcell Tire was. I even encouraged my daughter to give the company a try when she was in school. She started as a summer intern, and more than seven years later, she's still there as the Marketing Manager.

And the Purcell connection doesn't stop there. My father-in-law, Bobby Veach, still runs a truck to California delivering tires, and my brother Jim is still working in the truck plant.

So, I'd say it's pretty safe to say Purcell Tire has been a pretty great company to our family over the years!