Wheeling and dealing

They exude a passion for excellence and innovation, their focus is customer service, and they are striving for dominance in the worldwide tire and wheel service industry. These ambitious czars of international commerce are located right here in Hernando County.

AME International opened in 2007 in Brooksville's airport industrial park. Recently they doubled their office and warehouse capacity by 50 percent, and last week added two new hires to their roster of 12 full-time and three part-time employees.

The enterprise was the combined inspiration of President Keith Jarman, Vice President of International Sales Luis Goyeneche, Vice President of Domestic Sales Brett Waggoner and Chief Financial Officer Tim Benoist.

Jarman is a tire industry veteran who is recognized as an authority in tire bead breaking technology. He was recently elected to the board of directors for the 6,000-plus member TIA (Tire Industry Association), headquartered in Bowie, Md. The international organization represents all segments of the tire industry.

Goyeneche has worked in the tire industry since 2002 and focuses on international customers. Waggoner also joined the industry in 2002 and focuses on North American distributor and national accounts and on training customers in proper tool use.

The partners saw an opportunity to develop a business that would service a unique niche in an international industry. They provide standard and customized tire-related tools and equipment for servicing OTR (over-the-road) vehicles.

Their products are used to service off-highway vehicles; mining, construction and forestry equipment; heavy duty and light trucks; buses and passenger cars; tractors and agricultural equipment; motorcycles, ATVs and more.

"If people are repairing and changing tires, chances are they're using AME tools," said Goyeneche.

AME products are sold through distributors. Locally, their products are used at the Florida Crushed Stone Center Hill Mine in Brooksville and in most local tire repair shops, including Walmart.

The product line includes bead breakers, bead push-off tools, 55- and 100-ton aluminum jacks, steel cribbing, tire service truck accessories, and many other items.

While most products are sold under the AME brand, they also market goods under the brands Little Buddy Bead Breaker, Big Buddy Bead Breaker, Super Buddy Bead Breaker, Rhino Mining Jacks, Titan Shop Equipment, Maxi-Lite Lifting Cylinders, Pow'r Riser II, X-tend and ALCOA Discmates.

AME is enthusiastic about a new distribution agreement with Trax, an English manufacturer of wheel weights whose customers include Jaguar, Land Rover and Ford Motor Co. Goyeneche said they're working on exclusive distribution agreements with other manufacturers as well.

AME has warehouses in Florida, Canada and Holland. Brooksville is their central location for marketing, design and engineering. Waggoner creates much of their marketing materials and coordinates advertising efforts.

Goyeneche, Waggoner and Jarman spend much time traveling to other continents, meeting customers and attending trade shows.

They also bring clients to Brooksville.

"We're promoting local travel and tourism," said Goyeneche. "We bring people from Germany, Brazil, South Africa, Russia and China."

AME says although the U.S. economy is struggling, most international customers are doing fine. AME's core business is creating and selling tools to repair or replace giant mining vehicles found in places like South America, Africa and Australia, "where mining is going strong," said Goyeneche.

They recently participated in lean manufacturing training hosted by Florida MEP (Manufacturing Extension Partnership), a government-funded program that helps manufacturers improve efficiency and growth.

At the Brooksville plant AME repairs hydraulic tire tools and other parts. Waggoner and Goyeneche showed participants some expensive pump housings being refurbished, saving the customer from purchasing new products. AME also gets ideas for product improvements from the items that come in for repair.

All four AME partners are raising families in Hernando County. Goyeneche is a Pasco-Hernando Community College and Hodges University grad who loves the Nature Coast. "I've traveled all over the world and there's no place I'd rather be," he said.

Waggoner concurred. Originally from Ohio, he and his wife moved to Hernando County in 2002. They loved Spring Hill and its reasonable commute time into Tampa.

Waggoner and Goyeneche said AME is working with the Hernando County schools, currently employing two students under the On the Job Training program. They also sponsor sports programs with the YMCA.

"Most of us at AME have children aged 2-12 and coach on weekends," Goyeneche said. "We're also gearing up to support the Arc Nature Coast's Spring Lake 5K run in May."

The AME management team has more than 50 years combined service to the tire industry. They say they will continue to develop tools and accessories to stay in step with today's advanced tire technology. They welcome the challenges today's constantly changing wheel designs require and hope to continue to add to the Hernando County economy for many years to come.

AME's office hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Having many international customers, they are available by phone or e-mail anytime.

Biz at a glance:

Name: AME International

Location: 2324 Circuit Way (Airport Industrial Park), Brooksville

Telephone: 352-799-1111

Web site: www.ameintl.net

E-mail: sales@ameintl.net