Businessman. Les Schwab moved with his family to Minnesota in 1919, and returned to Central Oregon in 1929. Orphaned at age 15, and schooled in a railroad boxcar in a Central Oregon logging camp, he went to work as a teenager delivering the Oregon Journal newspaper. He eventually took over all nine routes in Bend. Shortly after graduating from high school he married his high school sweetheart, Dorothy Harlan, and took a job as circulation manager at The Bulletin in Bend. Later, during World War II Schwab served with the Army Air Corps. Working out of one shed in his hometown of Prineville, he went on to build a billion-dollar tire empire from the deserts of Central Oregon. Les Schwab Tire Centers grew into one of the nation's largest independent tire chains. Employing 7,700 people in the more than 410 stores across the West, the company garnered sales of about $1.6 billion in 2006. He was known for his "Free Beef" commercials on television, in which he, in his cowboy hat and with home town demeanor, became one of the most recognizable faces in the Northwest.∼Owner of Les Schwab Tires in Oregon. Served in World War 2 with the AirCadets. He owned 410 tire stores and employed 7,700 people. He is survied by his wife Dorothy, 4 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren. His daughter Dorothy, and son Harlan, preceeded him in death. Burial is private
Businessman. Les Schwab moved with his family to Minnesota in 1919, and returned to Central Oregon in 1929. Orphaned at age 15, and schooled in a railroad boxcar in a Central Oregon logging camp, he went to work as a teenager delivering the Oregon Journal newspaper. He eventually took over all nine routes in Bend. Shortly after graduating from high school he married his high school sweetheart, Dorothy Harlan, and took a job as circulation manager at The Bulletin in Bend. Later, during World War II Schwab served with the Army Air Corps. Working out of one shed in his hometown of Prineville, he went on to build a billion-dollar tire empire from the deserts of Central Oregon. Les Schwab Tire Centers grew into one of the nation's largest independent tire chains. Employing 7,700 people in the more than 410 stores across the West, the company garnered sales of about $1.6 billion in 2006. He was known for his "Free Beef" commercials on television, in which he, in his cowboy hat and with home town demeanor, became one of the most recognizable faces in the Northwest.∼Owner of Les Schwab Tires in Oregon. Served in World War 2 with the AirCadets. He owned 410 tire stores and employed 7,700 people. He is survied by his wife Dorothy, 4 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren. His daughter Dorothy, and son Harlan, preceeded him in death. Burial is private
Bio by: Lynnh
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