Western Tire Chain Company moves eastward

As many Custerites are well-aware, getting around in the snowy winters can be a challenge, requiring caution and maybe some extra equipment. That’s where Western Tire Chain Company comes in.
Having arrived from the state of Washington, owners  Sean and Cindy Pownall have seen their fair share of snow too, and have it to thank for their livelihood as  tire chain manufacturers.
With their daughter Bizzy, they manufacture industrial grade tire chains for anywhere west of the Mississippi River from the garage of their home in Custer.
The company has provided chains for individual vehicles, municipal fleets and companies since 1999 from Washington, but in 2023, the Pownalls bought the company and moved it to South Dakota.
Sean had previous experience with the company, but as a customer. He first encountered the tire chains while managing a large municipal fleet for Bellevue, Wash.
“I used these chains forever,” said Sean.
He even knew of the company before the previous owner of the company had the business.
Cindy also has experience with the company. Her father was in  the fleet industry, and the last recent owner, Joe Rheaume, knew Cindy since she was about 4 years old, as her father and him were good friends.
In the fall of 2021, Cindy and Bizzy started apprenticing for Rheaume to learn the ropes of the business. They had to work as apprentices because Western Tire Chain was a vendor for the city Sean worked for, meaning Sean and his family couldn’t have financial gain from the company.
As Rheaume was ready to retire, the Pownalls were ready to take over the reins.
“He’s been very good as a mentor and guide for the business,” said Sean.  
Western Tire Chain makes chains that are unique from most others people encounter because they are usually custom  made for industrial use for  large fleets. Most of their customers are municipal fleets and post offices. In Spokane, Wash.,  even the garbage trucks get tire chains from the company as they plow snow while they work.
Due to the quality and longevity, they say most private citizens won’t normally get enough use out of them to make them totally worth the investment; however, with costs also increasing for other tire chains, they say this could be changing.
One of their first customers in Custer was a man wanting chains for his tractor. The man brought his tractor over and, Western Tire Chain was able to custom build the chains right onto the tire.
“They [customers] really like a lot of personal interaction,” said Cindy.
“It’s not just transactional,” added Sean.
They even bought a one-ton truck so they can do deliveries themselves. They say their customers expect and appreciate the extra personal care.
The chains are custom made for any size tire from tractors to snowblowers, and utilize several different design features to improve the strength and longevity of the chains. They are made to rotate on the tire and are made from  SP-Q80 nickel manganese alloy. The square links have more leading edges to grip ice and snow, compared to twist link chains that only wear on their high points.
Because of the type of chain they use, another advantage of the design is that the chains can be repaired on-the-go while still on the tire if they break. Other chains can’t be easily repaired on the fly. These chains last up to four times as long as other chains, they say.
They can also source other tire chains and accessory products.
Their customers are across the western U.S. with many in Washington and Montana. Now that they are here, “we need to build the clientele more locally,” said Sean.
Before they even moved here, though, Custer and Rapid City post offices were already customers of Western Tire Chain.
Their move to Custer was both personal and strategic.
“We knew as we retired, we would move to a drier climate,” said Cindy.
They say that unlike Washington or other western states, South Dakota is not generally shut down from snow which makes it easier for delivery.
They also felt the culture would more conducive to their people-oriented and work-oriented business.
“This is a much more friendly part of the country,” Cindy.
Western Tire Chain can be reached at western
tirechain@gmail.com or 605-872-9663.