Les Schwab

From a single store in Oregon in 1952 to hundreds of facilities across the West today, Les Schwab Tire Centers has integrated itself into the interstate highways and local byways of the American West. 

Cushing Terrell is proud to have partnered with Les Schwab on more than 100 projects since our first collaboration over a decade ago. The ongoing partnership with Les Schwab has helped maintain their high standards for customer service by creating client-centered tire and auto service environments.  

From new stores to remodels, modernizations to real estate support services, this design partnership has brought stores to neighborhoods across the intermountain and northwest regions. No matter the project, the goal is the same: providing convenient tire and automotive services to keep people safely on the road. 

Select projects are highlighted below.

Bozeman, Montana (pictured above) 

The Les Schwab in Bozeman is a new building just off Interstate 90, drawing motorists from the local community as well as intrastate and cross-country travelers.  

The goal of the civil design was to provide a layout that allowed for adequate vehicular circulation through the site. Pedestrian and bicycle access around the perimeter of the site was also provided. Exterior features including a plaza with seating areas and landscaping were incorporated into the design, as the property is visible from two major highways and sits along a gateway into Bozeman. 

The building design is Les Schwab’s enhanced design to achieve the rural/agricultural aesthetic required by the City of Bozeman. The project consists of a showroom, back-of-house support areas, eight service bays, and tire/parts warehouse area along with a secondary building and canopy to service larger vehicles. The pre-finished insulated metal wall panels of various colors and textures for visual interest reinforce the Les Schwab branding. The building design includes shed roofs, entry canopy at the customer showroom, storefront glazing around the showroom perimeter, eight overhead doors at the service bays, and a loading bay on the end of the building. The project was designed with an agricultural nod to make a statement at one of the main entries into the City of Bozeman. 

The project team effectively managed the storm water onsite by routing storm water to an underground infiltration facility as well as a surface swale.  

Star, Idaho  

When Les Schwab needed a new tire store in the growing community of Star, Idaho, they turned to long-time partner Cushing Terrell. The goal for the new facility was to provide a layout that highlighted the building along a major road while minimizing impact to the surrounding neighborhoods. 

The 10,749 square-foot building design is Les Schwab’s prototype design consisting of a showroom, back-of-house support areas, and the service bays and tire/parts warehouse area. The exterior is integrally colored concrete masonry units (CMU) of various textures for visual interest and to reinforce the Les Schwab branding. The design also comprises a shed roof and entry canopy at the customer showroom, storefront glazing around the showroom perimeter, six overhead doors at the service bays, and a loading bay on the end of the building. The project was designed to fit in with the retail shopping center and city in which it is located.  

The civil site design prioritized the environmental goal of effectively managing the storm water onsite. This was achieved by taking advantage of the fast-draining soils on site to construct a infiltration pond that wrapped around the west and south of the building. This infiltration pond had the additional benefit of providing a buffer area to the adjacent developments while not blocking the view corridor to the north. A wall was constructed between the building and tire storage bullpen to screen the loading areas from the street and adjacent subdivision.