Word on the Street: Fresno gets new tire store

A new tire and service center opened this month in Fresno, employing three generations of the McDonough family.

Patrick McDonough, who was a manager at Blackstone Tire & Service until it went out of business last year, decided to start his own company, All American Tire.

McDonough said his company offers to pick up customers in the Fresno/Clovis area and give them a ride to work, or to pick up their car.

“They’re already inconvenienced,” he said about customers who get a flat tire. “We try to make it as easy as possible for the customer.”

The company carries all major tire brands and some additional brands, said his father, Richard McDonough.

Richard McDonough is retired from the business but does work for his son. Patrick McDonough’s son also works at the company over the summer.

All American Tire, at 47 W. Birch Ave., joins a number of other locally owned tire companies in the area.

Baskin Robbins opens prototype store

A new Baskin Robbins opened in Madera at the end of June with a layout unlike any other Baskin Robbins in the country.

The store offers new features, such as a party center for children’s birthday parties and a self-serve toppings bar.

Baskin Robbins is testing this new type of store under franchisee Harpreet Gill, who owns several of its stores in the area. The store resulted in the creation of 25 jobs.

The store at 2180 W. Cleveland Ave. is the only Baskin Robbins in Madera and joins other ice cream stores in the city, such as L&M Ice Cream and Sweet Indulgence.

Sanitation service opens

Michael Duarte wanted to help improve sanitation practices after he got an infection from using equipment at a gym.

“I saw how they were just wiping down some of the equipment,” he said. “I thought, ‘There’s got to be a better way.’ “

So this March, Duarte opened Electrostatic Disease Prevention, a service that uses electrostatic sprayers and nontoxic chemicals to evenly disinfect any surface, he said.

The technology uses charged particles to coat all sides. Duarte said the process is efficient and minimal product is needed.

The company also has a product specifically for porous surfaces like mattresses, carpets and drapes that can be used in rooms, particularly in hotels, that have potentially been infected with lice or bed bugs.

For details, visit EDP’s website at edp-system.com.

EDP joins other sanitation services in the area.

The Fresno Bee