Tire distributor Max Finkelstein LLC wins tax breaks for expansion in Hauppauge

A major distributor of tires will increase the size of its Long Island warehouse by 30% in a move from Ronkonkoma to Hauppauge, executives said.  

Max Finkelstein LLC plans to rent a new 132,500-square-foot warehouse at 45 Oser Ave. The building will accommodate more than 87,000 tires, which then will be sold to automobile dealerships and repair shops across Long Island, they said.

Max Finkelstein looked at sites in New Jersey but prefers to stay in Suffolk County, where it moved in 1978. The company was founded in Astoria, Queens, in 1919.

“The warehouse [in Ronkonkoma] won’t accommodate our growth,” said Brian Casey, government affairs director at U.S. Venture, which purchased Max Finkelstein in 2022. “We need a better facility …[But] it’s really important for us to remain in this community.”

He and others told the Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency that the Ronkonkoma warehouse is one of 15 that Max Finkelstein operates in the Northeast. They are among more than 60 warehouses owned by U.S. AutoForce, which is a division of Wisconsin-based U.S. Venture.

The IDA board gave final approval in December for $1.2 million in tax breaks over 10 years. In return, the tire distributor and its new landlord, Link Logistics, will spend $9 million to construct an office in the Hauppauge warehouse, install fire suppression and ventilation systems, purchase racking equipment and pay the first year’s rent.

Max Finkelstein expects to add six jobs to its workforce of 45 within two years. Employees earn $65,100 a year, on average.

Max Finkelstein carries more than 20 brands of tires, including BFGoodrich, Bridgestone, Dunlop, Firestone, Goodyear, Michelin, Pirelli, Uniroyal and Yokohama. The tires are for autos, tractor  trailers, construction vehicles, lawn equipment and recreational vehicles.

“The new building will allow the company to operate much more efficiently,” Bram D. Weber, a real estate attorney for Max Finkelstein and Link Logistics, told Newsday last week.

He also said the Oser Avenue warehouse is one of three that Link plans to open in the Town of Smithtown.

Kelly Murphy, the IDA’s acting executive director, said, “Providing assistance to businesses [such as Max Finkelstein] not only positively impacts our local economy, but also significantly benefits the Suffolk County residents employed by these companies. We take pride in supporting the growth and prosperity of a company that has been located in Suffolk County for decades.”

The new warehouse is on land that was home to satellite communications firm Speedcast International, formerly called Globecomm Systems, for 20 years.

Speedcast, which is publicly traded and based in Australia, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection from its creditors in April 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic began. Its Hauppauge data center was eventually demolished to make way for the Max Finkelstein warehouse.   

By James T. Madore

james.madore@newsday.comJamesTMadore

James T. Madore writes about Long Island business news including the economy, development, and the relationship between government and business. He previously served as Albany bureau chief.