60 Years of Griffin Brothers Companies

Griffin Brothers Companies celebrated its 60th anniversary on February 27, 2021. In 1961, Larry Griffin, Sr. opened the first Griffin Brothers Tire Sales store and since then the company has expanded to land development, ecologically responsible waste management and Charlotte’s one-stop-shop for all home and commercial property needs with ZoomUp Investments. 

Griffin Brothers Companies has a long history of being a family-owned and operated business. Mike Griffin began working in an administrative role with the company and became the Secretary/Treasurer upon his graduation from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1987. Shortly after in 1989, Larry Griffin, Jr. joined the team as Vice President of  Griffin Bros. Tire Sales, Inc. 

Tire and Automotives Drove GBC Upwards

In 1981, Larry, Sr. acquired full ownership of GBTS and when Larry, Jr. joined the team in 1989, the company began to expand. The second tire and communications store was completed in 1991 with the third in 1996, the fourth and fifth stores following in 2000, the sixth in 2002 and the seventh and eighth locations in 2008. GBTS was later sold in 2016. 

Landfill Operations Saw Growth

Over the years, the Griffin family entered into the landfill operations beginning in 1988 when Larry, Sr. entered with 37.5% ownership in North Mecklenburg Landfill, Inc. and 50% ownership in Griffin-Parker Enterprises, Inc. Larry, Sr. purchased the remaining portion of NML & G-P in 1993 and began working full-time in the landfill business. 

Since 1993, GBC has acquired and started a handful of other landfills including a C&D landfill in Wake County, a Marion County C&D landfill in Mullins, SC and others. As the company continued to see growth, Griffin Bros Acquisitions, LLC was formed in 1996 allowing for the Griffins to build long term property investments and cultivate various joint ventures.

New Development Operations Took Off

In 1997, Larry, Jr. oversaw Griffin Bros Acquisitions’s development projects in the Lake Norman area, including Waterside Crossing- a mixed-use development including a 19 acre retail site anchored by Harris Teeter, a 15 acre office/medical park, 110 townhomes built by Torrey Homes & Parker-Lancaster Homes, and 404 single family homes built by Niblock Development and Parker-Lancaster Homes. 

This GBA venture continued to prosper as a 22,000 square foot, two-story, multi-tenant office building was developed in Cornelius under GBA in 1998. Two years later GBA developed a 12,000 square foot building to suit a space for two tenants in Mooresville, NC. In 2002, The Shoppes at Waterside Crossing, LLC was created with GBA assets pertaining to the Shoppes at Waterside. Ten years later, GBA opened a $26 million mixed-use facility adjacent to the Arts Factory. Mosaic Village offers luxury student housing apartments, 7,000 square foot of retail space, 400-space parking deck, and a 250 person Skyline Terrace with extraordinary views of Charlotte’s Center City. 

ZoomUp Investments Started Zooming

Griffin Brothers holds a 10% to 15% stake in the Zooomer companies, which have added about 100 employees to the overall enterprise.It’s more than just capital, however. Griffin also offers advice, support and encouragement as Zoomers navigate day-to-day challenges.

“In life you have some road humps and potholes. My goal is to help them get over those humps smoother and work around the potholes,” Mike Griffin says. “Nothing is straight linear — there will always be ups and downs. My goal as a mentor is to help smooth them out and make it less bumpy.” 

ZoomUp investments is an incubator set up for dirty jobs – a next step in Mike’s career to lead and develop tradesmen. By partnering with young entrepreneurs who desired majority ownership, he has been able to work with plumbers, HVAC technicians, landscapers, electricians and others to provide home services to the Charlotte area while also mentoring young business leaders and training the next generation of tradesmen. 

What’s Next

For 60 years Griffin brothers Companies has been a staple in the Charlotte community. What started with Griffin Bros Tire Sales has developed into a company with many different facets that impacts and serves Charlotte residents  in different ways. From providing a place to get around, to creating a place to stay and now to enhancing how you live, GBC has been focused on providing the best services for our clients for 60 years and will continue to do so for generations to come. 

Since 1961 the Griffin Brothers Companies has been a family-owned and operated organization that provides the best-in-class services to its customers and communities. For more information on the Griffin Brothers Companies, visit http://griffinbros.com/.