He founded Atlantic Tire & Service in Cary, growing the business to five locations in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina
Cary, N.C.—Douglas Anthony Blackman, founder of Atlantic Tire & Service in Cary and a past Tire Industry Association (TIA) Board member, died Sept. 15. He was 69.
Known by “Anthony,” his middle name, Blackman grew up in Sanford, N.C., attended North Carolina State University and after graduation entered the Goodyear Retail Training for Management program. He spent 10 years working in both Goodyear and B.F. Goodrich tire stores in the state.
While living in Greensboro, N.C., Blackman met and married his wife, Beth. Together they moved to Raleigh, N.C., and in 1989, Blackman, along with a partner, founded Atlantic Avenue Tire & Service. Blackman cashed in his $20,000 401K to start the business. Ten years later, Blackman went out on his own, founding Atlantic Tire & Service in Cary, growing that business to five locations in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina.
Blackman supported local charities and organizations, including The Salvation Army, Children’s Home Society, The Carying Place, The Miracle League, The MacGregor Rotary Club, The Atlantic Tire Tennis Championship, The Cary Chamber of Commerce and numerous charitable golf tournaments.
He also donated his time to the tire industry community, serving two terms on the TIA Board of Directors from 2013 to 2019.
Blackman received numerous local and national awards. He was a two-time winner, in 2008 and 2015, of Tire Review magazine’s Top Shop Award, received, along with his wife, Beth, the Tire Business Tire Dealer Humanitarian Award in 2016 and earned TIA’s Ed Wagner Leadership Award in 2017.
His local honors include Cary Citizen of the Year, the city’s Hometown Spirit Award and in 2021 the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, which is presented by the governor of North Carolina to persons who have made significant contributions to the state and their communities through their exemplary service and exceptional accomplishments.
Blackman is survived by his wife, Beth; son, Cameron Anthony Blackman (Elizabeth); brother Mike Blackman (Joy); sisters Susan Blackman Mathews (Tim) and Cindy Blackman Biggers (Howard); two grandchildren, Hudson Paul Blackman and Harper Thomas Blackman; father and mother in-law Tom and Lindy Hutchison; brother and sister in-law Tom and Tami Hutchison; and many nieces and nephews.
A celebration of life will be held at White Memorial Presbyterian Church, 1704 Oberlin Road, Raleigh North Carolina at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. A visitation/reception will follow the service.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Salvation Army of Wake County, 1863 Capital Boulevard, Raleigh, NC 27604.
Comments are closed.