This article was written by the Mankato Free Press.

MANKATO — Les Schwab Tires is adding Mankato to its map this winter, with a new location scheduled to open Feb. 18 at 1540 Interlachen Drive.

The Mankato location will be the company’s first in the city and part of a broader expansion across the Upper Midwest. With dozens of new stores in the region open in 2024 and 2025, and 13 more planned in 2026, Les Schwab employs more than 100 people in Minnesota, according to a company press release.

The new Mankato store will be led by store manager Vaughn Mortensen and will occupy a 10,500-square-foot building with seven interior service bays. Services offered at the location will include tire sales and installation, alignments, shocks, oil changes, custom wheels and batteries, according to the release.

The company also plans to bring its Tires for Purpose program to Mankato. Through the program, Les Schwab Tires provides sets of free new tires to local nonprofits for their vehicles, the release said.

“We put our hearts into everything we do,” Mortensen stated in the release. “Our customers can feel it in our handshake and in the way we look them in the eye. I’ve spent more than 12 years living out that dedication to our employees and neighbors, and we look forward to continuing it here in this community.”

The Mankato store has begun recruiting for positions. Les Schwab Tires said it offers pay and benefits that include profit-sharing bonuses, health benefits and retirement programs, and promotes employees from within.

A grand opening is planned for mid-March.