CJ Tire Shop Proudly Receives Recognition

The CJ Tire Shop opened for business on January 1, 2014 and has been in continuous operation for almost two years. At first, Mr. Froy Sandoval did everything by himself, but now he has two employees, and is looking to hire one more. One employee is Rudy, his nephew, age 22. The other is Julie, his niece, age 26. He and his wife, Maria, have two boys, Christopher, age 13, and Jiovanny, age 9. One day, Christopher wants to become a biomimetic engineer, and Jiovanny dreams of becoming either a scientist or basketball player. Sandoval was born in Zacatecas, Mexico, and came to the United States between the ages of 16 and 17, fresh out of high school. He performed various jobs, went to school, and enrolled in the army before developing a career working for Metro Transit in Los Angeles. He worked for Metro Transit in Los Angeles for 24 years, driving buses and trains. Then he retired in 2013. However, ever since he’s known Maria, he’s been talking to her about a dream he has always had which was opening a tire shop. In 2004, they took that first step, and bought a property on Valley Blvd. For the next 10 years, their plan was to lease it out until his retirement. In Jan. 2014, Sandoval and his wife Maria decided to take the next step. He took out all his 401K money, and made his dream come true. When asked about why he chose the city of Colton, Sandoval responded, “To tell you the truth, in 2004, I was out driving around, looking for a place to eventually open up a tire shop. I was thinking this area looked pretty good because it was right in the middle of all these freeways and traffic. So, I got off on Ninth Street, and drove down Valley Blvd going East. I just happened to pull over to take a look around, and saw this property 'for sale' right across the street. That was 12 years ago, and I bought it.” People have been curious about the name CJ and the meaning behind it. Maria shared, “Froy always loved Jeeps. When he was in the army, he always thought Jeeps were cool. Soon after that, the jeep had become available to civilians; Hence, the name ‘CJ’ - civilian jeep. When we decided to raise a family, we named our two boys Christopher and Jiovanny, C and J.” When it was time to open the tire shop, the name reflected Sandoval’s love for jeeps, his love for his children and family, and the realization of a lifetime dream to own a tire shop. Sandoval told Council Man Dr. G a long time ago, “Dr. G, I’m really shy. I cannot talk in front of people.” When he first met Sandoval, he was standing outside the planning department nervously waiting to apply for his business license and CUP. Dr. G watched him at the planning commission, anxiously waiting to approach the podium to answer questions. Now that he has been in business and is quite successful, Sandoval is standing tall. And he should be, because he has reached his dream. He has been providing for his family, and doing a fantastic job of contributing to the business culture within our community. For this, Dr. G has chosen Froy Sandoval and the CJ Tire Shop to be recognized. Sandoval is definitely not really shy any longer. In fact, when Dr. G mentioned this recognition, he asked, “Will there be people, will there be lights, and a red carpet?” Dr. G also said, “I want the city to know, as a small business owner just starting out, I have submitted $22,000 to the Board of Equalization for 2014. And finally, Mr. Froy Sandoval is right here, and not only can stand in front of people, but wants to say a few words.