When it comes to tires manufactured for cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles, just a handful of major brands tend to dominate the market. For more than 110 years, Cooper has been a regular fixture among those major brands. The company began in earnest in 1914 when Akron, Ohio-based in-laws and business partners John F. Schaefer and Claude E. Hart decided to expand the scope of their tire repair business with the purchase of The Giant Tire & Rubber Company.

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They moved the business to Findlay, Ohio, in 1917. Two years later, one of their investors — Cincinnati businessman Ira J. Cooper – set up The Cooper Corporation on an adjacent lot, looking to pivot into manufacturing new tires. The companies would merge some years later, with Cooper establishing his famous creed in 1926, ensuring “good merchandise, fair play, and a square deal” for all who purchased his company’s wares. Two decades later, the outfit officially rebranded as The Cooper Tire & Rubber Company. In the decades since, the brand has become one of the biggest names in the tire game, with the company currently operating several tire manufacturing facilities in the United States.

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Yes, Cooper Tires is still manufacturing tires within the borders of the United States, but given the sheer size of its operations these days, it should hardly be surprising that its production has expanded beyond American borders. These days, Cooper reportedly also boasts production facilities in England and China.

If you want to assure yourself that your Coopers originated from the company’s facilities in Ohio, Georgia, Arkansas, or Mississippi, those tires should boast a “Made in the USA” stamp on the sidewall. Whether or not your tires bear that stamp, Cooper remains very much an American company and is even still headquartered at the very Findlay, Ohio, location where Ira J. Cooper and his partners laid the groundwork for the company as we know it.

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Of course, if you keep track of the various comings and goings of the auto industry, you likely know that the business they founded as The Cooper Tire and Rubber Company in 1946 recently underwent a major ownership change and is no longer a standalone player in the tire manufacturing business. In 2021, fellow Ohio-based tire giant Goodyear purchased Cooper outright. It did so at a heavy cost, ponying up a reported $2.8 billion to bring Cooper Tire & Rubber Company into the fold.

The move was a significant one in the world of tires, to say the least, with Goodyear expanding its already impressive portfolio of subsidiaries with a legit giant in the industry. As of this writing, that portfolio also includes names like Kelly and Mastercraft. Today, Goodyear even includes Dunlop among its holdings, along with the specialty tire outfit named after racing legend Mickey Thompson. As for Cooper, while longtime fans of the brand may lament its loss of independence, it seems likelier than not that Goodyear’s backing will only help the tire company grow.

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