James (Jimmy) Valentine – Owner
Jimmy is originally from Rhode Island but considers Florida his home. He’s been in Central Florida for almost 20 years. He has been involved with the automotive business since high school and has experience as a Certified Master Technician and Service Manager for a high volume dealership.
Since 2010, Jimmy has been a familiar face in many Automotive Dealerships as a wheel vendor. More often than not, he would be greeted as, “hey, the wheel guy is here”. He likes to be thought of as loyal and trustworthy and has earned these attributes in countless dealerships throughout Central Florida.
When THE WHEEL GUYS was developed, Jimmy and his wife, Wistee wanted to be different from other vendors. Not only from the products and the workmanship, but from a more personal standpoint. He has made many friends on this “wheel” journey, not by just his loyalty, but by saying hello and meaning it. You won’t typically ever see Jimmy wearing the same colored shirt in the same week, along with matching tennis shoes. His collection has exceeded 28 pairs. A General Manager told Jimmy years ago, “that’s your trademark”, thus the matching was born. He loves his job, and most importantly, he enjoys the relationships he’s developed over the years just by being “THE WHEEL GUY”.
Jimmy enjoys playing golf, cooking, watching sports and spending time with his family. He enjoys watching the Boston Bruins with his brother, but his favorite is football. The family doesn’t miss a New England Patriots game or a Florida Gator game. To them, football season is more than sports. It’s a great way to gather and spend time with family and friends.
Jimmy and his wife, Wistee, have a blended family. They are parents of 4 daughters, 1 son and a beautiful granddaughter. Houston and his sister, Kendall are both involved in the business.
Houston Fisher – Business Partner
Houston was born and raised in Apopka and graduated from Hampden-DuBose Academy in 2011. He and his sister, Kendall are 4th generations of Apopka.
Houston started out working for his late Grandfather in the foliage industry when he was 12 years old and has been working since. He was driving forklifts and front-end loaders before he could barely see over the wheel, but more importantly, he was taught how to repair them when needed. His eagerness to learn how something worked, why it didn’t and what he could do to fix it was always something Houston thrived on.
After high school, Houston chose to get involved in the ‘wheel business’ with his Stepdad, Jimmy. With Jimmy’s help and his knowledge of the business, Houston quickly made a name for himself as a ‘wheel vendor’. He’s known for his work ethic and his perfection when it comes to wheel repair and maintains a fantastic relationship with Automotive Dealerships across Central Florida.
Houston is a thinker and has a true gift to troubleshoot and problem solve. He’s constantly thinking of ways to make things work and to make them work better. This is one of the reasons Houston has earned a solid reputation as a ‘wheel guy’.
Besides his family, Houston enjoys his dogs, anything outdoors, traveling, cooking, Florida Gator football and trucks. He and his wife, Lacey are proud parents of a baby girl, Brynley.
Kendall Fisher – Team Member
Kendall is not the typical ‘wheel guy’, rather she’s our ‘wheel gal’. She’s our only female team member (so far) and we’re happy she decided to get involved in the family business. Just like her brother, Houston, Kendall was born and raised in Apopka and graduated from Apopka High in 2007. She was a 3 rd generation to graduate from Apopka. Her Paternal and Maternal grandparents, along with her parents graduated from Apopka.
Kendall started working at Publix when she was 15 years old and has worked ever since. At 18, she became a partner with Starbucks and quickly became a Supervisor. She also attended Full Sail University in Winter Park where she took business and marketing courses.
With her Customer Service background, Kendall is known for her people skills and for her ability to problem solve. Her wide spectrum of knowledge (from Sports to Art) enables Kendall to converse with just about anyone. Most say that Kendall has never met a stranger and as a ‘wheel gal’, it’s a perfect combination. She would claim that her punctuality is one of her best traits and that too, is an asset in our business.
Kendall enjoys Museums, Art, the beach, traveling, experiencing different cuisines, bike rides, and binge-watching Netflix. She loves her dog, Valkrie and her cat, Piper. During football season, you’ll find Kendall either in The Swamp or on her parents’ couch wearing Orange and Blue.
Tanner Barton – Team Member
Tanner is a native of Central Florida and graduated from South Lake High School in 2010.
At a young age, Tanner got the opportunity to work alongside his father for a trucking company. He took advantage to learn many things involving commercial vehicle repair and maintenance. His next opportunity came with a growing pool company where he provided maintenance and repairs for many clients throughout the area for several years.
Tanner had been a ‘member of the family’ with his friendship with Houston for several years before becoming a ‘wheel guy’. With the growing business, Tanner didn’t hesitate to get on board with The Wheel Guys. Since early 2016, he has maintained many dealerships and body shops throughout Orange, Lake, Sumter and Marion Counties. Not only is Tanner known for his skills, but he has a reputation for being one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. Just ask his boss.
As a perfectionist, Tanner thrives on having the ability to critique and perfect his work as a ‘wheel guy’. He not only enjoys the creativity, but he welcomes the challenge every day. With the growing market of alloy wheels, Tanner’s eagerness to learn is endless and as a ‘wheel guy’, that’s essential.
Tanner enjoys anything outdoors, especially if it involves being on the water with a cold beer. He and his wife, Samantha reside in Lake County.
Chris Barr – Team Member
Chris is also a native of Central Florida, graduating from Apopka High School in 2011.
Similar to his other Team Members, Chris began working while in high school. After graduating, his father-in-law introduced Chris to the Automotive Industry with a job offer repairing hail damage on vehicles. With intense training and with the utmost of required patience, Chris took great advantage of the opportunity and quickly thrived with the business.
After several years of excessive traveling and being away from his young family, Chris jumped at the chance of being a ‘wheel guy’. Even though the skills were different, he had the experience of customer service and welcomed the challenge. He maintains many dealerships and body shops throughout Orange, Seminole, Lake and Volusia Counties. Not only is Chris known for his exceptional work and communication, but he’s considered the entertainer/comedian of the team.
Chris enjoys spending time with his wife, Kaitlyn and their young son, Gavin. He also likes to ride motorcycles and enjoys working on home improvement projects (honey do list). According to many, Chris has mad carpentry skills!
FAMILY OWNED
FAMILY OWNED
THE WHEEL GUYS
FAMILY OPERATED
FAMILY OPERATED
Jimmy Valentine
407-832-3871jimmy@thewheelguys.net
Houston Fisher
407-782-1710houston@thewheelguys.net
Tanner Barton
321-436-4854
Kendall Fisher
407-433-9434
Chris Barr
407-463-7012
Jim Ells
407-460-2066