10-4 Magazine May 2022

Cover Feature: By Daniel J. Linss never heard of this company before, but upon fur ther discussions with Tom and doing a little research, I realized they have a strong presence in the upper Midwest. Founded as an oil delivery service in 1944 in Durand, WI, Bauer Built has steadily developed into a top provider of commercial, fleet, and retail tires and mechanical services. Serving their local communities for more than 75 years and still following the mission and values of their founder, G.F. “Sam” Bauer (Tom’s grandfather on his mother’s side), Bauer Built currently employs more than 600 people across nine Midwest and Great Plain states in 35 tire and service centers, Not very many owner operators out there have a laid-out, stretched-out, slammed-down, show-wor thy aerodynamic Kenwor th T680 with a completely custom interior and upside-down stacks. But that is exactly what Tom Fedie (AKA Big T) of Eau Claire, WI owns and drives every day. Leased to his friends at K&D Transpor t out of Spring Valley, WI, Tom (57) has always kind of been a “black sheep” in his biological family, but he now feels like he found a family and a home at K&D where he can be himself – and where he intends (and hopes) to stay for a long time. Recently, while in the shop one day with Adam Johnson of K&D, the two were shaking their heads about some of the more “pricey” items they have had built for their trucks. Adam said, “I can’t believe how much I spent on that one little par t,” and Tom replied, “Yea, but who else has one?” It eventually became a running joke in the shop, and after some time, Tom realized the saying applied to his truck, too. So, he had the phrase added to the back of his headache rack. Since then, it has become one of the monikers he lives by, along with “U Can’t Take It With You” which is on the back of his visor. Born in Rochester, MN, Tom and his family moved to Durand, WI shor tly after Tom was born. The oldest of six kids, Tom has four sisters and a younger brother. Growing up, Tom’s dad Dan taught him about working on lawn mowers and snowmobiles and such, and his mom was an excellent cook – for the most par t. She cooked everything great, except for hamburgers and hash browns (they called the hamburgers “dry black disks” and the hash browns “hash blacks”). Sadly, Tom’s mother Marla passed away from cancer in 1996. A few years later, his dad got remarried to a woman named Sue, who is still Tom’s stepmother today. Along with working in the family business, Tom’s dad bought a 117-acre hobby farm in the 1970s in a beautiful area just outside Durand, WI that overlooked the Chippewa River. Over the years, he subdivided the parcel into residential lots to sell and even built a few spec homes. One of Tom’s first jobs as a kid was to mow the vacant lots that were for sale in their subdivision. This was a side hustle for Tom’s dad, as he was also heavy involved in the family business – Bauer Built Tire & Service. Being from the west, I had 10 10-4 Magazine / May 2022 Wh� Else Ha� One?