Corky Coker said he is enjoying his dream job - traveling around the world indulging in his passion for antique cars.
The Southside businessman told the Hamilton Place Rotary Club on Wednesday, "I've got the best job. For me, play is work and work is play."
His family is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Coker Tire, which was started in 1958 by his father, former County Commissioner Harold Coker, with the aid of a $600 loan from Granddad Pop Coker.
Corky has spun off a division of the firm dealing in specialty tires and parts for antique cars that classic car lovers can't find anywhere else. It has grown into a thriving firm with distributors in 30 countries.
In the process, he has renovated a string of historic buildings in the Chestnut Street area, including another classic, Honest Charley's Speed Shop.
Corky, who got his nickname long ago after the comic book character, said he learned plenty of lessons about life from Pop Coker, who lived to be 97.
He had brought the family from Western North Carolina into the Athens, Tn., area, then on to Chattanooga.
Pop Coker began collecting Model T's and Model A's because that was all he could afford. His collection infected other members of the family, who began their own additions, including a rare Chattanooga-made Nyberg.
He said one lesson Pop Coker taught him - while plowing with a mule on the Coker farm on Standifer Gap Road - was "keep your eye on the end of the furrow."
The speaker said he also taught that quality doesn't cost any more and that you should always tell the truth. Another instruction was to "make a list and be about it." He also advised to "take the steps two steps at a time - you get there faster."
Corky, who lives in Wildwood, Ga., with his wife, Theresa, now has a collection of over 50 antique cars as well as over 50 antique motorcycles.
He is in demand as an antique car appraiser all over the country.
Corky said one of the perks of his job is dealing with classic-car-loving celebrities. He sometimes gets a call on his cell phone from Jay Leno, or from Seinfeld.
He said, "I'm lucky. I get to take money from people who are happy about what they're getting."