The Pawtucket, Rhode Island-based Apex Companies is a holding company that at different times since its founding had retail, online retail, commercial and residential real estate development, real estate management, specialty, wholesale and manufacturing businesses in New England. Apex Companies is now centered on its retail division, Apex Stores, which includes apexstores.com, and a discount department store and the Apex Tire & Service Center, located in Pawtucket. History The Apex Companies were founded by Albert Pilavin in 1924. Apex started as a tire retreading, automotive service and manufacturing business. According to company lore, Pilavin chose the name Apex because his initials were A.P., as well as the name's suggestion of "highest point or peak." The 1938 New England hurricane destroyed Apex buildings in Providence, Rhode Island, and A. Pilavin moved all Apex Companies operations to Pawtucket. To accommodate early growth, the tire business was separated from the retail store and the manufacturing operations creating the Apex Tire & Service Center. The Apex Companies operated a retail store on Central Avenue in Pawtucket until it opened and moved to the Apex Building in Pawtucket in 1969. An Apex Card was started in the 1930s as one of the first customer retail discount card programs in the United States. The Apex Card grew from being a discount card into a credit card and loyalty program. It continues as ApexAdvantage. In the 1960s, the Apex retail division opened an additional department store in Warwick, Rhode Island and then about 1980 another store in the Swansea Mall in Swansea, Massachusetts. The Warwick and Swansea stores closed in 2001. Apex opened apexstores.com in 1996 as one of the first online retail stores. Apex Department Stores The company's main store in Pawtucket, Rhode Island is a widely recognized local landmark. It was designed by Andrew Geller in 1969 as a side project while working in the employ of Raymond Loewy. The building's distinctive ziggurat roof was designed to get around local sign ordinances, as well as attract attention from nearby Interstate 95. The pyramid design also reflects the company name "Apex," meaning "summit." The building's floor plan features large amounts of undivided floor space, which results in the entire floor being visible to shoppers. The store in Warwick also had a similar looking pyramid building. At the companies peak, Apex had 3 stores In Pawtucket, Warwick, RI & Swansea, MA (at the Swansea Mall) until 2001