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Feb. 13–SAN DIMAS — The Morosans work hard on four wheels and play hard on none.

And that’s strengthened their family business for 28 years, said Gerry Morosan, who along with her husband Louie owns L&G Enterprises, a San Dimas-based auto body repair and custom autobody painting business.

“We’re like any other family, we have issues … but we camp … and we do all these different events together,” Gerry Morosan said. “All that helps hold us together.”

Gerry Morosan takes particular pride in holding it together. Her daughter Theresa Contreras designs custom paint jobs for everything from Hummers to old classics. Her other daughter, Sara Morosan, who also works at the custom shop, inspired her parents to open it. Their Grandpa Lou, 90, still drives a Chevy truck and helps deliver parts. And meanwhile, Louie keeps working — his latest project being a 1932 Roadster.

LADDER OF SUCCESS

BUSINESS: L&G Enterprises

OWNERS: Gerry and Louie Morosan

WHAT THEY DO: Autobody repair, custom paint, body modifications and insurance repair

WHERE: 846 W. Cienega Ave., San Dimas

PHONE: (909) 599-2203

WEB: www.LGE-paint.com

“It’s easy to do it when you do something you love,” he said.

But getting into it in the first place took a bit of a nudge — more like a loss.

Back in the early 1980s, the Glendora auto dealership where Louie worked

didn’t renew its lease. So mechanic Louie Morosan lost his job.

The loss was an opportunity. It was risky, but he and Gerry — who at the time had a handicraft business — thought that Gerry could parlay his mechanical skills from the service department to his own.

He knew how to restore cars. His wife, Gerry, knew how to prep them for restoration. Together, they started the business with a four-car garage and their little daughter Theresa watching as they worked.

“It was one of those risks you need to take to start your own business,” Gerry Morosan said.

The autobody repair business grew. Eventually, Gerry and Louie found a facility at an industrial park on Cienega Avenue in San Dimas, and from the early 1990s on they’ve grown at that spot, eventually opening a custom paint business and custom truck business that together employ about 15 people.

Now, there’s thousands of square feet of space on the site dedicated to everything from vehicles that have been in collisions to others whose owners want a souped-up paint design.

Theresa now runs the autobody repair shop with her husband Jason.

Her interest in the business stems from being around that world her whole life, she said.

That, coupled with an interest in art, led to staying in the business, she said.

So far, the year has brought increased demand after a couple of years of recession that hit all businesses.

Business from dealerships has been a little off, but return and regular customers are helping to pick up the slack, Gerry Morosan said, as people want to start spending again.

“I feel very blessed,” she said.

ryan.carter@sgvn.com
626-962-8811, ext. 2720