Family Owned and Operated!
Auto Enthusiasts Who Care About Other Auto Enthusiasts!
An Award Winning Business!
About Us
Since 1969 we have been providing high quality products at the best prices, and excellent service, to auto enthusiasts all over the Upstate New York area.
Backed up by the most experienced staff in the city we can help, with everything from headlights to tail lights, to wheels, tinted glass, custom cup-holders and much more. Our 17,000 square foot warehouse has everything you need. And with four great stores, we're located wherever you are.
Richard Trovato was born in 1945. He grew up in Rochester, NY, graduating from the prestigious Aquinas Institute in 1963 at the age of 17.
He worked as a carpenters apprentice for a while where he learned traits such as hanging drywall and laying tile.
Then, in 1966, Richard was drafted to serve in the Viet Nam war. He was just 21 years old. Upon returning home in 1969 he took a job working at Auto Finishers Supply Co. in Rochester, NY. There were three locations in Rochester and Richard started at the bottom, quickly making friends & learning the business. He became store manager in 1972.
That same year, on a cold winters day, a young man named Jim Cieslewicz started began working for Richard. He, too, quickly moved up the ranks of the company becoming a key employee and lifelong friend.
During the 80's the company got into some trouble; the owners were letting things slip. Some bad decision-making led them to close down two of the three stores. Vendors had placed them on COD. Management conflicts caused Jim to leave the company. Richard was in danger of losing his job and everything he had worked for.
With a wife, a mortgage, and three small children to support, Richard began making steps to secure his future. The way he saw it, he had two choices; start over or take over.
In 1985, with a briefcase by his side and a pair of brand new wing-tipped shoes on his feet, Richard headed to the bank to ask for a half a million-dollar loan. By February of 1986 the deal was done. Auto Finishers Supply Co. had a new owner and things were just getting started. Jim came back to work as the sales manager. Bills were getting paid. Auto Finishers began renting Penske trucks to supplement income. They began selling DuPont, Nason and Spies Hecker paint lines exclusively. Richard was cleaning house.
Throughout the 90's, Richard's three children began coming on board, first working as drivers, stocking shelves, then sales, and eventually becoming part of the management team. By the late 90's, Auto Finishers was successfully a second-generation business and growing by leaps and bounds.
In March of 1999 Richard opened a second location boasting a state of the art mechanical facility with a 6-bay garage. His oldest son, Rick, runs this location that currently employs one service writer and four first-rate mechanics.
In November of 2000 Richard purchased the Ridge-Clinton Plaza, which houses their corporate office along with several tenants including the Family Dollar.
In July of 2001 Richard teamed up with Jerry Kershanbaum of Al-Wil Auto Supply in Buffalo, NY. The two Buffalo locations joined the family as Al-Wil Auto Finishers Supply Co. was born.
In 2003 Richard was presented with numerous awards including Rochester's Top 100 Fastest Growing Companies, Rochester's Choice Awards and became a DuPont Champion distributor.
In 2005 Richard added a mini-storage facility boasting over 34,000 feet of storage buildings to his list of ever-growing accomplishments.
In April of 2007 Auto Finishers partnered with Keith Campbell of C.A.R.S. in Jamestown, NY making this the third Al-Wil Auto Finishers Supply Co. facility.
His latest accomplishment is driving across the country from New York to Las Vegas with his friend and long time companion Pati Gibbardo.
So why is Richard so successful? We think it's because Auto Finishers is first and foremost a family with key employees averaging over 25 years. And just in case you're wondering what happened to Jim…in 2007, we celebrated his 35th anniversary with Auto Finishers, and we're still counting!
