In 1973, Ken Rowe Sr. began repairing and painting cars in his Chestnut Drive home garage after working a full day for the Jim White auto dealership. Little did he know that a half-century later, his business, Rowe Collision, would still be going strong. Best of all, he is surrounded by his family working with him in the business. Daughters Cheryl and Kim and sons Ron and Kenny Jr., along with grandson DJ, are currently part of the 10-person team operating from the 7709 West Central Ave. headquarters.
The Rowe family credits their loyal team of workers, who are also counted as family, along with their dedicated customer base, as paramount to their longevity. They also admit that working together as a family has had many great advantages. “We have developed great relationships in the community,” Rowe Sr. said. “When the roof of our building collapsed in 1998 and we were out of commission for three months one of our competitors, Pat & Jake’s, stepped up providing us with space to work. Sylvania Southview High School allowed us to set up a paint booth in their automotive lab, also allowing us to keep doing business. That was amazing help for us and made us realize how fortunate we are to live and work in this kind of a caring community.”
The company does every kind of bodywork, frame repair, and straightening, along with being able to provide paint matching on all models of vehicles. “We have the best body man and finest vehicle painter in the area on our team,” Rowe Sr. reported. “Our mission is to repair each vehicle correctly and in a timely manner. We treat each vehicle we repair as if it were our own. And we help our customers with insurance.”
Rowe Collison also offers 24-hour towing. “Former Sylvania Township Police Chief Bob Bohme is responsible for the towing business. It was his suggestion that prompted us to acquire ‘The Beast,’ launching another important aspect of our business,” Rowe Sr. said.