Son driven to uphold father's legacy

HURON — Two brothers started their small business more than 45 years ago. And one of the man's sons vowed to maintain the massive legacy his father and uncle proudly imprinted on the area's auto industry for nearly a half-century running. In December, Randy Law retired from Law Bros. Auto Body in Huron, a collision-based business he started with his brother, Mark, in 1979. People can find the business on Sawmill Parkway running alongside Ohio 2. While collision work serves as the company's foundation, it's evolved over time, now specializing in mechanical and technological repairs in addition to performing recalibrations, alignments and dent repairs. Beyond Randy, another in-house person as proficient in these services and equally dedicated to the family would be his son, Scott Law. "My dad taught me to be very critical of the job being done," said Scott, who lives in Vermilion. "He also told me to take pride in your work, especially because our family name is on the business. Everything that leaves here has our name on it, and we want to make sure things are correct." Because of Scott's attitudes and aptitudes, Randy, of Lorain, felt comfortable about retiring and, in the process, passed down his business to Scott, who's worked at Law Bros. for about 19 years. "Scott loves this work and excels at figuring things out and fixing issues. That's important," said Randy, who plans on traveling with his wife, Patti, during his downtime. "For me, it was just time. I will probably come here from time to time to just help babysit the office or answer the phone." Randy never pushed Scott toward the industry or the family business. It's something he gravitated toward on his own. "I've always been drawn to cars, and it's nice to be able to carry the family torch and to know I'm taking it over from him," said Scott, whose wife, Sarah, also works for the business. "I'm happy I'll be able to work with the same great staff here, keeping everything in the family's name and just finding out ways to keep progressing the business along." Scott, for instance, wants to open up a detail division and maybe even work on boats in the near future. Randy offered Scott the following advice on what he must do to succeed: "Maintain the integrity of the work we do here." And Scott, in turn, promised the following to this father: "That is important to me: to maintain the integrity of the work we do here." Loyal to the Laws Many longtime customers wished Randy well in retirement but also look forward to Scott's tenure as owner. "My wife and I believe in supporting local, family-owned businesses whenever possible — and Law Bros. is certainly that," said Jack Arthur, referring to him and his spouse, Marcia. "While Randy and Patti are personal friends, we got to know Scott when he was still in high school, working in the body shop," Arthur said. "Randy has always been a hands-on owner/manager, and it's obvious he has made Scott into one as well. And Scott is a skilled technician in his own right." For years, Arthur personally saw Randy prepare Scott to carry on the business "the way Randy grew it, and I know it will continue to be successful." "We're excited for Scott as he takes over and for Randy as he starts a well-deserved retirement," Arthur said.