Forty years ago, Ed Morrow and Tim Flannigan opened Harwood Heights Auto Body.
“We started off small,” Ed Morrow said. “We got a little bit bigger, and now we have a pretty good-size shop.”
The business is located at 7239 Wilson Ave. in Harwood Heights.
Max Morrow, Ed’s son, noted that his father and Flannigan had been fixing vehicles in their respective neighborhoods and decided to come together and pool their customers. He said some of those customers never stopped coming, decades later.
“To this day, we still have people that tell me that my father used to fix his car in the garage in the alley in the ’70s,” Max Morrow said. “It really shows the quality we’ve been able to keep and being honest with neighborhood people. They reward us by coming back.”
Max Morrow said despite the changing nature of the automotive repair scene over the years, Harwood Heights Auto Body is “trying to stay relevant.”
“We’re looking to continue doing what we’re doing,” he said. “We provide quality repairs. We will continue to look out for our customers and serve them. … At the same time, we’re looking to evolve with the changing times.”
Ed Morrow credits the success of the auto body shop, in part, to having a low job turnover rate.
“I’ve got guys that have been working with us for 35 years,” he said. “My crew does not turn over.”
Max Morrow noted that “cars have changed, but we have a very good staff.”
He said his newest employee has been with the business for seven years.
“You’re getting the same quality,” he said. “You’re getting the same people working on your cars. We recognize people when they walk in our doors, and they recognize us.”
For information, visit harwoodheightsautobody.com.