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SAULT STE. MARIE - On May 1, Denny's Auto Body celebrated 25 years in business at the same location on M-129 near Five Mile Road. No special festivities were planned - it was just business as usual that day for the unpretentious owner, Denny Aho and his son and co-worker, Tim.
Aho acquired the property in 1980 after his return from a National Guard stint in Germany. He had been employed for 10 years at a local General Motors dealership but said he could see the writing on the wall for the company. Shortly after he purchased the property - a former dairy farm - the dealership closed its doors.
Aho tore down the existing barn and built several storage units and the large race shop. The father and son team do auto bodywork in one building, reserving the big shop to paint buses and planes.
Prior to his years at the GM dealership, Aho worked at the local airport. As a young man, he took flying lessons that developed into the airport job, a city contract that he managed for years. He still flies, and recently delivered a repainted airplane to Oregon. He has another plane painting job lined up for the winter months.
Father and son have created a niche market in the area for their used vehicles. They concentrate on selling cars under $3,000, said Aho. He gets older model cars from dealerships in the area that take them as trade-ins, then he and Tim fix them up and sell them. Approximately three cars a week pass through their able hands. "We cater to that end of the market," he explained.
Aho is a state certified mechanic, but doesn't do much mechanical work in his shop, instead concentrating on repainting and bodywork. In order to do mechanical work, he would need a much larger work area. Working on engines must be done in an almost sterile environment, he explained, away from the dust created by painting and bodywork.
Born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, Aho also raised his own two children there. Tim Aho worked with his father at the shop while in high school, and after graduating, made it a full-time job.
Besides working on cars, the two share another common interest - racing. Both men are involved in stock car racing and have previously raced motorcycles as well. Denny Aho has raced for 36 years, all over the United States, he said. Some of the guys he raced with, he now watches on the NASCAR circuit on TV. "It's good to see them doing so well," said Aho, who also attends the Daytona 500 Race every year with his wife.
Denny and Tim Aho are both heavily involved in the annual I-500 snowmobile races. Denny has been to every race except the first one and both men have driven the pace sleds. Tim races with Team Chippewa.
Motor oil must course through the veins of all the Aho family members. Both Denny and Tim Aho are proud of the exploits of Denny's two teenaged granddaughters who race stock cars.
As to the future of the business, Denny said it is likely that Tim will take over after his retirement. The two work well together, he added. "It's not too bad. Tim has ideas of his own but everything gets done."
