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A practice of putting family businesses first�Tarlow Breed Hart & Rodgers, P.C. has a long history of success in advising family businesses.

Friday, January 09, 2009

DATELINE: BOSTON, MASS.

The Boston-based law firm of Tarlow, Breed, Hart, & Rodgers, P.C. (TBHR) has long embraced family businesses as an integral part of its practice. To that end, TBHR has been an active member and supporter of several family business-based organizations, including the Family Firm Institute’s New England Chapter, and also the Family Business Association, Inc., an organization established to recognize excellence in Massachusetts family businesses.

One of the cornerstones of TBHR’s business is counseling family businesses in the day-to-day running of their organization, and also in the critical and often sensitive area of business succession and estate planning.

Said Edward D. Tarlow, Esq., a Founding Member of TBHR, “Business is all about trends. For the longest time, corporate America was seen as the Goliath, with small family businesses being the perennial Davids. Now, with all the bailouts and difficulties on Wall Street, family businesses have shown resilience that you don’t see in corporate America.” He added, “Mass Truck Body and Trailer, Inc. of Chelsea is one of our family business clients that truly embodies that resilience – in fact, they’ve just recently celebrated their 50th anniversary. It is family businesses such as Mass Truck that will help lay the groundwork for an economic recovery, and their histories are an important part of their current success.”

When Anthony DiRocco and his partners started Mass Truck in a rented tin garage in Everett, the building had dirt floors and no plumbing. To keep warm, they had a fire burning in a barrel, just like you would see in an old 1930’s movie. In 1964, the company moved to its current location at 60 Arlington Street in Chelsea.

In the 1970s, Mass Truck expanded, opening Trailer Equipment, Inc. in the building next door. When, Anthony DiRocco and his original partners parted ways, DiRocco brought his eldest son, John, into the business. Shortly after John joined the Mass Truck, his brother, Mike, started at Trailer Equipment, and their hard work continued this winning combination.

With the sudden passing of Anthony DiRocco in 1987, John DiRocco faced a similar dilemma as his father had faced years earlier: continue the family business, take on new partners, or close up shop. Even though the sacrifices would be many, he opted to continue his father’s legacy of providing affordable truck body and trailer repair, and superior customer service with satisfaction guaranteed. It’s a decision John says he’s never regretted.

Today, with its 12 bays and staff of highly trained, certified truck body service technicians, Mass Truck Body & Trailer, Inc. remains a fixture in the truck parts and repair business, taking a backseat to no other repair shop when it comes to price, quality, or workmanship - something of which Anthony DiRocco would be most proud – as well as for his sons’ sacrifice and hard work.

“The story of family businesses, such as the DiRocco’s and Mass Truck Body & Trailer, is one of the reasons our firm has made advising families and family businesses such a large part of our business law practice. There are not only succession issues to be considered, but also estate planning, taxes, and a host of related corporate issues, as well. We provide the kind of counsel in these areas which can help the family and the business transition smoothly to the next generation, whether that means continuing the business, selling it, or even expanding,” said Tarlow.

 

About Tarlow, Breed, Hart & Rodgers, P.C.

Formed in 1991, Tarlow, Breed, Hart & Rodgers, P.C. is committed to providing high quality, comprehensive legal services to its clients. Featuring a breadth and depth of experience and perspective usually found only at larger law firms, Tarlow, Breed, Hart & Rodgers. P.C. offers sophisticated legal counsel to entrepreneurs, businesses, individuals, families, and institutions.

Tarlow, Breed, Hart & Rodgers’ areas of expertise include corporate law, employment matters, mergers and acquisitions, litigation and dispute resolution, estate planning, taxation, real estate, bankruptcy, and municipal law.

The offices of Tarlow, Breed, Hart & Rodgers, P.C. are located at 101 Huntington Avenue, Prudential Center, in Boston, MA 02199. For additional information, or to arrange for a consultation, please call 1-617-218-2000, e-mail info@tbhr-law.com, or visit www.tbhr-law.com.

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