LeRoy’s Auto Sales & Service has moved to 3021 Fifth Ave. S. on the city’s rapidly evolving Corridor of Commerce.

Fort Dodge and Webster County are experiencing an economic boom that many community leaders in both the private and public sectors say could escalate if various aspects of the infrastructure are enhanced. Anyone who has been in downtown Fort Dodge this summer realizes that a major reworking and upgrading of the city’s streets is underway as part of that undertaking.

One consequence of the road work was the demolition of the building at 1102 First Ave. S. that was home to LeRoy’s Auto Sales & Service for 34 years.

LeRoy’s now occupies a new home, but the auto sales, service and repair venue remains very much part of the local business world.

“We’re still around, and we’re still going,” said Doug Lacina, who co-owns the enterprise with his father, LeRoy Lacina, and uncle, Lester Lacina. “We did well downtown. We sold a lot of cars. We had a lot of business down there. We had a lot of downtown business. We’re hoping that still comes out to us now.”

Lacina said he is optimistic that the move will prove good for the business.

“I think it is going to work well,” he said. “There is a lot of traffic out here on Fifth Avenue South. There is more out here.”

Lacina said LeRoy’s benefited when it was downtown from the strong local economy and he expects that to continue.

“Our car sales have been good the last few years,” he said. “The mechanic work stays pretty steady.”

Multifaceted business

As the name implies, LeRoy’s addresses multifaceted customer needs.

“We do auto sales,” Lacina explained. “We do repair work on vehicles – transmissions, engines, brakes, tune-ups, electrical, the whole service.”

He said despite the multitude of changes in vehicles that have taken place over the more than three decades LeRoy’s has been repairing them, he can handle the repair requirements of 21st century cars and trucks.

“We keep up on all the technology,” Lacina said.

He said part of the reason LeRoy’s has been a success is that it treats customers well and helps them understand their repair choices.

“I usually lay out the options for everybody – you’ve got cheaper parts, you’ve got more expensive parts,” Lacina said. “We can do it either way. I always try to be a straight-shooter with customers.”

He said he believes that approach keeps patrons coming back.

“I’ve got a lot of really good repeat customers,” Lacina said. “This town is so small that if you do something bad everybody is going to hear about it. I try to keep everything good.”

He said keeping clients happy is the secret of making any business thrive.

“We don’t like to have anybody go away mad,” Lacina said.

The vehicle sales side of LeRoy’s involves used cars and trucks.

“It is strictly previously owned vehicles,” Lacina said. “Pretty much everything. Usually, we try to keep 10 to 20 cars on the lot. We feature cars priced at $10,000 and under. Every once and a while we get something priced a little bit more. We sell mostly domestic, but we do a little bit of foreign. We buy some off the street and we go to the auction pretty much every week trying to get cars.”

Doug Lacina said customers like low-mileage used vehicles, but the improved durability of contemporary cars and trucks is making getting them on the lot more difficult than it was in the past.

“Now people are driving for 100,000 or 200,000 miles before getting rid of a car,” he said. “It’s becoming harder to find cars with the lower miles.”

Family business

The story of LeRoy’s began with twin brothers Lester and LeRoy Lacina, who are now 72.

“Lester started first at the original location 34 years ago and my dad (LeRoy) moved in there 31 years ago with the repair part of it,” Doug Lacina said.

Lester Lacina began selling cars and trucks in 1981. In 1984, his brother joined the business, adding the repair component.

Doug Lacina said he has been around the family enterprise pretty much his whole life.

“When I was younger, I used to come down and clean cars for them and this and that,” he said. “After college it started getting a little more serious.”

Doug Lacina is a 1991 graduate of Fort Dodge Senior High. Then he went on to Iowa Central Community College.

“I graduated from the electronic engineering program,” he said.

Today, Doug and Lester Lacina are both involved in the sales aspect of the business. Doug Lacina handles the repair and service side. Doug Lacina said his father, LeRoy Lacina, still helps out in that area when he can.

Anyone nostalgic for the longtime home of LeRoy’s Auto Sales & Service will find reminders at the new location. Items brought from the old site have been incorporated into the decor.