Father's gone, but he lives on through sons at the helm

The Mirto brothers were taught integrity in everything they do by their father.
In business, Daniel F. Mirto, J.D. Mirto and Toby Mirto follow their father's example.
The brothers own the Rhiel Supply Co., a distributor of janitorial supplies, swimming pools, hot tubs and pool tables. There are locations in Austintown and Boardman.
"Our dad taught us above all else that we are to have integrity in all that we do," said Toby, speaking about Daniel J. Mirto, who studied business and accounting at Youngstown College and owned an accounting business.
In 1951, Mirto's fraternity brother Jack Rhiel established Rhiel Supply and enlisted Mirto's accounting expertise. Mirto spent more and more time at Rhiel Supply and, in 1956, sold his accounting business and joined Rhiel as a partner.
At that time, the business solely sold janitorial supplies and industrial chemicals. Its core customer was Youngstown Sheet & amp; Tube Co.
In 1971, Rhiel retired and sold out to Mirto, who expanded Rhiel Supply and created the recreational division.
Diversification
"We're still very much in the janitorial and cleaning-supply business, but we've gone from selling just swimming-pool chemicals to actually selling the pools themselves, to spas, to hot tubs, to pool tables," Toby said.
On the janitorial end, Rhiel Supply equips industries, schools, churches, hospitals, supermarkets and offices with cleaning supplies.
Mirto worked until his death in March 2001, at age 75.
"He'd still be working if he were alive today," Toby said. "He literally would have something done at the hospital and then stop at the office on his way home."
A shared passion
Mirto's sons share that passion for Rhiel Supply. One of their favorite childhood memories, in fact, involves stopping at the office after church.
"It was Sunday, so no one was here, and we would sit at the cubicles and eat our lunch," Toby said. "Dad would take that opportunity to do some work."
Then the boys would play hide-and-seek in the warehouse. "That was a big thrill for us kids," said Toby.
As they got older, the Mirto brothers helped out with their father's business, cutting grass, washing the company trucks, scrubbing the warehouse and assisting customers.
Like their father, they majored in business and accounting at college, then returned to Rhiel Supply.
"Since we graduated from college, this is it -- our job," said J.D.
Who does what
Daniel, 52, runs the recreational division; J.D., 47, does the janitorial purchasing and oversees the warehouse; and Toby, 44, is in charge of finances and the office. They have about 35 employees.
Operating a small business has become tougher since Rhiel Supply's inception more than 50 years ago. "The tax burdens businesses face today are enormous," said Toby, listing unemployment, federal employment tax, workers' compensation, Social Security and personal property tax. "The cost of health care is our fastest-rising expense."
Additionally, they face competition not just from local businesses, but national companies.
So what's the secret to Rhiel Supply's success?
"Our reputation has helped a lot," said Daniel. "We try to offer good service," said Toby. "We've built relationships, and we do what we say we're going to do."