Do-Cut Sales and Service celebrates 70 years in business

March 12, 2017 at 12:00a.m.

WARREN

Lisa Terzigni-Miller flips through a scrapbook filled with memories at Do-Cut Sales and Service Inc.

Her late father, Tony, is the center of many of the photos, much like he was the center of the business.

“My dad could sell snow to an Eskimo,” said Terzigni-Miller, who is now president/treasurer of the company.

Tony Terzigni used to sell fruit on the streets of Baltimore with a pony and wagon. Later, after moving to Warren with his family, Tony’s salesman would come out again when he opened a tool-sharpening business in his house and later began to sell power equipment. This year marks 70 years for Tony’s company, Do-Cut Sales and Service.

Do-Cut’s Mahoning Valley presence has a lot to do with love. Tony was from Baltimore, but then he met his wife, Lucy, who was from here.

Tony took a job at Packard Electric where he was a tool and die maker. In 1947, he started the business out of his house. In the 1950s, Tony quit his day job and focused on his business. He decided it was time to expand and opened the storefront that is still there today at 3375 Youngstown Road SE.

“He treated people like gold, and that was what he taught us,” Terzigni-Miller said.

Treating people like gold and offering sales plus service kept customers coming back. Lucy was always by Tony’s side to help keep the business moving while they also raised six children.

“She took care of everything in the office,” Terzigni-Miller said.

In 1965, it was time to expand again. Tony had the house next to the Warren storefront burned down in a controlled burn to have room to build.

“The suburbs were growing,” Terzigni-Miller said. “People had larger yards.”

Larger yards meant people needed lawn equipment, and Do-Cut offered that with a variety of manufacturers such as Toro, Jacobsen, Ariens and Wheel Horse to choose from.

In the mid-1970s, Do-Cut began to manufacture its own lawn mower called the Do-Cut 21, but changes in the industry’s blade stop regulations ended Do-Cut’s entrance into manufacturing the power equipment it sold. So, Do-Cut kept to selling and serving.

The blizzard of 1978 led to another expansion.

“We sold 2,000 snowblowers,” Terzigni-Miller said.

To put that into perspective, that’s about 10 times the typical amount sold.

By the fall of 1979, a Canfield Do-Cut location opened that also sold True Value hardware.

Through the 1980s and 1990s, Do-Cut added two locations and later closed the two locations.

In 1994, the company started a mail order catalog.

“That has evolved to a large segment of our business, which is e-commerce,” Terzigni-Miller said.

Terzigni-Miller and her siblings grew up helping to run the business. Her brothers, Anthony A. and Joe Terzigni were two major parts of Do-Cut. Their deaths – Anthony at 47 in 1998, and Joe at 56 in 2004 – were untimely and unfortunate losses, but the business kept on. Dante Terzigni, another brother, is still involved in the business along with his sister.

Tony retired at age 65. He and Lucy lived 20 years in retirement together before Tony died in 2007. Lucy is in her 90s.

“They enjoyed their retirement,” Terzigni-Miller said. “[My father] passed the business on. He was very proud of us always. My parents never stifled progress or change.”

Tragedy struck Do-Cut in 2011 when the Canfield location burned down. Do-Cut’s largest location was lost in the fire. No one was hurt physically, but mentally there was some mending that needed to be done.

“We rebounded,” said Jay P. Curry, vice president of Do-Cut. “We showed our spirit and determination.”

Do-Cut opened a new location at 1401 Boardman-Canfield Road in March 2012.

Curry was the manager of the Boardman store, one of the many hats he’s worn while employed by Do-Cut. Curry graduated from New Castle School of Trades and was hired at Do-Cut as a truck driver by Dante Terzigni. Two weeks later, he was promoted to technician. After that, Curry became a mechanic, then he went into parts and service.

“I’ve liked them all,” he said of his jobs at Do-Cut. “I think for me, it’s the excitement of doing something different all the time. You get to meet a lot of different people. You get to wear a lot of different hats.”

Curry also liked working for the family-owned and operated company. The Terzignis made him feel like a part of the family.

“Business has been good,” Curry said. “We have been blessed to be a part of the community.”

Do-Cut has 27 employees between its two stores, where they sell four major power equipment lines: Toro, Honda, Stihl and Husqvarna. If a customer’s piece of equipment breaks down, Do-Cut offers the services to fix it.

“We give tremendous value, service and support,” Curry said.

To celebrate 70 years, Do-Cut will offer giveaways throughout the year.