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Remembering Industry Legend Joe Valarioti

On April 17, the Massachusetts automotive industry bid farewell to one of its most passionate and outspoken advocates with the passing of Joseph “Joe V.” Valarioti at the age of 92.

Valarioti owned and operated Central Auto Rebuilders in Marlborough, which he initially started with a partner in 1957, until his retirement in 2012. His son Domenic has carried on the family business ever since.

A dedicated participant in various industry groups dating back to at least the 1960s, Valarioti is perhaps best known for getting the Central Massachusetts Auto Rebuilders Association (CMARA) off the ground decades before it merged with AASP/MA in 2010.

AASP/MA Affiliate Director Bill Spellane (Spellane Auto Body; Worcester) recalls Valarioti’s ability to galvanize industry members in the region.

“When Joe was president of CMARA, he could fill the room with members every month. Everybody came to those meetings. He always wanted all the body shops to get better so that it helped the whole industry. He shared his knowledge.”

Valarioti’s community activities extended far beyond the collision repair field. In addition to receiving Marlborough’s Humanitarian Award, he was named Senior of the Year, Business Person of the Year and Small Business of the Year before earning the prestigious Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award. He also received the Algonquin Council Boy Scouts of America Award for Exemplary Service. In addition, he was a member of Italian American (ITAM) Veterans Post 45, Sons of Italy Lodge 240 and received the ITAM Man of the Year Award.

“Joe was all over the place!” Spellane says. “He did whatever he could for his community. He really had a good heart to want to do that. It wasn’t just about the buck with him.”

Past CMARA President Tom Ricci (Body & Paint Center; Hudson) first got to know Valarioti through the association in the mid ’80s and credits him for setting the foundation for the Massachusetts collision industry’s long-running work in the Legislature.

“Joe really inspired people to get involved at the State House level. He had a lot of contacts there, and he was really the one who spearheaded our industry’s political activities. Getting involved taught me a lot about how the process works, especially the importance of Political Action Committee [PAC] funds. Joe could be boisterous at times, but that was really based on his passion for the industry. He really stood up for the association.”

Massachusetts industry veteran Tom O’Malley (O’Malley’s Truck & Auto Body; Charlton) recalls Valarioti’s strong personality when it came to representing and strengthening the state’s auto body scene.

“He was tough; there’s no doubt about it. He always had something to say. He was very much a fighter for the auto body industry.”

One of Valarioti’s closest friends and colleagues, former CMARA President Walter Thomas, was a self-described “hermit” before Valarioti urged him to get involved in CMARA back in the mid ’80s.

“I latched onto Joe’s knowledge and advice mostly on the politics of association life and the politics of our industry. I leaned on him for advice on what to do. I learned everything I knew from Joe. Some of it was from positive feedback, and some of it was from negative feedback. He’d tell me things that I would never dream of, and I’d digest what he said and pick and choose what I believed. We were total opposites in many respects. He was very aggressive; I was very passive. We complimented each other that way.

“He tried to portray a tough-guy image,” Thomas adds. “In reality, he was a pussycat, but he would never admit it!”

In addition to their work with CMARA, Valarioti and Thomas served lengthy terms together on the Auto Damage Appraiser Licensing Board (ADALB). Those who attended ADALB meetings during the Valarioti era will surely remember his straightforward nature and strong views in support of collision repairers.

“Joe was one of the few people I knew who was transparent with his opinions,” Thomas says. “You never had to wonder what he was thinking, because he told you. He never tried to put any fluff on it.”

Above all, he is grateful to Valarioti for convincing so many in the Massachusetts industry that there truly was strength in numbers.

“His philosophy, which impacted me tremendously, was, ‘If I want to do better, then I have to make you do better.’ His philosophy was he couldn’t do it alone, so he got as many people to join CMARA as possible to make everyone in the industry stronger.”

Memorial donations may be made in Valarioti’s name to Boys & Girls Club of MetroWest, 169 Pleasant St., Marlborough, MA 01752.

AASP/MA and New England Automotive Report offer Valarioti’s family and friends our deepest condolences.

Joe and Domenic Valarioti outside their family business

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