Emery Village’s Renzo Moser is a pioneer
He helped to establish the commercial viability of Steeles Avenue West with Trento Motors in 1973, and went on to establish three other car dealerships nearby: Trento KIA, Trento Mitsubishi, Trento Subaru in Maple, and Vaughan Chrysler. Two of which Renzo owns outright and two with partners. He employs approximately 70 people and has employed hundreds since the late 1950s. Mozer’s road was neither easy nor was his success guaranteed.
It was in Northern Italy, Trento Province, just after World War II, when it happened. Renzo was 11. His older brother Mark touched something in the field and had his hand blown apart by an unexploded ordinance. With his older brother unable to work, Renzo abandoned his farm chores to begin ‘man’s work’ in a local repair shop. His mother stayed home to tend the farm while his father sent money home and was away mostly. The 11-year-old boy, of whom much was expected, suddenly had no one to look to except the boy looking back in the bathroom mirror. The other looks, the looks from others, the concealed worried ones, were from his mother. But she had little time to dwell – neither did young Renzo. It was time to work.
Renzo Moser came to Canada in 1957 at age 19 and penniless. Two years later he bought a garage. Gradually, wrench by wrench, work order by work order, customer by customer, with sweat, worry, pride of self and survival skills that sailed across the long ocean with him to Canada, he built his business. “What is my secret you ask? You have to love it,” he says quietly. “You have to love to work.”
Whether he’s 11, or the older, distinguished man of today, the same determination in the blue eyes, in the strong jawline and gray hair greet you. He sits back in his Trento Mitsubishi showroom for the interview with a relaxed smile. He reflects broadly on his work and his can-do philosophy; what he built and where it all came from.
“Fear is a great motivator. Fear of failure motivated me more than the unknown, what could lie ahead. I was never afraid of trying, which to me meant just working, working toward your goal. Even today I ask myself, What can I do to be better, to make it better?” His intense modesty reveals itself when he looks at you. There is no truth that scares him.
“There are others in the car business that may do some things better than me, but that’s ok.” In fact, Renzo applauds the success of others, many of whom he has either tutored and employed, or both. Renzo competes with himself and lets the rest take care of itself.
He looks up. “You know, there was nothing but a horse farm in front of me when I moved here,” he says, reflecting and looking out the showroom window toward a busy Steeles Avenue. “The gentleman that owned all of it offered to sell me the land from Weston Road to Pine Valley Drive for $60,000 dollars,” he said. He had no idea what he would do with all of that land.
“Back then, $60,000 was a lot of money,” Renzo muses. His eyebrows rise, not forgetting his origins, and points his finger: “It is a lot of money today too!”
It was the winter of 1985, Renzo was leaving for an appointment with his long-time advisor Frank Piccin. He approached the door with his back straight and tall, as always, his movements quick and sure and straight line. And as he walked he looked out at his new cars that waited for soon-to-becustomers -- some hidden by the fresh snow that blew over them that day. Renzo looked back at his sales staff and his face darkened, his blue eyes narrowing, you could see the muscles on that famous jaw tighten. The sales staff knew business had been slow for the week, and knew what was coming. “Sell something today,” he said admonishingly through the cold air, walking out the door, his face down against the bitter bite of the wind. He then turned back and looked at the faces of his concerned salesmen that saw him go. Renzo stopped. Suddenly, the menace left his face like a ghost, and as he looked back Renzo Moser flashed those 11 year old blue eyes. He winked.