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"Stick to what you know."
Trucks and trailers were all Galloway knew when he was growing up in rural Kentucky.
So after 30 years of working in the industry with Allison Transmission and Detroit Diesel Parts, opening up a truck repair shop of his own seemed like the next natural step.
In 2008, DG & Sons launched its first location on Woodland Avenue. Galloway says he wouldn't be where he is today without support from his wife, Maria, a teacher at the Radburn School in Fair Lawn.
He works on everything from DPW vehicles to Coca Cola's 18-wheelers, doing everything from engine overhauls to routine maintenance.
Although the work itself is second nature to Galloway, keeping business smooth has been tough.
"Getting it off the ground was very hard," said the Westwood father, who named the business to give a nod to his three boys.
"I was new — I had been working for someone else my whole life."
To make matters worse, the building didn't have a port for his trucks, so all of the jobs were done outside in the parking lot behind the building.
Winters were brutal. A job that should've taken a few hours took days, and ones that should've taken a couple of days took weeks.
But clients kept coming back and, eventually, Galloway saved up enough money to purchase the old warehouse next door at 53 Woodland Ave.
He bought the place in February 2016 and is still moving parts from next door.
"We never really stopped working but we weren't fully functional," Galloway said. "We're still putting away, sorting different things."
He says he's lucky that, given the swings in the economy over the years and its current state, business has been good for DG & Sons.
And while none of his three boys work at the shop — yet, he said — he's got a pitbull pup, Stella, who keeps him and his guys company on the job.
DG & SONS IS LOCATED AT 162 CENTRAL AVE., ROCHELLE PARK.
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