The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber honored PI&I Motor Express of Masury and the Kerola family with the HBK Growth Award at the Feb. 27 Family Owned Business Award Dinner.
The award was presented based on the company’s long-term commitment to the Mahoning Valley and the metals industry.
The company was founded in 1951 by Joe Kerola to provide truck hauling, from cattle to steel coils, but now dedicates most of its effort to serving the metals industry. It is one of the largest, family-owned flatbed truck carriers east of the Rocky Mountains and has more than 450 tractors, according to the chamber.
The company passed to Joe’s son, John, when Joe died in 1965. At John’s passing in 1996, his son, Joe, took over as president and CEO, a position he retains. Three of Joe’s children, Joe, Maggie and Jeremy are now in the business.
In 2023, the Kerolas bought United Steel Service of Brookfield, which had been founded in 1968 by Morris Friedman, and rebranded it UNISERV, a steel-slitting company.
“The move created the Kerola Family of Companies and diversified the portfolio of services it offers within the metals industry,” the chamber said. “The integration of the two complementary businesses gives customers a full-service option for processing and transportation. The company also now provides single-source billing, which has allowed for new customers and opportunities.”
In accepting the award, CEO Joe Kerola said “we’re just trying to continue his (grandfather’s) legacy moving forward, which is to work hard and give back where you can, pay it forward. We’re just blessed. Our growth is because of that and all the fine, fine people that work with us.”
“PI&I Motor Express and the Kerola Family of Companies are dedicated to providing a first-class portfolio of services to the metals industry,” Jeremy said in a video about the company.
That dedication goes beyond a specific industry.
“This area has provided us with so much, even through the troubling times, that it has become a core principle of our ethic to ensure that we give back to our community as much as possible,” Jeremy said. “The Mahoning Valley is our home and will continue to be our home no matter how much we grow.”
