As a child, not everyone has an idea of what they will be when they grow up.
But for Lawrence County resident Andrew Morici, his calling in life was crystal clear.
Andrew is a father, a football coach at Shenango High School and the owner of City Glass Co., a family-owned business that’s been serving the community since 1949.
As a child, Andrew said he spent many summers at the local business on New Castle’s East side, which has been in his family for four generations.
“Back when my great-grandfather started, they used to sell mufflers,” Andrew said. “Whenever my dad and uncle took over, they stopped selling mufflers and started buying glass.”
“The other day we were (installing) a commercial storefront in the morning and working on a 1970 Chevelle in the afternoon. You never get sick of one thing, it’s always something new,” he continued. “One thing that’s good about this business is that glass always breaks.”
City Glass specializes in a variety of services including commercial glazing, residential glass repair, auto glass, and custom glass pieces.
Before Andrew took over the business, he worked full-time alongside his late father, Matthew, and his uncle Michael since 2013. After Michael’s retirement was announced in May of last year, Andrew became the sole owner of City Glass.
“I always felt like it was a responsibility to keep the family business going. I was never forced into it, my dad gave me options, but it was always something I wanted to do.”
“It’s all about problem-solving. I never cared about the problems that arise, it’s about fixing them. That’s in business, coaching and life.”
While Andrew is the only Morici currently on staff, he said there is still a family-like bond shared in the workplace. When describing the crew at City Glass, Andrew mentioned each of his employees by name.
“We have a great crew working here, I feel like their family. I try to keep that small, personable charm. It’s just about people. It’s always been about it. When you have good people, it makes it all easier.”
One of those employees, Jeff Stiver, has worked at City Glass for nearly three decades.
“I wouldn’t have stayed here for 27 years if I didn’t like my job,” he said with a smile.
Stiver recalled his early days with City Glass when he said Andrew was about 8 years old.
“I’ve watched him grow up from a little squirt that would come in to sweep floors, take out the trash and agitate his dad.
“To see him now, it’s completely different. It took him a while to catch on, but he’s done remarkably,” Stiver said.
From a young age Andrew knew he would continue the family business, but with the death of his father in 2021, he looked for another way to preserve his Morici name.
Andrew started the Matthew Morici Memorial Scholarship, which is awarded annually to a senior football player at Shenango High School.
“We have the underclassman choose someone who makes them feel most of the team because that’s what my dad stood for more than anything. He was really good at what he did, and he was really good with people. I wanted to honor his legacy.”
While Andrew hopes the business will continue to carry on through the next generation, he acknowledged it’s still too early to tell, since his oldest child, Matthew, is turning 6-years-old this month.
“I would love to see it go on for generations, but people have their own ambitions and ideas. It’s going to be up to him. Ever since I took over, I have just tried to treat people fair and do good work. Hopefully everything else works out from there. That’s always been my mindset.”
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