Rene Moreno is from the real-life school of “where’s there’s a will, there’s a way,” holding forth in the office of his multi-service auto body shop.

The Southern Style Motor Co. of Mercedes, is located on west 2^nd Street, the city’s name for Business 83 as the highway that runs through town. In late 2017, Moreno relocated what he then called SS Auto Body Solutions from Harlingen to Mercedes. Moreno is a master craftsman at what he does. He is largely self-taught with over three decades of experience.

Moreno has honed what was learned locally with years of experience gained when working in the automobile manufacturing country of northwest Ohio. Southern Style does restoration of classic cars along with standard collision auto body work and detailing. The work done at his shop is so well regarded that auto dealers in the Rio Grande Valley send their vehicles to Southern Style for repair work.

“It’s not just being good at what you do,” Moreno said. “It all goes back to discipline.”

Knowledge Runs Deep

Moreno recalled that as a younger man going to Ohio and thinking quite highly of himself when it came to doing auto body work.

“I went up there thinking I was a hot shot,” he said when starting work in Defiance, Ohio at a high-end auto repair and body work shop.

Defiance is located in the northwest corner of Ohio in close proximity to General Motors automobile plants. The region is steeped deep in the knowledge of how to manufacture, repair, and make automobiles shine. It is there where Moreno learned the intricacies of auto work and realizing that as much as the thought he knew, there was much more to learn.

“It was a humbling experience,” he recalled of his years in Ohio. “I was shown that it’s not only what you know but having the discipline and focus on all of the details of a job. You can have the talent and ability to do something well, but without that discipline and focus, you can’t go that extra mile to satisfy your customers.”

The attention to detail is essential when it comes to automobile restoration of classic cars. Inside-and-out from the engine work to the paint detailing, in Moreno’s view it must be all done right to meet customer expectations and the standards set by Southern Style.

“If you are particular about your vehicle, this is the must place for your body and paint work,’’ said one customer, Arturo Castro, in a Facebook review. “Truly exceptional customer service and craftsmanship.”

Another customer, Annika Marie Gonzalez, thanked Moreno for the work done on her vehicle, adding, “my little red devil looks great!”

Learning Everyday

It’s not only classic car work done at Southern Style.

Cars and trucks of current models and eras fill the bays at the Mercedes auto shop business. Other types of more routine but still essential auto services are done as well at Southern Style. Given the lessons he learned in Ohio, Moreno knows he and his business can’t settle for the successes of today.

“This is mental hands-on work is how I look at it,” he said. “This work is a lot more than it seems. This is something I’m passionate about and it has been years of learning something new every day. It never stops.”

• Ric Cavazos