Leo Montaño is a man of consistency.
Every day at 7 a.m., the 88-year-old takes a six-mile bicycle ride.
And despite having retired more than 10 years ago, he still clocks in at work regularly.
He started his business, Tucson Alternator Exchange, in 1979, after nearly three decades of experience in the automobile industry.
The father of eight, grandfather of 23 and great-grandfather of 15 tripled the size of his business on East 20th Street over the years.
The business manufactures new alternators and refurbishes used ones, and Montaño still works on generators.
“The old classics still use generators,” he said. “Alternators didn’t come along until the 1960s and I still get business from people whose cars were built in the 1950s.”
His career began when he was 15 years old and went to work for his uncle at Tucson Generator Exchange, where he would clean generators in cleaning chemicals with his bare hands.
Sixteen years later, he went into business with a partner and opened Alternator Generator Exchange in South Tucson.
He started his own business in 1979 at 1401 E. 20th St., near Kino Parkway and 22nd Street.
Tucson Alternator Exchange is still at that location and Montaño goes in on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays for a few hours.
In 1999, he handed the business over to his sons, Steven and Leonardo.
“When I come in, they try not to bother me,” Montaño said. “They let me do what I want to do.”
Total retirement doesn’t appeal to him yet.
“I’m only 99% retired,” Montaño said. “This keeps my mind active.”
Leo Montaño still works on generators. “Alternators didn’t come along until the 1960s and I still get business from people whose cars were built in the 1950s," he says.
His wife of 69 years, Rose Marie, helped him out when he started the business by bookkeeping.
“We agreed to get into it because he knew the business and had a good name following,” she said. “I made sure the money was coming in.”
The couple met at Salpointe Catholic High School and were part of the school’s first graduating class in 1953.
They married the following year.
“I was making $2 an hour at the time,” Montaño recalled. “But I got a raise of 10 cents an hour when my wife was pregnant.”
They have eight children, Julie, Christina, Letitia, Daniel, Steven, Deanna, Leonardo and Rosaleen.
All but two of the children still live in Tucson.
“We have a lot of family gatherings,” Montaño said.
Tucson Alternator Exchange manufactures and sells alternators and generators but does not service cars.
The more power cars need, for things such as power windows, doors, seats and roofs, the better alternators need to perform.
The business has 16 employees and multi-generational customers.
The secret to his business’ longevity, Montaño said, is to always be straight.
“Be honest,” he said. “That’s how you get a reputation.”
Spearheaded by Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik, the glass reuse project has led to local businesses incorporating the recycled material into their manufacturing processes and even items sold on shelves. Video by Riley Brown. Music credit: Olexy via Pixabay.
