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The Work We Do: Chris Patti, Riverhead Trailer

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My name is Chris Patti, owner of Riverhead Trailer on Route 104 in Riverhead.

Been in business for 25 years and still going strong.

We sell all kinds of trailers for everybody to the homeowner, landscaper, contractor, construction — whatever trailer you could think about putting behind your truck or car. We also do trailer hitches to tow, also.

Specifically, my job is to sell trailers and oversee everything.

We’re located right between the North and the South Fork, so I have all my landscapers and contractors come in to see me. And we have a very good reputation.

And like I said, we’ve been around a long time. People know about us. We do the right thing, and they come back.

Twenty-five years ago, I started the business all by myself. I was the only one doing trailer hitches, fixing trailers. Then, slowly but surely, it started growing, growing, growing.

We do the right thing for people, they come back. Very simple rule of thumb.

And another thing good is when you purchase a trailer from us, we do all the New York State Motor Vehicle [paperwork]. All the paperwork, we give you a license plate, a state inspection, so you don’t have to go to motor vehicle. It’s a one stop-shop. Everything’s done on premises. You pick a trailer, you’re out of here in 10 minutes.

Every trailer we sell here we service here for three years. That includes the bearings, the brakes — it’s all free. But we sell top-of-the-line trailers and it’s not often that things go wrong with ’em.

I do have a second generation working for me, my son Nicholas. He seems to be taking over pretty well, he’s been here for five years. He’s been ready to take over, he’s been doing exactly what I used to do.

In the beginning of the year, we sell a lot of equipment trailers, as soon as the weather breaks after the winter — dump trailers, heavy trailers for equipment, Bobcat skid-steers, car trailers, park trailers … whatever you could think of.

I’ll tell you what: my favorite part is dealing with all the nice people. Everybody that comes in — respectful, nice people. You get to meet different people, become friends. And have steady customers for a very long time.

“The Work We Do” is a News-Review multimedia project profiling workers around Riverhead Town.