MORGANTOWN, W.Va. –– Secretary of State Kris Warner presented the West Virginia Centurion Award Friday to Massullo Cleaners marking 100 years of doing business in Morgantown.
According to Warner, the Massullo family’s Morgantown story began with Domenico Massullo, who immigrated from Italy and established Massullo’s Tailoring on Pleasant Street in 1925. Domenico was a tailor, and his wife, Raphael, worked alongside him.
“It’s to recognize them for their years of service and commitment to West Virginia,” Warner said.
Over that time the family dealt with crisis after crisis and has maintained the business and even expanded to a second location in Morgantown.
“World wars, stock market crashes, depressions, recessions, military conflicts, and pandemics,” Warner said. “They have done it all and not only made it through but found a way to be successful.”
In addition to the choppy waters of maintaining a business, the company has scaled up with the city. After every crisis over their ten decades of operations, they have taken advantage of growth opportunities to strengthen the business and improve their offerings to the community.
“Whether the population was a couple of thousand students when they started in 1925 and then grew after World War II with the G.I. Bill all the way to 26,000 students today,” Warner said.
New businesses always get the red carpet treatment at opening that long-established businesses do not. Warner said Massullo’s will receive a plaque to display at both locations on High Street and in the Suncrest Towne Centre.
“We tend to not pay attention to those businesses like Massullo’s that have been here for 100 years, so this is a West Virginia way to say thank you for your investment in West Virginia.”