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Collision Repair
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Monday, 14 May 2012 15:03 |
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Montreal, Quebec -- May 14, 2012 -- Entrepreneurs need vision, but that isn’t enough. They need the courage to follow that vision. Courage, vision and leadership were all on display at the 2012 Fix Auto Convention. The convention took place in Montreal, Quebec from May 9 to 11. This was a landmark conference for the network as they celebrate 20 years in business.
As Steve Leal, COO Fix Auto Canada, said during his remarks at the Gala dinner event during the convention, a true vision is more than having goals. “It’s the difference between saying what the future may be and what the future will be.” Those with vision and the courage to see it through demonstrate leadership and make their own future.
This was a theme repeated frequently at the 2012 Fix Auto Convention. It was referred to throughout the presentations and panel discussions, as well as during numerous conversations during coffee breaks and social events.
The convention kicked off Wednesday afternoon with opening remarks by Manon Duplantie, President of Fix Auto Canada, followed by Robert Gappa who spoke on the franchise model and what it can accomplish.
The first day ended with a horse drawn carriage ride that took attendees on a scenic ride through old Montreal to the welcome reception at Scena, located on the waterfront.
Day two began with an official welcome from Manon Duplantie and Steve Leal. Up next, Suzanne Michaud of Industrielle Alliance spoke on Net Promoters Score (NPS), a method of measuring levels of customer service. After the break, Patrick Quinn of the David Suzuki Foundation spoke on the topic of sustainability in the collision repair industry, and Gabriel Gelinas spoke on the future of the automobile. Gelinas noted that increasingly rigorous emissions standards will continue to drive innovation in automotive design, including the use of “exotic” materials on more and more mass-market vehicles.
The day ended with the official Gala dinner event, held at TOHU Montreal’s National Circus School. In addition to great food, those in attendance were treated to a number of different live entertainers, including musicians, singers and acrobats.
The awards portion of the evening focused on the contributions of partners over the last 20 years. It’s impossible to overstate the importance of these partners. It’s not surprising that an insurer would feel confident dealing with Fix Auto today. With shops right across the country, not to mention locations in the U.S. and overseas, Fix Auto brings some obvious advantages to insurers and other industry partners.
It wasn’t always that way, though. Fix Auto took the time to honour those partners who believed in the network from the very beginning, when all it had going for it was vision and the courage to see it through.
“The vision of what could be wouldn’t have been enough on its own,” said Steve Leal. “It took partners who believed in that vision too.”
The final day of the convention kicked off with a presentation by Bob Kirstiuk of Advantage. Kirstiuk, one of the original network partners honoured at the gala, spoke on his history of partnering with the network.
Two insurer panels followed after Kirstiuk. Manon Duplantie and Steve Leal presented concluding remarks, followed by motivational speaker Mark Thompson.
The 2013 Fix Auto Conference will take place in London, U.K. For more information on Fix Auto, please visit fixauto.com.
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 15 May 2012 10:42 |
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Collision Repair
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Monday, 14 May 2012 14:34 |
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Toronto, Ontario -- May 14, 2012 -- As CSN Collision & Glass continues to expand throughout Canada, the network welcomes two new CSN Members within the province of New Brunswick: Ultra Auto Repair ~ CSN and Toner GMC Collision ~ CSN.
For nearly 35 years, Ultra Auto Repair ~ CSN has been servicing the Beresford, New Brunswick area customers with quality collision repairs and a dedication to exceeding their expectations when it comes to customer service. Yves Cormier, owner and operator of Ultra Auto Repair ~ CSN, feels strongly that “reputation is everything in this business” and is the key to maintaining a successful collision repair facility today and for the future. When a customer leaves with a smile and is confident in the quality of the repairs done on their vehicle, they are sure to express this gratitude to their family and friends.
“Word-of-mouth recommendations are great for keeping our business strong. And we are grateful for it too!” says Cormier.
From Beresford to Tracadie-Sheila, a current CSN Member has decided to open a third location. Owners of Toner Pontiac Buick ~ CSN of Grand Falls and G&M Chev Olds ~ CSN of Edmunston, New Brunswick has opened the doors of its third collision repair
facility - Toner GMC Collision ~ CSN.
In January of this year, these dealership owners purchased the Tracadie-Sheila location and were eager to provide the region’s customers with the same great service and quality collision repairs offered by their primary location.
“Bringing a vehicle back to its original pre-accident state is one aspect of this business that never gets old," says Scott Toner, owner of Toner GMC Collision ~ CSN. Being involved in an accident is an emotional situation. When a customer is elated from receiving their vehicle that has been properly repaired and is safe to drive again, it makes the many challenges within the collision repair industry worthwhile. “The ability to make customers this happy is reason enough to open multiple locations and continue to invest in this industry,” says Toner.
CSN Collision & Glass is proud to announce Ultra Auto Repair ~ CSN and Toner GMC Collision ~ CSN as part of the network of collision repair facilities. For more information on CSN Collision & Glass, please visit csninc.ca.
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Last Updated on Monday, 14 May 2012 15:37 |
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Collision Repair
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Monday, 14 May 2012 13:12 |
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By Mike Davey
Milton, Ontario -- May 14, 2012 -- The enthusiasm of youth was on display recently at Maaco Systems Canada in Milton, Ontario. Maaco hosted 15 pre-apprentices at its headquarters so they could learn more about the collision repair industry.
The event was organized by AYCE Employment Services, a division of Tropicana Community Services. Marc Tremblay is the co-ordinator of the Autobody and Collision Damage Repairer Pre-apprenticeship Program for AYCE.
“The students here have already been through the filter of a registration fair we ran and interviews we did with them to make sure they’re serious about a career in the collision repair industry,” said Tremblay.
The registration fair is the first hurdle. Prospective apprentices heard from representatives of the MTCU on autobody apprenticeships, listened topresentations from representatives of Maaco and Carstar and received information from previous graduates of the program, giving them an in-depth view of what life is really like in the collision repair industry. The afternoon portion of the registration fair was dedicated to interviews with different people from the industry to test if the prospective apprentices would be a good fit in the collision repair industry. AYCE would like to thank the City of Toronto for helping to promote the registration fair.
Part of the purpose of the pre-apprenticeship program is to give the students more information about the processess and terminology used in the collision repair industry, giving them a head start when they start their apprenticeship.Brimell Group donated the space for training during the six week pre-employment and academic portion.
“The first six weeks of the program are devoted to pre-employment training, the idea being to completely expose them to the industry,” said Tremblay. “After this part of the program is done, students will attend 12 weeks at Centennial College. After the students graduate, the next step is a career fair. A number of collision repair facilities will be there to sign them as full apprentices if they turn out to be a good fit.”
Tremblay gives a lot of credit to industry partners for helping to make the program a success, noting that the partnership built between Maaco and AYCE helped lead to a successful event.
“We owe a debt of thanks to everyone at Maaco, but Wayne James in particular put in a lot of hard work. The dedication he showed in working with our pre-apprenticeship students was amazing. The students are on an emotional high right now from their day at Maaco,” says Tremblay. “They’re recharged and ready to go. It’s a huge help to these kids that all of these companies are willing to donate time and energy to this.”
Students received practical, hands-on information on breathing masks and safety from 3M’s Paul Birchall. Bruce Redwood and Jim Owens of Sherwin-Williams presented on the last 100 years of automotive paint, both OE and in the refinish setting. Their presentation gave dramatic proof that although the industry has always changed and advance, the pace of advancement is definitely accelerating.
A quick break for lunch followed the classroom portion of the day. The lunch was cooked by Gary Dohring, President of Maaco Systems Canada. It was a rare opportunity for pre-apprenticeship students to meet and ask questions regarding his background and growth within the industry. It provided them with further insight and understanding of the opportunities the collision repair industry has to offer.
After lunch, the students suited up and got to try their hand at the practical side of painting panels. Each student received a certificate of achievement at the end of the day.
AYCE and Maaco Systems Canada would like to thank 3M, Canadian Autobody Sales & Marketing, Sherwin-Williams and Caruk & Associates for their help with the event.
For more information on the pre-apprenticeship program, please visit ayce.on.ca.
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Last Updated on Monday, 14 May 2012 23:04 |
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Collision Repair
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Friday, 11 May 2012 07:30 |
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By Darryl Simmons
Waterloo, ON -- May 11, 2012 -- They hammered, sanded and painted their way to gold. Centennial College students Steven Le Magueresse and Dan Schlorff were ranked first respectively in the Collision Repair and Auto Painting categories at the recently-held Ontario technological skills competition in Waterloo. In the high school group, Carl Wegscheider from Halton DSB took gold in Collision Repair and Jordan Bain from Limestone DSB was the top scorer in Auto Painting.
The 2012 Ontario Technological Skills Competition hosted approximately 1,900 students from across the province in more than 60 contests. Gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded to the top three competitors in each competition.
Here's the complete list:
Auto Collision Repair 2012 - Post-secondary 1 Steven Le Magueresse Centennial College of Applied Arts and Technology
Auto Collision Repair 2012 - Post-secondary 2 Adrian Tantalo Centennial College of Applied Arts and Technology
Auto Collision Repair 2012 - Secondary 1 Carl Wegscheider Halton DSB
Auto Collision Repair 2012 - Secondary 2 Tony Teng Toronto DSB - South West
Auto Collision Repair 2012 - Secondary 3 Kyle Rose Ernest C. Drury School for the Deaf
Auto Collision Repair 2012 - Secondary 4 Quinten Tanner Simcoe County DSB
Auto Collision Repair 2012 - Secondary 5 Aomid Nawabi Toronto DSB - South East
Auto Collision Repair 2012 - Secondary 6 Tyra Nelson-macrostie Upper Canada DSB
Auto Collision Repair 2012 - Secondary 7 Kris Sutcliffe Limestone DSB
Auto Painting 2012 - Post-secondary 1 Dan Schlorff Centennial College of Applied Arts and Technology
Auto Painting 2012 - Post-secondary 2 Jeremy Randell Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology
Auto Painting 2012 - Post-secondary 3 Matias Ha Centennial College of Applied Arts and Technology
Auto Painting 2012 - Secondary 1 Jordan Bain Limestone DSB
Auto Painting 2012 - Secondary 2 David Dyson Tam Toronto DSB - South West
Auto Painting 2012 - Secondary 3 Philemon Joseph Toronto DSB - South East
Auto Painting 2012 - Secondary 4 Austin Beal Halton DSB ByB
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Last Updated on Friday, 11 May 2012 07:51 |
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Collision Repair
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Thursday, 10 May 2012 15:26 |
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Toronto, Ontario -- May 10, 2012 -- As businesses, communities and people across Canada showed their support for April’s Earth Month, CSN Collision & Glass facilities joined together to achieve one common goal – to plant 10,000 trees.
CSN Collision & Glass is proud of the network’s achievement in surpassing the inaugural
goal of planting 10,000 trees to celebrate the month dedicated to improving our
environment. Canada is world renowned for its natural resources, including our forestry
industry. According to CSN, it was a perfect fit for each member to demonstrate their support within their local communities to a cause that affects us all – the health and stability of our
environment and one of our strongest national industries.
Elliott's Collision ~ CSN in Newmarket, Ontario was one of the many CSN facilities across Canada who planted trees for Earth Month. From left: Doug Nadeau, Andrea Kariotis, Matty Stade, Mat Elliott, Nicole Banting, Catherine McCullough and Mike Elliott.
On behalf of all CSN Members across Canada, CSN Collision & Glass wants to express
their sincere gratitude to each customer as well as those within the industry who helped
make this achievement possible. The environment is a little greener, one tree at a time.
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Collision Repair
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Thursday, 10 May 2012 08:45 |
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Toronto, Ontario -- May 10, 2012 -- 427 Auto Collision ~ CSN has been officially recognized as a Toyota Certified Collision Centre (TCCC) for Mississauga Toyota.
As such they will receive TCCC posters and certification plaques. In addition to the above recognition, 427 Auto Collision ~ CSN will be listed on the Toyota website as a certified TCCC.
427 Auto Collision ~ CSN has also recently become Volvo certified. Currently, the facility is officially certified to work on Audi Aluminum, Toyota, Lexus, Scion, Volvo and Nissan GTR.
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Last Updated on Monday, 14 May 2012 13:27 |
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Collision Repair
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Thursday, 10 May 2012 08:31 |
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By Raisha Karnani
Coquitlam, British Columbia -- May 14, 2012 -- Quality Assured Collision Service Group is proud to announce that two of its members have been named as five-time winners of the Autochex Customer Service award presented recently at the ICBC offices in Coquitlam, B.C.
John Neil from Little Valley’s Quality Assured Collision and John and Tony Beard from Meadow Ridge Quality Assured Collision received the award again for their dedication to outstanding customer service.
“Our main objectives and goals are to treat the people the way we would like to be treated when we go in to get our cars fixed,” Neil explains. “We wouldn’t want to have to bring our cars in five times because a few things have been overlooked. We want to repair it only one time, at the highest quality we can.”
Beard seems to have a similar process. “Our greatest incentive is repeat business, so we want to rectify problems before a customer sees them. We just keep doing what we have to do to keep them coming back, and nothing for us is too much trouble. We’re always happy to help, and that is the kind of mentality that we need.”
Neil describes how his company operates to create the best kind of customer service. “We do our best to make sure that the car is spotlessly clean and finished on time. We have a checklist to make sure things are always in order and we keep our customers informed about any problems that need taking care of. This is a family business, ever since I founded it thirty-two years ago, and I try to instill the same values in my children, who work with me, and my employees.”
“We just double and triple-check everything we’re doing, respond to every concern and we never refuse a customer,” Beard says simply. “Everyone at my shop is always glad to go that extra mile to help our customers.” John Beard, Tony’s son, agrees, and adds, “Good communication is necessary between us and the customers in order to keep the customer service going strong.”
Mike Srigley, President of QAC, comments that both companies have been in business for many years and both were very deserving of the awards they achieved.
“Little Valley is in a unique position, geographically speaking. John Neil is very reliable and does whatever it takes to please his customers. His branch’s results are always at a very high quality.” Regarding Meadowridge, Srigley adds, “They have a high volume output, their products are always very clean and high quality and, like Little Valley, they always go the extra step.”
In terms of advice to other shops, Neil explains that he, personally, tries to “Instill the same qualities I value into my children, who work with me, and into my employees. And these values are that when we fix a car, we need to do it once and do it right in that first attempt. We’re not perfect, we do make mistakes, but about 98 percent of the time, we don’t. We follow up on any problems that our customers have, and rectify any problems that we might have made immediately. Customers appreciate it when you go the extra mile for them, as it makes it effortless, painless and an overall pleasant experience all around.”
Beard feels the same way, and while he thinks that maybe holding seminars could be an idea to help other shops improve their customer service, “Being good with customers and always being happy to help, it’s just something that’s innate. You can be trained to a certain degree, of course, but there has to be something there to train. You have to believe that there is nothing that is too much trouble for you to serve your customer.”
We congratulate QACS, Little Valley and Meadowridge Quality Assured Collision on their achievements and wish them all the best for their continued success.
From L to R: Alexis Doran-V.P. Claims Customer Service; John Neil, Little Valley’s Quality Assured Collision; Darcy Gorchynski-Director MD Services; Kelly Sedemund-Director Client Programs, Autochex; Shelly Russell-V.P. Claims Programs & Planning.
L to R: Alexis Doran; John & Tony Beard, Meadow Ridge Quality Assured Collision; Darcy Gorchynski; Kelly Sedemund; and Shelly Russell.
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Last Updated on Monday, 14 May 2012 13:26 |
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