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The Next Level

Written by Mike Davey

Wednesday, 02 May 2007

It’s what Sharon Wells has always kept her eyes on.

There are as many roads into the collision repair business as there are people to take them. For some, entering the repair industry may be a logical progression of a life-long passion for cars. For others, it might be a desire to own a “recession proof” business. For still others, it could be because someone recognized a great natural talent and took the time to nurture it.

For Sharon Wells, her entry into the collision repair industry came in 1988 when she took a part-time position at The Collision Clinic in St. John’s, NF. At that time her duties were restricted to the accounting and financial spheres, which matched up well with her background.

It wasn’t too long, however, before Sharon moved on to bigger things. During her time as the facility’s accountant, Sharon’s talents came to the attention of Glenn Hickey, Owner of The Collision Clinic and Auto Parts Network. When the facility’s General Manager left in 1995, Glenn approached Sharon about taking over his position. What qualities did she have that led Glenn to make this offer?

“Sharon is relentless. She always follows things through until they are done and done right,” says Glenn. “The other thing is that she is always looking to find out what’s new. She does a lot of research and is always asking ‘How can I take this to the next level?’”

Glenn also points out that Sharon is an extremely capable multi-tasker. In his words, you can throw a lot of stuff at her and know that she won’t drop any of it. Of course, as a female manager in a male dominated industry, one of the things Sharon gets thrown at her pretty frequently are customers who haven’t noticed that this is the 21^st century.

“Obviously back in the mid-90s it was pretty uncommon to find a woman managing a collision repair facility,” says Sharon. “In those early years it was sometimes tough to convince people that I was capable of doing the job. In fact, I initially had to convince myself; however once I got a taste for the business, I never looked back.”

Sharon is quick to point out that it wasn’t the staff that was hard to convince. Customers, on the other hand, are an entirely different story. Sharon believes that the key to changing their attitudes can be summed up in one word: persistence. It leads to a reorientation in viewpoint that focuses on getting the job done and leaves very little room for caring what a person’s gender is.
“It just takes time,” says Sharon. “Time and never, ever, giving in. Sometimes a customer would ask to see the manager, and when I told them I was the manager they would just come right out and say ‘I want to speak to a man.’ I wouldn’t pass the customer on to anyone. I always managed to convince them that I could take care of their concerns.”

Coming from a non-technical background gave Sharon her full share of challenges, something many facility owners and managers who came into the industry from the business end can sympathize with. As it turns out though, Sharon is the sort of person who looks at any challenge as an opportunity.
“Fairly early on I realized that I had to have some basic knowledge,” says Sharon. “In 1998 I went to SAIT, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and successfully completed a damage appraisal Level 2 course. I continued to search out every course on collision repair in Canada and the US and attended them all.”

Sharon’s education in the collision repair industry didn’t end there, at least not according to Arie Vanderijt. Arie is an Account Manager for Akzo Nobel. He has known Sharon since she first started at The Collision Clinic.

“Sharon understands every aspect of the repair business,” says Arie. “She might not necessarily know exactly how to replace a body panel or paint a car, but she does know the process. I would say she’s one of the smartest managers I know. She does everything she can to advance her education.”

Arie points to positive proof that Sharon is doing something right: In a generally declining year for the industry, The Collision Clinic has been breaking sales records.

Sharon’s passion for education and collision repair led to her becoming a member of Akzo Nobel’s Acoat Selected program. This is not the only Akzo Nobel program that Sharon’s involved with.

“Sharon has basically organized our Benevolence program in St. John’s for the last three years,” says Arie, referring to the Akzo Nobel-led industry initiative where a refurbished and reconditioned vehicle is provided to a family in need. “It’s something the whole town gets involved in. It really shows her commitment to the industry and the community.”

There’s no arguing with the fact that Sharon is committed to her industry. After all, in 2004 Sharon joined a very select group when she was honoured as one of Akzo Nobel’s Most Influential Women in the Industry.

“It’s nice to have that distinction,” says Sharon. “But I’ve never really looked at anything gender-wise. This is just what I do. But it is nice to have my work recognized.”

Sharon’s commitment to her community and industry comes through in other ways too. Past President of The Chamber of Commerce, a Director on the board for the Business Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, Sharon is also the Vice President and Treasurer of the Newfoundland and Labrador Repair Association. She is also a member of the Canadian Collision Industry Forum Parts and Materials Committee as well as a member of the Chairman’s Council.

Sharon has also been involved with I-CAR over her years as a committee chair and has also won the Newfoundland Volunteer of the Year Award in 1997. Being involved with these organizations gives Sharon the opportunity to indulge in one of her passions: sending out the message that collision repair is a viable trade, and one that you should be proud of.

“We need more people coming into the industry. That can only happen if we work with the schools and help educate parents,” says Sharon. “For many years we weren’t even able to get into the career days of the junior high schools. The public’s attitude is starting to change but there is still a long way to go. In March of this year, Skills Canada Newfoundland and Labrador hosted their 6^th Annual Provincial Skilled Career Day. I was able to help obtain student information from the CARS Council for distribution to over 1000 participants.”

There might still be a long way to go in changing the public’s perception of our industry, but one thing is certain. Sharon Wells will be one of the people on the front lines, showing her commitment to her industry and taking a stand on the issues that affect us all.

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