It’s a good thing too that the facility has moved with the times, as the height of technology when the shop first opened its doors was the traditional tree and a length of stout chain.

Founded by Mark’s grandfather in 1937, the collision repair shop was originally located in Carmen, about two hours away from its present location. With a family history in the collision repair industry that stretches back seven decades, Mark can truly claim to have grown up in the business.

Family Tradition
“I started working with my dad when I was just a kid,” recalls Mark. “Really it’s the only job I’ve ever had, and I’ve enjoyed it.”

Today Mark’s eldest son Josh continues with what has become a family tradition of collision repair.

“Josh always had a strong interest in the business,” says Mark. “He’s great at dealing with customers.”

In a community like Steinbach, customer relations are even more important than in a big city. Far and away the biggest town in the southwestern region of the province, Steinbach has been booming for the last ten years and is one of the fast growing cities in Canada. With that said, Steinbach’s population is still hovering around the 12,000 mark. In other words, most customers at Loewen’s are familiar faces.

“In a community this size, you know most of your customers even if they’ve never been in your shop before,” says Mark. “Most are either repeats, or come in on a recommendation from another customer. But we are seeing more and more people coming into the shop that we’ve never seen before.”

High Profile
As both a local business owner and Steinbach’s fire chief, Mark’s profile in the community is a little higher than most. This means that even if he doesn’t recognize a customer they’re almost certain to recognize him.

“There’s always a connection. If I don’t recognize someone, then it turns out that I know their dad or cousin,” says Mark.

Like any progressive shop right now, Mark and his staff are working towards a waterborne conversion for their paint department. Loewen’s has been a BASF customer since the 1950s, and a conversion to that company’s Glasurit 90 Line should be in place by the end of this calendar year.

“There’s going to be a mad rush for conversions as we get closer to the deadline. It just makes sense to me to get it done sooner rather than later,” says Mark. “Currently we’re lining up training for our painters. There’s a possibility that a course may be run out of Winnipeg, but we might have to go all the way to Toronto for our training.”

Unique
Lack of easy access to training is just one of the unique challenges facing those shop owners located in rural areas. How can you keep up with advancing technology when even a one day course means having to travel?

“You have to stay on top of it,” says Mark. “If you don’t keep up you will end up going out of business. It doesn’t matter if you’re in a big city or a small town. The important thing is to look at the big picture and develop perspective.”

One thing that helps Mark to get a sense of that “big picture” is his work with Manitoba’s provincial association, the Automotive Trades Association (ATA) of Manitoba. He currently sits on the board of that organization as the Rural Vice President.

“Basically I’m there to voice the concerns of rural shops as opposed to city shops,” says Mark. Given how much of Canada’s population is in rural areas, it’s a bit surprising that more associations don’t have a position like this.

Go- ToGuy
Jean McKenzie is the Executive Assistant for ATA Manitoba. She says that Mark is the “go-to-guy” for shop owners living in rural areas.

“Mark is not a novice in the ATA, he was even President for a time,” says Jean. “He is a very effective Rural VP. He’s not afraid to stand up for what he believes in. Our association works as a team, but during my tenure here I can say that Mark has been instrumental in implementing some of our initiatives.”

Although shops in rural areas do face challenges that shops in big cities don’t, there are some difficulties shared by both. For example, finding qualified staff for many collision repair facilities operating outside of major metropolitan areas is a major hurdle.

This is one obstacle that Mark Loewen hasn’t had to face yet.

“We’ve got really good core staff,” says Mark. “We have one technician who has been with us for three years, but the next newest has been with us for 15. One of our painters has been with the shop for 40 years. We’ve been very fortunate in that regard.”

Future Challenge
Although Loewen’s doesn’t seem to have any trouble keeping staff, Mark believes that it is a challenge he is going to have to deal with, and soon.

“The staffing situation hasn’t affected us much yet, but it will,” says Mark. “I believe that the problem lies with our educational system and with parents who want to see their sons and daughters grow up to be doctors or lawyers. Every trade is suffering in this way.”

Some of the repair trades are suffering because of an attitude prevalent in the manufacturing sector: products aren’t made to wear, they are made to wear out. This is not an issue that Mark sees as affecting the collision repair industry.

“Many things are not made to be repaired anymore, but I think some things always will be,” says Mark. “The important thing is to stay on top of advancements in technology and techniques. A good skill set will always lead to a good living.”

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3.23 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."