Behind the booming success of CARSTAR Don-Mor’s ‘repair village’
Story by ALLISON ROGERS
The builders of the earth’s first settlements were likely unaware they were crafting a village—something that would become an integral piece of groundwork for the social structures shaping human civilization.
Similarly, when Don Morton opened the doors to Don-Mor 45 years ago, he never envisioned that a single building would grow into a sprawling “repair village” set on 5.2 acres of land. Little did he know that his business would become a thriving hub for the auto repair needs of London and surrounding areas. Despite all of this, Don understood the importance of adapting to the evolving demands of the automotive repair industry. As a CARSTAR Canada partner for nearly all of the company’s 30-year history, Don has elevated his business to not only offer a diverse range of services, but to embrace the latest and greatest of the industry—all while providing advanced training to his staff; adding services to the business; uplifting the local community with charitable support and so much more.
This partnership has allowed Don-Mor CARSTAR to thrive, turning a single facility into a complex where efficiency reigns—staff even use golf carts to navigate the campus, ensuring that precious minutes are saved on every repair order.
Plenty has changed since the facility’s Collision Repair magazine cover feature in 2017, from diversified services to varied community outreach efforts, training, taking on electric vehicles and more. As an I-CAR Gold Class facility, the company has made it paramount to show its commitment to quality, OEM-certified repairs and diversified services.
It’s been nose-to-the-grindstone for the Don-Mor CARSTAR team, who recently had their efforts recognized on a major scale as CARSTAR Canada’s 2024 Franchisee of the Year.
“It’s hard to put into words,” explained Don in the weeks following the win. “It’s an honour to be recognized at such a critical time at CARSTAR Canada, especially being part of Restore the Star. It’s truly an exciting time for everyone in the CARSTAR family.
“CARSTAR Canada has a legacy of being the original industry disruptor,” explained Jeff Brown, general manager of Don-Mor CARSTAR. “CARSTAR is consistently innovating and constantly pushing the standard a little higher. The network embodies the same values we’ve engrained into our business.”
DIVERSIFICATION—THE NAME OF THE GAME
After nearly 30 years with CARSTAR Canada and almost 50 years in the industry, Don has seen lots of change. When he looks at the current collision repair market, one major sentiment sums up his feelings: “Thank goodness we diversified.”
“We’ve added many innovations in recent years—our electric vehicle operations, OEM certifications with Tesla and VinFast, our new buildings, new fixture benches, electronic measuring and other state-of-the-art tools. “You can see the hard work our team has put in, it is impressive,” said Don.
“Some business owners tend to stay stagnant,” said Jeff. “In the 45 years he’s owned his business, Don has never once let that happen.” “Diversification has allowed us to skirt issues facing much of the industry,” added Jeff, referring specifically to profitability, skilled staff, repair cost and complexity. “We’re seeing more consolidation due to these widespread issues,” Don commented. “Network support can offer a way to be more efficient and profitable—that is supported by scale.”
Yet another innovation at Don-Mor CARSTAR—the decision to open an ADAS-specific company, Precision ADAS, as well as a mechanical division on-campus. “The goal of diversifying is to keep all work in-house. We believe it produces better KPIs—cycle time, specifically—to increase overall profitability and quality.”
“Plenty of collision repair centres today see clumps of volume versus nice, smooth, consistent production. We knew we needed to learn and adapt to achieve a more stable formula,” said Jeff.
One of the ambitious strategies involved cross-training staff to work across departments based on demand. This approach has proven to be transformative.
“We reallocate resources constantly,” Jeff explained. “We needed our team to be versatile to achieve consistency. This adaptability has been key to achieving a steady production flow.
“When you have 80 to 100 employees at any given time and booking weeks out…that’s a very disturbing way to run a business,” said Don. “You need to have an even flow.” Don-Mor may have more employees than your average shop, but it never lacks personalization. The incredibly diverse team is tight-knit and has plenty of committed employees. Dave Sutherland, production manager, just celebrated 40 years with the company. Diane Sutherland started as a frontline customer service representative and now leads day-to-day operations for the entire company.
“Diane has worked every role and sat at every desk in the company,” said Jeff. “Literally. And Dave is a shining example of Don-Mor Automotive Group’s core principles and values.”
NEW HORIZONS
Don-Mor has also brought on Director of Finance and Central Services, John Cabral, a CPA who touts extensive expertise in mergers and acquisitions. John has spent the last year and a half preparing each department for impending expansion.
The company is excited to announce its latest expansion: Don-Mor CARSTAR South, a brand-new location in a market they are exceedingly familiar with.
“We recognized there was an area of town that was lacking good collision repair service,” said Don. “We’re always excited for growth—it’s a core theme of this business— and we think this is the first of lots to come in our future.”
“Re-entering that market, that area of London, is hugely important to us,” said Jeff. The company had a location in the same area but had to close to due lease expiration last year.
The new location will open around the corner from a freshly-built Tesla Service Centre opening in 2025—likely the only planned to serve the entire southwestern Ontario market, claims Don. Don-Mor CARSTAR South will also launch with an exciting AI estimating partner to increase efficiencies and turnaround time, he added.
This new location will include the same commitment to quality and service as its flagship store, so there’s only one question for the Don-Mor team: can they get the golf carts on the roads to drive there?! “Don’t worry—we’ve got a permit.”
