BY MAX REID
To try and find any comparison to the dynamic duo that is Sarah Budd and Tim Schuster would most certainly do a disservice to the unique and unequaled partnership that exists between these two collision industry veterans.
From their own distinct walks of life, Sarah and Tim have come together at CARSTAR Kitchener in a joint effort that is changing minds on how the world sees our industry. Their secret; always take that one extra step to leave an impression on a customer.
“We strive to be a little different than everyone else. Customers are typically treated like a number, but not here at Kieswetter. You’re a person and we’re going treat you like one. We’re always going to do something extra for you. We’re focused on giving people their money’s worth, doing a little extra and promoting our name,” said Tim Schuster, manager of CARSTAR Kitchener King Street, which also provides collision services for the Kieswetter Mazda dealership.
With managing partner Sarah Budd, of the successful southern Ontario-based Budds’ Group, the pair are combining decades of industry expertise and business pedigree into what has turned out to be one of the country’s most highly reviewed collision centres.
“We’ve been lucky enough to win a lot of awards through CARSTAR. Of all the CARSTARs across Canada, a couple of years ago we were voted number one for customer service. We’re pretty proud of that, it was pretty important to us. It’s important to the [staff],” said Tim.
Drivers in the Kitchener area have come to rely on Tim, a trusted face in the community who has been with the shop for 33 of its 35 years, and the recent addition of Sarah and her background in shop management only spelled good things for CARSTAR Kitchener King Street.
“Tim and I got to know each other pretty recently. My family has been in the collision business for a very long time. We opened our first shop, Budds’ Collision, down in Oakville in 1983, which I am not ashamed to say is before I was born,” Sarah joked. “kind of grown up around the business my whole life.”
“We were searching for the right opportunity when the Kieswetter dealership came up for sale. Rob and Mal Kieswetter, who owned it previously, did a great job building up the name and the reputation here in the Kitchener community for 35 years. We were excited to take over a business managed by someone who has been here since nearly the beginning. It was an easy transition for us to make because there was nothing to fix; it runs pretty smooth.”
From Rob and Mal, Tim and Sarah carry on a tradition of exceptional customer service and a genuine family atmosphere around the shop.
“A big part of what drew us to this opportunity is the fact we’ve always been a family business. My grandfather started the business originally; my dad and his brother are running it now; and then myself and my cousin are now becoming involved as well,” said Sarah
“This store—being run by two brothers and their dad before them—has that same atmosphere. CARSTAR Kitchener King Street has many long-term employees, a ton of client loyalty; the stars aligned to create a really great opportunity for Budds’ Group to continue that work. At CARSTAR Kitchener King Street, they treat their customers like family and we always have as well, so it just really fit with our culture.”
Tim and Sarah continue to foster this same ideology into their business with intention and the results are clear following interactions with any one of their happy customers.
“Tim says the shop is also fortunate to have a good relationship with CARSTAR’s south west Ontario manager, Marty Smith, who Tim described as ‘so helpful and approachable. We are lucky to have a guy with his experience and there to help at a moments notice. He’s a well respected guy with all the insurance companies.’” “Rob and Mal started that trend,” said Sarah.
“They always treated people with the utmost care, and their customers took note of that. A lot of car dealers and collision shops get a bad reputation alongside whatever ill-educated stereotypes people hold about our industry. It really matters when you see how people treat their customers and the honesty with which they transact, and people want to work in a place like that.
Tim’s not the only one who boasts a long career with the east-Kitchener based facility; the 4,900 sq.-ft bodyshop is backed by a number of long-time employees.
“Tom, one of our painters, has been here for 15 years. Bobby, he’s our parts manager for the Mazda store, but he also does all the parts for the collision centre and he’s been here for 18 years,” said Sarah.
Sometimes the team becomes so much like its own family, you can forget that some of them actually are.
“The Kieswetters have three boys and they all work here,” said Tim.
“The former owner’s children serve as the assistant service manager and a sales manager. Then the youngest one, Jake, is an estimator at the CARSTAR,” said Sarah. “They all stayed on, which we are grateful for and they are great members of our team. It’s all about family— theirs and ours and our customers.”
All things considered, the Budds are a relatively new addition to the family, having come on board with CARSTAR Kitchener King Street and Kieswetter only five months ago, but the two recognized a winning combination when they saw it.
“Speaking for all the staff, we are really excited to have the Budds’ Group; they’ve got a wealth of knowledge, a ton of dealerships and if they don’t know it, nobody knows it. So we’re pretty excited to have them on our side,” said Tim. “It’s an exciting time for us—a step forward. We’ve got some clout behind us and some great knowledge. We’re looking forward to it, all the staff are.”
Likewise, Sarah says she is excited to be backed by a team that has helped her take a new step in her career.
“I’m very excited that this is my first role directly managing a bodyshop,” said Sarah. “I’ve obviously been around the business forever and I’ve managed other car dealerships before, but this is the first time that I really get to dive in and manage the bodyshop as well. Tim has been great, getting me acquainted with the insurance people and all the various contacts. It’s a shame we can’t meet any of them in person yet, but I’ve done a lot of this type of thing [gestures towards her Zoom window]. So we’re looking forward to getting back to a little more normal and a little more throughput.” In the meantime, Tim and Sarah will carry on dishing out top-notch customer service and quality repairs like they always do.
Tim Schuster, the CARSTAR Kitchener King Street
Collision Center manager at Kieswetter Mazda.
Sarah Budd, general manager
of Kieswetter Mazda.
