CONSOLIDATED COLLISION SERVICES HAS PIONEERED A CO-OPERATIVE APPROACH TO COLLISION REPAIR
Story by ALLISON ROGERS
Sandy Liguori is an artist—in business; in painting; in sculpture. Tom Langton is dedicated to perfecting his craft, even when the audience around him would likely tell him his expertise is already beyond the average entrepreneur. Mike Beier is focused, loyal and committed to his vision. Charles Aubry is an operational expert and excels when it comes to communicating the messages the industry needs.
Even better—all of the men mentioned above share very similar traits. Perhaps that’s why they make such an incredible team to lead Consolidated Dealers Co-Operative and Consolidated Collision Services (CCS); the latter of which is a dealership-affiliated collision network established in 2013 and well on its way to the history books.
But there are plenty more reasons why you should pay attention to this brand as they expand their footprint across Canada, and beyond.
Sandy, the president of CCS and Woodchester Auto Group, has collision repair roots dating back to his early teenage years. At that time, he had a part-time job in the industry and found himself enamoured by the paint department at the dealership he worked at.
“I used to go to the dealership bodyshop in the afternoons. I did the paint for some motorcycles and, once I gained those skills and had that introduction, it grew into a full-time job for me,” said Sandy. “With this artistic outlet and my love of cars, I continued to grow in the business.”
Little did Sandy know this was the beginning of an incredible journey.
Sandy has served as a director on several boards, including the Trillium Automobile Dealers Association (TADA)—known today as the Motor Vehicle Retailers of Ontario (MVRO). After a few years of delivering his perspectives to the board, he became President. Shortly after, he got to know Tom Langton, the CEO of Consolidated Dealership Co-operative.
“I had an idea for a customer retention program designed specifically for dealerships, I engaged with Tom and told him that I truly believe the idea of a dealer-affiliated collision centre co-operative would work in our market right now.’ That’s basically how CCS started.” Tom and Sandy brought in Mike Beier, who most will know as the general manager of CCS. The trio then embarked on spreading their mission to bodyshops across Canada.
“I would attribute our early success to the passion and enthusiasm we had for our business plan,” said Sandy. “One of our main goals was to introduce dealers to a system that would connect them to the collision market.” Tom says they took a “personable approach” to their pitches.
“We knew we needed to do everything possible to make this a successful venture for the long-term, and in the interest of our dealers,” said Tom. “I also made the decision to pursue my Masters of Business Administration at the same time.”
Tom was already a CEO of Consolidated Dealers Co-Operative at this time. He attended Western University’s Ivey School of Business to obtain his MBA.
“I wanted to have every tool in my toolbox,” explained Tom. “I was also fortunate to have my classmates and professors. I often picked their brains on some of the projects we had in the works and that advice helped build the foundation of the CCS network.”
Tom, Sandy and Mike embarked on their mission, determined to demonstrate their values to key dealership players. Their first successes were in Ontario.
“After Ontario, we moved out to Western Canada, which set off about eight years of consistent growth for us,” said Mike.
“I’m leaving CCS at the best possible time. I feel we now have a team that can take CCS even further than I ever could. I am happy to put my energy into supporting them.”
— Mike Beier, incoming CEO, Consolidated Dealers Co-Operative
Today, CCS has 95 locations spanning eight provinces with a dedicated team across Canada.
A proud accolade for CCS is the longevity and dedication of its staff. When he concludes his tenure in January 2025, Tom will have been with Consolidated for four decades. Mike has served his skills with CCS since its beginnings in 2012 and will soon embark on a new role within the Consolidated ecosystem. Other key players, like Craig Kirby, CCS network improvement manager; Chris Chinn, CCS network operations manager; Curt Bennett, senior data analyst, have done lots of heavy lifting to contribute to the organization’s success. That only grazes the surface.
The CCS team makes it clear that a dedication to the company mission—ultimately rooted in customer retention via all-around, quality service and listening to client concerns— must be present in every player. CCS has built an incredibly dedicated team largely due to these non-negotiable core values. “In 2023 we added Charles Aubry as our business development specialist in Quebec, and Jason Arnott as our specialist in the West. We have Marc Lambert in Eastern Canada to back up that region,” said Mike.
Charles, who previously served as a key account manager alongside a major aftermarket IT provider, is an operations expert more than willing to extend his profitability- oriented expertise to the CCS network.
In October 2024, Charles took over the reins as General Manager of CCS as Mike Beier moved on to become CEO of Consolidated Dealer Co-Operative on January 1, 2025. “I joined CCS because I truly felt like the company aligned with my own visions,” Charles told Collision Repair. “I had met with Tom and Mike before joining and they explained that CCS operates on a co-op model. I’ve met with hundreds of collision centres over my career and I believe this type of network and business model is what the shops are looking for.”
As Mike departs his CCS role to take the CEO position at Consolidated Dealers Co-Operative, he knows he couldn’t have picked a better person to continue the CCS legacy.
“I’m leaving CCS at the best possible time,” said Mike. “It’s bittersweet, of course, but I feel we now have a team that can take CCS even further than I ever could. I am happy to put my energy into supporting them.
“At the same time, as I take on this new role, it’s important to acknowledge all of the support Tom and Sandy have given me. They’ve been mentors for me for a long time and stepping into Tom’s shoes is an incredible honour.”
As CCS embarks on a new era, the team is ready to accelerate its growth mission and continue to provide exceptional content to its network members. The organization operates frequently ‘CCS University’ sessions featuring some of the biggest names in the North American industry, delivering key trends and insight to help its members succeed. Further, CCS hosts annual conferences for each of its regions; all of which feature the same top-of-mind programming; the topics at the forefront of the modern facility operators’ focus.
“Our conferences have come a long way. We have network members from all over the country attend each and every one,” explained Mike. CCS hosted three ‘On Target’ themed conferences in autumn 2024; a session in Montreal, Quebec; in Calgary, Alberta, and in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The latter event was held in conjunction with the Automotive Convention and Expo (ACE) and featured former Prime Minister Stephen Harper as a keynote speaker. Other recent speakers at CCS events include Steve Trapp of LEAP consulting; artificial intelligence master Ryan Taylor, CEO of BodyShop Booster; and plenty of others.
“We don’t shy away from the topics the people want to hear about,” said Charles. “We speak very candidly about our values in front of all of our partners. Everyone in the industry needs to understand there’s a reason [bodyshops] need to make money and be profitable.” The CCS vision has never strayed from its core values—though the team recognized a few years ago that the original ‘dealership only’ and co-op vision could also extend to exemplary collision players who may not be directly attached to a dealership but possess strong relations with dealers and OEM-certified repairs.
“We’ve adapted to the market and the needs of our customers,” explained Mike. “There’s clearly room for our vision to be adapted to a multitude of different collision centre models. Ultimately, integrating independent [collision centres] across Canada benefits the average dealer. It increases the strength of our offerings and what we can do for our network.”
“No one is going to take care of their customers like we do,” concluded Charles. “The future is very, very bright for CCS.” If you are interested in leveraging CCS’s extensive resources dedicated to customer retention, operational excellence and collision centre success, contact Charles Aubry at caubry@ccsdealers.com.
