Victoria, British Columbia — CARSTAR Canada’s Velocity National Conference closed out today with a Vendor Trade Show in the afternoon, followed by an evening 90s-themed formal where CARSTAR stores received well-earned honours from the past year of operations.
The event started bright and early with an industry breakfast before keynote speaker Dr. Kimberley Amirault Ryan took the stage. As a consultant with the NHL, NBA and Canadian Olympic teams, Dr. Amirault Ryan delivered some key insights on keeping stress at bay and being an “energy bringer”–as opposed to an energy taker–on your respective team.
A ‘Bermuda Triangle’ panel featuring insurer perspective from Paul Hicks of TD Insurance; OEM insights from Brian Chiu of Nissan; shop opinions from Rob Kemper of CARSTAR Centennial Group and industry expert advice from Darryl Simmons, publisher of Collision Repair magazine. Michael Macaluso, EVP of paint, collision and glass for Driven Brands, moderated the session.
“In my experience in the collision repair industry, I have never seen an OEM, an insurer and a shopowner get on stage to have an unscripted conversation. I commend you three and CARSTAR Canada for taking part in this groundbreaking moment,” said Simmons at the start of the panel.
Topics on the docket included the validity of OEM procedures and following manufacturer requirements; repair discrepancies with ADAS and other like technologies;
“We’re still dancing the line between what’s truth and what’s opinion,” said Chiu. “We need to look after our customers and safe, proper repair will always be paramount for the three of us on stage right now.”
Tony Mammone was next on the stage to discuss industry analytics, where he touched on the impact of the recent CDK cyberattack; the implication of EVs in the Canadian marketplace and current shifts in new vehicle sales; as well as the stagnancy of labour rate increases.
Mammone emphasized that we need to be prepared for cyberattacks, like the CDK saw recently.
“We need to be ready for outages [cyberattacks]. What do our suppliers look like in those situations? We’ve got to plan for it, and we need to be ready.”
Breakout sessions from Solera | Audatex, who discussed AI estimatics and management; Advantage Parts Solutions and Marty Smith, CARSTAR Canada’s Ontario zone director, filled the remainder of the morning.
Lunch led into a vendor tradeshow where 300+ franchisees took the time to learn about new product offerings, experience demonstrations and explore available advancements from CARSTAR’s vendor partners.
The evening brought attendees out in their very best 90s-inspired formal wear for a Gala, an Awards Ceremony and a celebrity auction.
Award winners were:
- CARSTAR Marketer of the Year – CARSTAR Collingwood
- Length of Rental (LOR) Award – CARSTAR Chevrier
- Rookie of the Year – CARSTAR St-Eustache
- Ironman Award – Javier Torres, CARSTAR Torcam Group
- Vanguard Award – Kember Family, CARSTAR Centennial Group
- President’s Club Award: CARSTAR Radar Group; CARSTAR North Toronto; CARSTAR Toronto St. Clair; CARSTAR Toronto Red Deer; CARSTAR St. Urbain; CARSTAR New Minas.
Franchisee of the Year was awarded to CARSTAR Don-Mor Group based out of London, Ontario.
Dave Foster, VP of Operations for CARSTAR Canada, decided to make up a new “best dressed” award based on the 90s attire theme. He awarded the CARSTAR Quebec team for their dedication to the 90s theme.
One of the evening’s highlight was Andrew Northrup from CARSTAR Canada shaving off his mustache for $20,000 for Cystic Fibrosis Canada.
Check out our photos from the evening below.
