By Sue Dickens
Toronto, Ontario — May 21, 2019 — Every now and again, Harold Fjellstrom, who founded Harold’s Auto Body in Edmonton in 1973, drops in to see how the family’s business is doing.
“Things have changed a lot, but the basics of auto body repair and the business remain the same. We help people out of a bad situation—we repair their vehicle properly, and care for our clients.”
After a decade-and-a-half of retirement, he knows the business is in the safe hands of two of his children, Cameron Fjellstrom and Michelle Dupuis. Both share his belief that success requires more than just hard work—but a commitment to going the extra mile for both employees and clients.
For his eldest child, Michelle, that lesson was learned early.
“Growing up we didn’t have a whole lot but dad always found a way to make things work,” Michelle said. “Back in those days my father worked for other people. He would take on the responsibilities outside of his own work as an autobody technician, such as writing estimates for other companies.”
In 1973, when she was just 11 years old, her father took an enormous risk founding Harold’s Auto Body, a 3,000 sq. ft. building in Edmonton, Alberta.
“I didn’t want to work for anybody else anymore. I enjoyed what I did, and was good at it—but I couldn’t have done it alone.” Harold said.
With everything on the line, the family came together to ensure it got off the ground successfully.
“It wasn’t just my father. My mother Lorraine and his brother and Uncle Norm [Fjellstrom] were in it together,” Michelle explained. “Working together, they were able to reach a deal with Allstate Insurance, and from there business began to start rolling in.”
Harold is particularly grateful to his wife, Lorraine, who worked tirelessly with him.
“When we first started I had to have my wife around all the time. I couldn’t answer the phone and write estimates. We wrote them all day long and it was all by hand,” Harold said.
Unfortunately for the Fjellsons, the increase in business quickly made it clear that the limited facility was too small to allow them to stay in operation. In 1978, just a few years into their operation, they decided to take another big risk—investing in a major expansion. This time, however, Harold was keen to make sure that his facility would be customized to suit the needs of an expanding auto repairer.
“Dad found a piece of property close to the stockyards in Edmonton and after clearing the land he drew up a blueprint and built his own vision of his shop. Then he went and saw the engineer and architect who provided the proper blueprints for a build,” said Michelle.
While Harold did commission an architecture firm to do much of the work, he kept expenses down by building absolutely everything he could. These efforts soon paid off, and the business found itself thriving.
“All of a sudden we had a big shop and dad just kept hiring people,” said Michelle.
At their highest point they had at least 20 employees—a far cry from the three they started with.
Then a high school student working part-time in the office, Michelle gained a whole new perspective on her father seeing him hiring and interacting with a rapidly expanding workforce.
“When dad considered hiring someone, he made sure that they shared his moral values as himself,” Michelle explained.
In the months that followed, Michelle took note of her father’s approach. She saw how he managed to bring out the best from his employees by treating them with respect. She paid attention to the devotion he gave to his clients, and how they rewarded it with repeat business.
“Dad really cared about the employees to the point of treating them like family,” Michelle said. “When they struggled he would make sure to be there for them.”
She took these lessons to heart—though she did not anticipate ever being in his position. Like many children of facility owners, Michelle had grown up seeing how tough the business could be.
“Growing up, my mom and dad would come home at night and I would hear them talk about all of their troubles and concerns. After always hearing about what it was like, I didn’t want anything to do with the bodyshop!”
After high school, Michelle attended the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), where she studied accounting and finance. Following her graduation, she began a career at a major accounting firm in downtown Edmonton. But fate had other plans for Michelle.
In 1981, shortly after Norm had left Edmonton for a new position in Saskatoon, her father developed some health concerns. Harold called his daughter to ask if she had ever considered working with him. Michelle was hesitant at first, but realized that, if the family’s business was to survive, she had no choice but to become involved.
Over the next few years, Harold began to rely on Michelle more and more. By 1985, it was decided that a second major expansion was required which would add an extension to the shop’s paint booth—and it would be Michelle, not Harold, who would be responsible for the project’s success.
While Harold’s middle child, Brad, was never drawn to working in the collision repair field, his youngest, Cameron, shared Harold’s passion for working with vehicles.
Unlike his older siblings, Cameron, who is ten years younger than Michelle, had grown up in a time when the business was thriving. Joining the team in 1990, he quickly realized he had a passion for hands-on work.
“I love the feeling of getting a car repaired properly.” Cameron said. “It is wonderful to know we’ve done everything we can to provide a safe, well-put-back-together car.”
Over the next decade-and-a-half, the siblings became a formidable team, ably living up to their father’s principles. Unlike many siblings whose differences make working alongside one another difficult, Cameron and Michelle say their approaches complement one another.
“We’re very different,” said Michelle. “Cameron studied industrial arts and was a very hands-on guy—a jack of all trades, just like our father.”
“Ultimately, we are all striving for one thing and that’s sending home customers safe and happy. Both of us are needed to make it work,” he said. “I could never do Michelle’s job—and as she would say the same thing about mine!”
When he decided to retire in 2003, Harold was certain that the business was in capable hands. The years that followed have proven him right.
We are 46 years strong right now,” Michelle said. “Our loyalty to the staff, suppliers, and our customers, is a huge part of that long-lasting success.”
Like their father, both Michelle and Cameron form close bonds with their employees. Among the 12-person team, some have remained with the business for decades—with parts manager Lori Petraschuk having joined in the 1980s.
“She’s been here 32 years and is a real gem,” said Michelle. “We are so lucky to work with her and so many other wonderful people.”
But it isn’t just employees who have stayed with the business over the decades. The customers have also remained loyal.
“There’s no secret to what we’re doing—it’s what we’ve always done. We are fulfilling the needs and requirements of our customers and doing it an old-fashioned way,” Michelle explained. “When people are crying after an accident, I offer them a hug, have a coffee with them, and let them know we can help make things better.”
While the approach may be old fashioned, it is effective. Today, many of the clients are the children and grandchildren of long-term clients—a fact that Harold finds immensely touching.
“I am so proud of Michelle and Cameron,” Harold says. “They are more than living up to my legacy.”
