For Mike Nichol, General Manager of Simplicity Car Care Airdrie, creativity is at the heart of collision repair
Story by SARAH PERKINS
Survival, by its very definition, is the act of continuing in the face of often difficult circumstances. More than just doing what is necessary to get by, survival is an act of perseverance and dedication that at its very foundation, demands a heightened level of invention and ingenuity.
For Mike Nichol, general manager of Simplicity Car Care Airdrie in the Calgary, Alberta region, overcoming the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic has in turn, presented opportunities to be at the cutting edge of technology, customer interaction and most importantly, the chance to develop the creativity to not only survive, but thrive. When looking at Mike’s journey in the collision repair industry, he commented that growing up, he knew he didn’t want to work a job where he’d have to spend the day in an office.
“I knew I wanted to do a trade, but I didn’t know which one at first—although I had always had a love of cars. I knew for certain that I wanted to work with my hands.” After speaking with his uncle, who was the head mechanic at a dealership in Winnipeg at the time, Mike decided to take a chance on a career in autobody.
However, having applied to over 30 shops in the Calgary area where he is from with no success, Mike then planned on moving to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to attend the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST), now known as Saskatchewan Polytechnic, for their pre-employment program.
But, after registering for the program, Mike’s attendance was instead interrupted by a job offer at a high-end facility in the area that was “willing to take a chance on someone new.” “I literally started from the ground up. I started by sweeping floors and then was mentored by a journeyman working at the shop who had to have been 70 years old at the time.”
“He taught me so many things about the industry,” Mike told Collision Repair magazine. “He even taught me some lead work and automotive restoration. I really think it’s valuable to have different generations and cultures in the workplace; it helps to create a community and share knowledge.” From here, Mike’s collision repair journey included working at another shop in Calgary as well as attending SIAST, where he received the top apprentice award for refinishing and was also the first student to win the Dean’s award in both refinishing and collision repair. After completing his apprenticeship in 2004, Mike knew he wanted to be a shop owner, and soon after this, opened his first independent business in Calgary in 2006. Then, in 2022, Mike made the decision to expand his collision repair journey even further by joining the Simplicity Car Care franchise at the Airdrie location.
“I had both locations, the one in Airdrie and the one in Calgary for about a year before selling my first shop and going all in on Airdrie. Then, after two years of building up Airdrie, Covid hit and everything just died.” Like so many during the pandemic, Mike saw business grind to a halt in the wake of the lockdown. Where before, Simplicity Car Care Airdrie had ten dedicated employees, during the pandemic, this number fell to just Mike and his wife, Cathy, working the shop. “During the pandemic, I did what my wife and I called ‘freetails,’ which is where I would do free details for first responders in the community. I would advertise on social media that I was looking for something to do, and doing the work for first responders felt like a good way to take part in a community initiative.”
“I have some family here in Airdrie, but even still, the sense of community here is strong, and so it was important to me to be able to contribute to the community while also still doing what I’m passionate about.” The sense of community is also what originally drew Mike to the Simplicity Car Care banner in 2022.
“When we originally joined Simplicity, I felt like it would be a good fit for us because of the support and positivity that the franchise provides. We’re still part of the franchise but we have room to add our own touch and make our own choices.”
As a result, when asked what his biggest challenge has been so far in the industry, Mike was quick to state the pandemic. However, through the help of support systems like Simplicity, his wife and other members of the industry—such as Lenny Houweling, President of Kaizen Initiatives—he was also quick to stress that his biggest accomplishment has been survival.
“I’m not a businessman, but my wife has a business diploma and has been working with me for 20 years.
“She’s definitely my support system. During the pandemic, she was a key part of helping to keep everything together.”
“Lenny Houweling also really helped us out. He came to the shop one day and saw that we were struggling. He helped us to build up our process and without him, I don’t think we’d still be here.”
And, just as survival is a drive to continue forwards even in the face of difficulty, after three months of performing “freetails,” slowly, over time, Mike was able to bring back everyone who left due to the pandemic. Now, flashing forwards, and Simplicity Car Care Airdrie is a staff that is 17 members strong.
Having overcome the challenges of the pandemic, and in continuing to recover from the aftereffects of the lockdown, Mike has in turn created a space where survival in the industry is not just a matter of completing the work that needs to be done, but is a chance to have fun and connect with those who help make the business a success.
Just look at Simplicity Car Care Airdrie’s social media, and you’ll see Mike and staff doing everything from event updates to crafting their own music video.
“We don’t have any social media person, we just learn as we go and see what works. It’s a homegrown project, but for us, social media is all about having fun and telling the story of what we do, as well as our community connections.”
Even with the industry’s ongoing talent and labour shortage, Mike is seeing positive responses to the shop’s promotional work both from clients and partners to prospective employees alike.
“I had someone the other day who had just finished his redseal in Manitoba come to the shop just to say that he had seen our online presence and reviews and wanted to be a part of it. With the industry currently looking to attract young talent, we’ve found that being active and creative on social media is a great way to connect with the younger generation.” In embracing technology, Mike also told Collision Repair that he is beginning to dabble in using artificial intelligence to help with some of his social media projects, although he’s “by no means an expert.”
“I grew up with Terminator and as part of a generation that is just on the cusp of social media, and so some of the current tech out there is kind of daunting, but it’s also incredible what it can help you accomplish if you’re using it right.”
Similarly, in continuing to look towards the future, Mike said that while nothing is set in stone, he’s excited to continue “building the Simplicity Car Care Airdrie brand locally, doing more for the community and working on being a true staple.” Continuing to be active and inventive on social media is a key part of future plans. Alongside the shop’s creative success, for Mike, “sustainability is also key.”
“The people around you and your team are always the biggest contributors to success and this is closely followed by the processes that you put in place. I feel that sustainability is also important and this is something that the Simplicity brand also advocates. We’re excited for the future more than ever now.” In this way, as Mike and his team show, collision repair goes far beyond just the skills needed to return a vehicle to road-worthy conditions. Like all skilled trades, collision repair is built on a foundation of tenacity, and it is through this ability that repairers not only advance their careers but also contribute to the overall growth and integrity of the industry.
While Mike may have originally set out to simply avoid working in an office setting and to be able to work with his hands, through continuing to persevere, he has come to work in a space far larger than its initial conception. In setting out to work with his hands and embracing the trades, Mike has also chosen to work in a community that as he puts it, is “tight knit” and more than ready to participate in acts of skill and creation that continuously strive for both endurance and excellence.
