Toronto, Ontario — July 16, 2019 — To say that Sabrina Thring is thriving in the industry is an understatement. After graduating with an Honours BBA from The Schulich School of Business, and spending many years managing financial planning, analysis and accounting, Thring has spent the last 3.three and a half years with Driven Brands, beginning as VP of Finance for CARSTAR, and working her way up to VP of Operations; managing the MSO platform and Canada. Collision Repair caught up with Thring to discuss rebranding strategies, the value in franchises as well as the future of the collision industry.
Collision Repair: As the vice president, MSO Operations & Canadian Development, you are playing a major role in MAACO’s Canada-wide rebranding initiative. Could you tell us a bit about the goals of the rebranding?
Sabrina Thring: I proudly stand behind our Go Forward Plan launched last November 2018.
Our Go Forward Plan in Canada embraces the Maaco 3-legged stool value proposition of Retail and Cosmetic, Fleet and Local Trade and finally Insurance – Tier 2 DRP and/or Customer Referral. In Canada, we recognize the need to stay on top of industry performance requirements such as ICAR Training and OEM repair directives. We are not just here to paint, our value proposition includes all legs of the stool and are equipped to do so with brand consistency through our Image improvements and center standards by achieving Certification levels – Gold, Diamond and Platinum.
CR: What should collision facility owners expect from membership in a banner group? What is it that franchises value in potential franchisees?
Sabrina Thring: We see daily that it is getting harder for independents to maximize their earning potential and maintain a succession plan for their families without being part of a banner group. There are so many benefits that come with being part of the Maaco Franchise System. There is corporate support for creating the 3 legged stool model – retail, fleet, insurance – for independents an opportunity to layer on business without losing their primary customer base. There are also two accredited state of the art training facilities in Edmonton, Alberta and Charlotte, North Carolina as well as an Online Training Portal through Maaco University. Other benefits include a ramp-up on site center training support from Corporate, procurement leverage for materials, paint and parts with selected top industry vendor partners such as Axalta, Sherwin Williams & PPG, an enhanced Marketing Platform as well as Access to National Fleet Accounts, insurers, and industry standard certification training.
CR: A decade ago, there were about twice as many auto repair businesses as there are today, but half as many as in 1999. Do you think the long-term trend towards consolidation in Canada’s collision industry will continue?
Sabrina Thring: Yes, Bob Benjamin our President of Maaco, believes strongly that the collision industry will continue to consolidate as we see more and more multi-site operators scale the system, which is a great benefit to our national customers (purchasing, Fleet, Insurers). We also believe there will be a more buyouts (M&A) of the larger collision repairers and regional MSOs. That said, independents still represent the lion share of the market.
