Michelle Rolls went from hesitant manager to award-winning owner

By Mike Raine

For Michelle Rolls, owner/operator of Queensway Fix Auto in Prince George, British Columbia, life in collision repair was not the plan.

Growing up in the industry and seeing the long hours her parents worked discouraged her from following in their footsteps. But sometimes life has other plans. Now a key player in an industry she didn’t intend to join, Rolls has won the 2011 Most Influential Woman in the Collision Repair Industry (MIW) Award.

Growing up, Roll’s parents, Phil and Mary, owned two collision repair facilities in British Columbia, but their daughter was determined to follow her own career path.

“My parents were absolute workaholics and I thought that if it’s that much work, then I don’t really want to do that,” she laughs.

Instead, Rolls studied business at college and after graduation worked in office management. However, not long after, one of the collision shops needed a new manager and Rolls reluctantly began working for the family business . A year and half later, her parents announced they were selling the shops and retiring.

The opportunity to own her own business, and have a larger role in an industry she had grown to love, was too tempting for Rolls.

In April of 2003, Rolls purchased Queensway and cemented her place in the industry. Since taking ownership, she has instituted her own way of doing business.

“I like to laugh and have a good time and be comfortable with the people I work with,” Rolls explains. She says the employees at Queensway are like a family, constantly playing pranks and telling jokes.

Knowing that she didn’t want to spend every waking moment on work, Rolls made sure she surrounded herself with a solid team. “When the staff are in place and the right people are in the right places, then I’m able to get away.”

As well, Rolls says she has seen the industry change greatly. “It’s not as much about fixing cars anymore, it’s about administration, and paperwork and relationships with insurance companies.”

However, change is not something Rolls is scared of. In an industry where technology is constantly changing, businesses must be willing to adapt. “I like technological changes, I like to learn about new things and I think it keeps it interesting for everyone; sometimes frustrating, but interesting nonetheless,” says Rolls. In addition, Queensway joined the Fix Auto network in 2010.

What hasn’t changed is Rolls’ love of the Prince George community. “I’ve made more friends from customers than from anything else,” she says.

To give back to the community, Queensway sponsors many local sports teams. “¬Those are the people we need to make our business solid and I like to support those who support us,” explains Rolls, adding, “I believe in buying local, staying local, as much as we possibly can.”

That commitment to her customers, industry and community may be why Rolls gets singled out for awards. The MIW award is not the only award on her mantle. In 2007 she received the Automotive Retailers Association (ARA) Member of the Year Award.

Though very modest when talking about the awards, Rolls notes that she’s more involved at the industry level than many shop owners, and sits on the executive committee of ARA’s collision repair division.

“I believe a healthy industry is good for all of us, including my shop.” Collision repair may not be the industry she intended to work in, but it is now the industry she loves. Rolls plans to do her part for that industry in the community as well. ¬ The awards are just a bonus.

There are 78 millions vehicles running in Japan and about 7 million new registrations yearly. Vehicles stay on the road for an average of 12 years, producing 5 million ELVs annually.

More than 1.5 million Japanese ELVs are shipped overseas annually, mostly to countries with no automotive recycling system, which creates a significant environmental risk.

Japanese consumers have on average had less money to spend in recent years, which has meant good sales for Japanese recyclers. The cost of a recycled part in the country is less than 50 per cent the cost of OEM parts. From April to September 2010, the government also had a program in place to take older vehicles off the road, which was also good news for recyclers.

In Japan, about 50 of the largest auto recyclers are represented by the Japanese Automotive Recycling Association (JARA). JARA also includes some unique members such as a vehicle carriage company and derelict vehicle management company. The association’s goal is to promote the relationship between recyclers and end users. JARA companies took in between 5,000- 30,000 vehicles each as a result of the government’s vehicle policy.

When Japanese recyclers take in a vehicle, they first inspect the vehicle, collect any necessary information and register it into the computer. They then drain fluids and inspect and clean usable parts. At the end of the process, parts are registered in a system that connects all of Japan as well as some overseas entities.

After the parts are catalogued what remains of the vehicle is processed and then crushed for scrap metal.

Overall, the Japanese recycling market has been doing well in recent years. There is still lots of room to grow however; currently recycled parts represents about five per cent of the Japanese parts market, which is still only a sixth of the usage seen in countries such as the US.

Japanese recyclers are also making waves on the international scene. JARA recently won a World Energy Globe Award for their efforts to help Fiji with enacting an effective auto recycling program. It is among the most prestigious environmental awards in the world and the ceremony was broadcast to nearly 3 billion household.

This article appeared in the January 2011 issue of Canadian Auto Recyclers magazine.