Hamilton, Ontario -- Mario Pellicciotta, a lifelong mechanic who spent much of his retirement helping his son build the Pellicciotta Group's collision repair operations in Oakville, has died. He was 88.
"Everything I've built is rooted in what I learned from watching him work, solve problems and show up every single day," his son Lorenzo, owner of the Pellicciotta Group said. "He worked hard his entire life as a mechanic and tradesman and that work ethic shaped everything I built,"
Born in Guardialfiera, Italy, Pellicciotta trained as an agricultural mechanic before emigrating to Canada with his wife Anna in 1959. He worked at Federated Genco for 30 years, where he became known for solving problems other mechanics couldn't and fabricating tools when the right ones didn't exist.
"We used to joke that he was our family’s MacGyver long before the show ever existed," Lorenzo said. "Watching him problem-solve with his hands taught me more than any classroom ever could."
After retiring, Pellicciotta worked at his son Lorenzo's shops—AUTOPRO Oakville and CARSTAR Oakville, which was one of the franchise's first locations when it opened in 1995.
Mario's approach to work was foundational to the success of the business. According to Lorenzo, he instilled the idea that repairs had to be done right, not fast, that accountability didn't shift according to circumstances and that all people—be they customers or staff—deserved respect. He also encouraged the development of tools in-house when appropriate ones were not available.
"[He believed that] no matter what was going on, you showed up, did the job properly and stood behind your work."
That philosophy became embedded in how the Pellicciotta Group operates -- something that has earned the MSO considerable acclaim from within the collision community. Over the decades, it has earned multiple industry awards, including the CARSTAR Canada Ironman Award in 2022.
