A LESSON IN ATTITUDE
Building a business amid a pandemic Long-time collision repairers Mike Cherneta and Kapi Komera were thrilled at the opportunity to own a CARSTAR facility together. The duo took the leap in January 2020, purchasing CARSTAR Mississauga 401 as well as two appraisal centres, CARSTAR Georgetown and CARSTAR Milton an addition for MGM AUTO Group. The […]
PARTS PAINS
Navigating the shortages, together Story by MAX REID About two years ago, collision centres across Canada found themselves in limbo. Facilities were full of technicians, looking to work but there was little to be found. Today the industry finds itself in a new limbo: pre-COVID repair volume has returned to the industry, and yet the […]
Spanesi Interactive Week
Lights, camera, action at the Spanesi Americas studios Story by ALLISON ROGERS In late October, Spanesi Americas hosted its first-ever Spanesi Interactive Week, offering a host of virtual sessions with OEMs, North American collision centre owners, vehicle technology experts and more. The event, which took place October 24 through October 29, featured topics like Panel […]
A CUT ABOVE
Firefighters compete in Auto-Extrication competition at Standard Auto Wreckers Story by ALLISON ROGERSPhotos by MAX REID It may have been one of October’s chilliest mornings yet, but that did nothing to dampen the vigour of Markham, Ont. and Oakville, Ont.’s firefighter crews, who competed in the annual Auto-Ex Competition at Standard Auto Wreckers on October […]
SEMA Show: Another SEMA spectacular for the scrapbooks
Story by ALLISON ROGERSPhotos by DARRYL SIMMONS Well, another SEMA Show has come and gone from the Las Vegas strip— but not without giving us plenty to think about as an industry. Marking the first time attendees gathered for the SEMA Show since 2019, this year’s event hosted more than 100,000 attendees, exhibitors and media, […]
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
SCOTT TUCKER | UNI-SELECT Scott Tucker was named the new general manager of the paint, body and equipment (PBE) group for Uni-Select in mid-November. He will be responsible for managing the operations of Uni-Select’s PBE group, which includes FinishMaster stores, Plastique Royal and relationships with Uni-Select’s members. He will also work closely with the company’s […]
THE WAITING GAME
Stephen Jainarine’s story is one of resilience—and plenty of red tape Story by ALLISON ROGERS When faced with conflict, we often have two choices: crumple like a bumper on concrete, or hold firm with integrity. For Stephen Jainarine, owner of Whitby, Ontario’s Lakeridge Collision, giving up was never an option. Hailing from the Caribbean, Stephen […]
COLLISION CAMARADERIE
Story by ALLISON ROGERS If Canada’s collision repair community can be defined in a single trait, it’s surely the sector’s demonstrated ability to come together in times of need. A GoFundMe has been launched on behalf of Wayne James, former director of operations for Maaco Canada and current director of operations for AutoQuip Canada, who […]
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Nursing the seeds of Indigenous industry Story by MAX REID The history of North American industry runs along a thin moral line. For many of the great works of industry and infrastructure we can point to across this land, we risk casting a shadow on those who toiled in service of that work and would […]
CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS?!
DOUBLE PARKED Nothing gets commuters steamed faster than some joker holding things up in the left lane—but when that joker just up and parks their plane in the fast lane? Forget about it. A small propeller plane taking off from Buttonville Airport in Markham, Ontario in late October was forced to make an emergency landing […]
