Edmonton, Alberta — Chad Melchert was recently appointed as the Account Representative of BASF’s Automotive Refinish Coatings division in Western Canada.
“It feels amazing to be welcomed into the BASF family. I’ve always taken great pride in customer service and providing true value to all the situations I’ve been a part of. These core values hold true with me and definitely BASF. The opportunity to share the service, science and visions of BASF was an opportunity I had to grab a hold of,” Melchert told Collision Repair Magazine.
Prior to accepting the position with BASF, Melchert was a professional drummer. However, due to the pandemic his music career came to a standstill, and he was forced to adjust his entire career path.
“I was on tour when the pandemic hit and I watched the industry I knew come to a screeching halt.”
Melchert quickly pivoted, and made his first step in his career in the automotive industry, by obtaining an account representative position with a local Edmonton jobber.
“Other than working in a bodyshop in high school I was starting at ground zero.”
With the support of his former team, he was able to learn about the industry and eventually obtain his current position at BASF.
As an Account Representative for BASF, Melchert will maintain existing accounts, while working to create new connections in the automotive industry.
“Account Representative can mean a lot of things—to me, it’s a bridge role. A bridge to product knowledge, trust, and giving every shop the tools to succeed.”
Melchert will also travel throughout Western Canada to get to know current and prospective customers.
“Coming from my background there’s lots of travel and people. Both of these are things I enjoy so it’s a perfect match.”
Melchert officially starts his training with BASF on June 7, he says he is excited to learn more about the company as well the science behind its products.
“I love cars and colour so it’s been a lot of fun learning the processes that take broken to beautiful.”
