CEO Greg Morton on Dominion Sure Seal’s success
Story by ALLISON ROGERS
If one thing can be said of Dominion Sure Seal and its 50-year history, it’s that the Canadian-owned company has remained forward-thinking, rooted in quality and passionate about the betterment of our industry.
Celebrating 50 years of business this summer, the Dominion Sure Seal story started back in 1972, when proud Scotsman and company founder the late Ronald Morton embarked on a mission that led to 50 years of creating and distribute innovative products to the automotive aftermarket.
The senior Morton was committed to the industry, spending more than 40 years building the Dominion Sure Seal name, serving on the Automotive Advisory Committee to the Canadian Government; a past chairman on both the I-CAR International and Automotive Association of Canada International Committee.
The foundations of Dominion Sure Seal were formed in a small unit in Mississauga, Ontario, which totalled little more than 5,000 sq.-ft. (464 sq.-m.). Today, Dominion Sure Seal has two sprawling warehouses and a gargantuan product offering.
Plastic repairs were just one of the processes Ronald had the foresight to venture into. Greg Morton, the current CEO and managing director of Dominion Sure Seal recalls his father’s foray as one of the first to supply plastic repair products to the industry in the 1980s.
“We were one of the first and top players in that business, plastic repair for bumpers and products like that. It quickly became competitive when everyone else caught on and started selling it, too,” said Morton.
“We also invented the first-ever plastic repair line and the first spray-in liquid bedliner in 1996,” he added nonchalantly. The junior Morton has long been a part of Dominion Sure Seal, first under his father’s leadership at 13 years old in a part-time role. Ronald died in 2011, passing the torch to his son, now touted his own impressive accolades in the industry.
“When my father died, I felt a lot of people in the industry wrote me off,” Morton told Collision Repair. “They saw me as a spoiled brat—and maybe I came off a bit that way at the time—but I’ve always had the experience and results to back up my expertise.”
Morton served as the managing director of Meguiar’s Canada from 1995 to 2009, when the brand was acquired by 3M. Shortly thereafter, he went back to work with his father full-time, stocked with nearly 15 years of experience running the successful aftermarket supplier.
“After fifty years, we’re still familyowned. Both my brother and my mom work here.”
— Greg Morton, CEO and managing director, Dominion Sure Seal
When Morton was featured in a 2018 Collision Repair mag executive vision, he said Dominion Sure Seal’s primary goal was growth—and grown, it has. “We’ve grown substantially, especially in the United States.”
In the last five years, the company has hired two representatives for the U.S.—one on the West Coast and another on the East— who have been “amazing,” Morton added. “They each increased their business by nearly 50 percent last year—they’ve been rockstars for us.”
And the growth has not been limited to the U.S. market.
“We have seven representatives in Canada, all of whom have helped drive significant growth here,” said Morton. “Overall, the size of the business has doubled since I took over from my dad just over ten years ago.”
One of the keys to fostering a great team is support for your staff, according to Greg and the Dominion Sure Seal philosophy.
“Reward your staff, give them plenty of flexibility—and do not micromanage. “Everyone on our team is free to treat it like they’re own business, to an extent— they’ve all been here for such a long time. We’re talking upwards of 20 years.” Another integral part of doing good business is keeping good relationships with your industry connections, says Morton. “When I talk to my customers and suppliers I refer to them as our partners, and it shows in our flexibility. We work with our suppliers on multiple levels; we sponsor their events, we’re a major sponsor of the Canadian Collision Industry Forum (CCIF), customer and industry golf tournaments, —we feel we do our part to support any initiative we can.”
Perhaps the most impressive of Dominion Sure Seal’s core values lays in its 50-year history as a family-owned company. “After fifty years, we’re still family-owned. Both myself and my brother, Derek, work here. It’s been key for our business, having a tight-knit, family-oriented team. It helps us be reactive in our processes—we’re able to solve problems quickly and get the job done fast.”
Finally, Dominion Sure Seal’s record as a Canadian-owned company gives yet another reason for its anniversary to be grandly celebrated.
“You know, I’ve considered changing our logo to remove the Canadian flag, just considering our other markets. Then I’ll always think, no, this isn’t necessary. We’re a proud Canadian company.”
