INSIDE MGM AUTO GROUP’S PEOPLE-FIRST FORMULA FOR CONSISTENT RESULTS
For the CEO of MGM Auto Group, the day doesn’t start on the shop fl oor, but on a screen, scrolling through customer feedback left overnight.
It usually happens early, before the house fully wakes up. Mike Cherneta, 35, is a father of four, balancing a growing business with a young family. It’s a small window of quiet before the day begins — and a quick way to gauge whether everything behind the scenes is working the way it should.
“One of the fi rst things I do when I wake up is check my Google reviews,” he said. “It’s very, very important for us, because if the customer is happy, that means the whole process went well.”
It’s a simple habit, but it says a lot about how the business runs — paying attention to small details that point to bigger systems underneath.
That approach didn’t come out of nowhere. Cherneta and 39-year-old Kapi Komera have been in the industry long enough to see how work actually moves through a shop — and where it can break down. Th e two fi rst met more than a decade ago when Cherneta, working as general manager at CARSTAR St. Catharines, hired Komera as a detailer. At the time, Komera didn’t have extensive detailing experience, but he had a clear goal. He wanted to learn the trade so he could eventually go into business for himself as a mobile detailer. Before entering the industry, he had worked as a French teacher. “I wanted to gain as much experience as possible,” Komera said.
Over time, the working relationship between the two shifted into something more permanent. What started as a hire built on potential turned into a partnership built on trust. Eventually, they realized they worked well as a team and wanted to go into business together.
By January 2020, they were full equity partners, launching MGM Auto Group. The name itself goes back to those early days. “MGM” stands for Mississauga, Georgetown, Milton — the fi rst three locations they took on.
“The name was simple. It was Kapi’s idea,” said Cherneta. “Th ose were our fi rst acquisitions.”
“I liked the way it sounded,” Komera added. “Short, snappy, something people could remember.”
All three were CARSTAR shops, and that hasn’t changed. As MGM has grown to nine locations across Ontario, the company has stayed within the CARSTAR network, focusing on existing shops rather than building from the ground up. Many of those locations, they said, weren’t reaching their full potential when they stepped in.
“When we take over a location, the biggest thing we fi x is layout,” said Cherneta. “Th e fl ow and the standard operation procedure have to mirror.”
It’s not fl ashy, but it matters. How a shop is set up dictates everything — how vehicles move, how technicians work and how long a job sits. Fix that, and a lot of other things tend to fall into place.
From the beginning, they had a clear idea of what they wanted MGM to be.
“When we started the company, the whole purpose of MGM Auto Group was to be a game changer within our collision industry,” said Cherneta. “There are a lot of things and processes within our industry that are outdated.”
Th at became especially clear in the early months. Th ree months aft er acquiring their fi rst shops, COVID-19 had slowed traffi c across the industry and put expansion plans on hold.
“We went almost four years without adding locations,” said Cherneta.
Th e timing forced them to slow down and get the model right. Th ose years were spent building out systems, refining workflows and fi guring out what would actually hold up across multiple locations.
When expansion picked back up in March 2024, it moved quickly. MGM now operates nine CARSTAR locations across Ontario, mostly within the Greater Toronto Area, from Milton to Oshawa, with more than 180 employees. Even so, growth isn’t how they define success.
“Our focus is not growth. Our focus is performance and making sure we are one of the leaders of quality service,” said Cherneta. That shows up in how they choose locations. MGM targets underperforming shops, but not in a vague sense. They’re looking at potential — what a shop should be doing versus what it’s currently producing.
“What we usually measure is performance per square foot,” he said. “How we can use the building, maximize it and remove any obstacles in the way of that.”
Cycle time, staffing, training and workflow all feed into that. The goal is to strip away whatever is slowing the shop down and make better use of the space.
Some of the changes are visible right away. Layout is reworked, the space is cleaned up and equipment is standardized across locations — a piece of the operation Cherneta sees as critical to both consistency and repair quality. (See sidebar: All About Airflow)
“One of the biggest things we do differently is that we built out our own centralized services,” said Cherneta. When he calls it a “game changer,” it’s not about one big idea.
“It’s doing everything consistently, at a high level, every single time,” he said. The way the two partners split their roles refl ects that thinking.'
“His job is to get cars in. Mine is to get cars out,” said Komera.
Cherneta handles acquisitions, fi nancials and volume. Komera is closer to the dayto- day, working with general managers, tracking performance and making sure processes are being followed.
“We both came from the floor,” said Komera. “But Mike is more in tune with numbers. I focus more on daily, weekly and monthly operations.”
In an industry that leans heavily on technical expertise, that balance matters. Th ey’re not positioning themselves as the fi nal authority on every repair, but they’ve built a structure that relies on experienced teams, clear processes and consistency across the board.
For Komera, the people side of the business is what stands out most. “It’s watching the growth of the company, but also the growth of the employees,” he said. “I was given the opportunity to go from detailer to owner. I like to pass that on.” That structure also creates room for people to move up, something both partners have been deliberate about as the company has grown.
“If you want to be promoted within our organization, replace yourself,” said Cherneta. “Train someone to step into your role so we can help you grow.”
As vehicles become more complex — from EVs to ADAS and evolving OEM procedures — that structure becomes more important, not less. MGM has worked to stay ahead where it can, including equipping all locations with EV chargers.
“All of our locations have EV chargers,” said Cherneta. “We try to be progressive, not only to keep up with the industry, but to keep up with what’s changing the world.” Th e footprint is growing and the systems are in place, but the way they measure success hasn’t really changed. It still comes back to that early-morning check — a quick read on whether the process is doing what it’s supposed to. For Cherneta, if the reviews are strong, it’s usually a sign the rest of the operation is holding together.
