D'Ambrosio Family: Celebrating 50 years of repairing

Fix Auto St. Catharines celebrated its 50th anniversary on Sept. 12 at 276 Merritt St., welcoming between 250 and 275 guests to the exact location where founder Lino D’Ambrosio first established a four-bay repair shop in 1976.

The celebration brought together local clients, friends, and nearly all staff members across D’Ambrosio Collision Group’s four regional locations. "It was a great mix of friends, family, and almost our entire staff across all four shops," said third-generation owner Johnny D’Ambrosio Jr. "We had everyone there, from my two-month-old and two-year-old to teenage kids of our employees and customers, all the way up to my wife's great-grandmother."

Attendees enjoyed complimentary food truck catering, local barbecue, ice cream, and a shop display of classic and special-interest vehicles repaired and restored at the facility over the decades. St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe attended the gathering to present second-generation co-owner John D’Ambrosio and Johnny Jr. with an official Certificate of Achievement on behalf of the city, recognizing the team's longstanding success and contributions to the local business community.

Fix Network communications officials also commended the milestone online, praising the group for "50 years of service, community and collision repair excellence" while thanking the D’Ambrosio team for its ongoing dedication to its customers, the local community, and the national franchise network.

During the event, the family presented a $10,000 cheque to Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada. While guests made individual contributions during the party, the company funded the majority of the donation across its locations. "We've supported Ronald McDonald House Charities for a long time, even personally before joining Fix Auto," Johnny Jr. said, noting the shop built on Fix Network's national sponsorship with the organization. "Across our four locations, we really wanted to step up as a company and make that $10,000 contribution."

The business originated in 1976 when Lino D’Ambrosio, a licensed mechanic who immigrated from Italy, sold his gas station and opened United Motor Collision. His son John joined shortly after. The original four-bay shop has since expanded into a 15,000-square-foot facility. Johnny Jr., now 39, grew up in the shop, working summer breaks by age 14 and stopping by between classes while studying at nearby Brock University before starting full-time in the wash bay and working his way through estimating and management.

In 2015, the family joined Montreal-based franchisor Fix Network to expand across the Niagara region. The group acquired its Welland shop in 2021, added Fix Auto Niagara-on-the-Lake, and currently has a fourth location in development. Backed by I-CAR Gold Class recognition and multiple original equipment manufacturer certifications, the group received the Fix Network President’s Award in both 2022 and 2024 for operational performance.

The multi-shop operation relies heavily on long-serving staff, including general managers Jamie Werstroh and Dave Cirone—both 40-year industry veterans—Niagara-on-the-Lake general manager CJ George-McCool, painter Josh Boland, and Welland team members Mario Di Tizio and Mike Bowers.

Asked what has kept the family enterprise thriving for half a century, Johnny Jr. credited team cohesion and commitment. "Honestly, I would attribute it to camaraderie, passion, hard work, and dedication," he said.