Calgary, Alberta – Adding to the ever-expanding roster of collision centres in the prairies, CSN has announced the addition of CSN Autolab Calgary as the latest repair facility to join its network.
CSN has been recruiting high-quality repairers in the prairies for quite some time, but when it comes to CSN Autolab, “it’s a far cry from your average collision centre,” according to a press release from the company.
The leadership team at CSN Autolab consists of three childhood friends from elementary school.
“Starting this venture together gives us the autonomy to provide our clients with the level of service we’ve always felt they’ve deserved while allowing us to determine what the future of our industry holds going forward. The bonus of getting to do it with your childhood best friends is a dream come true,” said Ryley Churchill, CEO of CSN Autolab.
Churchill got his start in the collision centre industry as a detailer, fresh out of high school. Afterwards, Churchill transitioned into a collision damage analyst position and eventually became the western Canadian business development manager under another banner.
Curtis Proulx, CSN Autolab CTO had thrived on the shop floor from a young age, leading him to take the more technical path. In 2011, he received his Red Seal Journeyman credentials.
President and COO Troy Bozarth, the last of the leadership team, as his passion for cool cars, good business and great friendships led him to join the collision repair industry after a decades-long career in oil and gas as a geophysicist.
“Curtis and I are industry guys, we have a combined 25 years experience between us but with that said, we’re definitely still the youngest operators in the room at every industry event we attend,” Churchill said.
Churchill, Proulx and Bozarth came up with the idea this past spring to open their own collision centre. The three of them took over the building of a long-standing collision repair shop in July 2020—marking their first step into the industry.
As well as two experienced collision industry members in leadership, CSN Autolab also has an abundance of employees who have hands-on experience; and with Bozarth not knowing much about the industry, it actually makes him more valuable because he adds a holistic outsiders’ point of view that neither Proulx nor Churchill can provide.
“I don’t need to know the technical side of things as much, I leave that to Curtis, but I always approach business in the right way and add value by identifying opportunities that maybe some long-time industry members might overlook,” Bozarth said.
CSN Autolab was an easy choice for CSN Collision Centres because of their reputation in the industry acting as a catalyst for the final decision, according to the press release.
“We typically recruit repairers that have a ton of experience, but it speaks to how smart, technically skilled, and highly motivated these guys are and with our support, the sky is the limit for them,” said Kari Barton, CSN western sales manager.
CSN Autolab was activated as an official CSN Collision Centre on Sept. 21, 2020.
