Autobody Bosses

The changing face of collision repair in Saskatoon

There was a time when women avoided going to the local autobody shop to drop off their vehicle let alone working in that industry. It was a male dominated field and women weren’t necessarily welcomed. Female customers felt inadequate and taken advantage of for not understanding technical automotive language. The few female employees in purely administrative roles contended with inappropriate images on the walls and derogatory comments. We’ve all seen and heard the stereotypes. That’s an image that the industry is working hard to repair.

Today, of the forty autobody shops in Saskatoon a dozen count women in leadership roles and the number of female journeyperson automotive technicians is on the rise. The three collision repair shops leaders featured here are proud to work in and promote their evolving industry.

Chelsea Stebner

Parr Auto Body

The Managing Partner of Parr Auto Body, Chelsea Stebner, came to the industry early in her career. She grew up with a dad as a mechanic so automotive shops were a familiar environment. After graduating high school, she knew that university wasn’t likely for her so she started working in retail stores and took a business administration course. “I got involved in the industry by accident - pun intended,” says Chelsea. With her diploma in hand she got her first job in the industry in a collision shop providing administrative services.

“It was a steep learning curve the first year. I needed to understand the language, the parts, the repairs and the processes. And I quickly realized that at the end of the day it was all about customer service. Being helpful and showing kindness to customers at a pretty stressful time and understanding what the technicians and the entire team need to be effective and fulfilled in the shop.”

After a few years in the collision shop, she moved on to a short stint in an administrative role in government and realized that it was not for her. She eventually found herself back in a repair shop a few years later, this time at Parr Auto Body. She attributes her success in the industry to having a good mentor. Tom Bissonnette took her under his wing and encouraged her to take courses, learn on the job and continually grow. And when he retired, she was ready to become the company’s Managing Partner. Today, her focus on continuous learning is as strong as ever. “Our industry is always evolving and everyone on the team has to stay current. Cars are computers on wheels today and the technical changes are constant, so training is definitely a high priority for our team. We don’t just focus on automotive training, we understand that people’s interests evolve so when employees ask for different types of development, we listen. For example one of our employees expressed interest in getting her business certificate, now she’s enrolled and we’re happy to support her with her studies,” explains Chelsea.

At Parr Auto Body Chelsea is creating a people focused culture. It means camaraderie within the team, treating everyone (including customers) like family and living their values of honesty integrity, safety, craftsmanship and community daily. She explains that along with her partners, she wants everyone within the team to know that they are valued. They want their customers to know that they care. She adds: “To achieve that, when we hire people, we of course look at their knowledge and experience, and we pay attention to their personality. Do they have traits that demonstrate their respect for people and their desire to help and constantly improve? Gender doesn’t really enter in the equation; we just look for good people. That’s how today nearly half of our team of 22 people are women, including six of our technical people such as our lead detailer, journeyperson collision repair technicians, parts and insurance liaison and others.”

“Really what’s important for us is that when people walk in the door, they see themselves represented in our team; they feel welcomed and cared for. And they know that we’re going to do our best to get them back on the road safely as quickly as we can. That’s how we change the image of our industry one collision repair at a time.”

Kim Kos Kavia Autobody

In 2006, in search of a Monday-to-Friday job she approached Raj Kavia then owner of the company.

“I felt welcomed in the shop every time I would stop by. I was a customer and Raj became a friend. One day I asked him for a job. I started as a parts person and eventually became part of the leadership team as the office manager. When Raj retired in 2019, I became one of the owners and the general manager. Late last year, we were acquired by the Auto-Canada group, it was a good opportunity. Now I still get to lead but we have AutoCanada’s network and comprehensive systems to keep growing and providing excellent service. It’s allowed me to have more balance between work and home with my husband and two children.”

Kim explains that the original owners were immigrants of East Indian descent originally from Africa. The Kavia family had left Africa and after a few years in Europe arrived in Canada in 1983. Having been in the automotive services industry since their days in Africa and after acquiring experience in innovative paint technologies while in Europe, they quickly opened a shop in Saskatoon. First on 11th Street and later, they built their state-of-the-art facility on 33rd Street. The shop organically became the go to for many immigrants and people of diverse backgrounds. The values of respect and trust is what attracted and retained customers and workers alike. “These values and our multi-cultural workforce continue to carry us today. We have the same expectations of everyone and we provide equal and fair treatment for all. It also means that we take time to educate our customers, in particular women and young people, about the repairs their vehicles need and the insurance process in non-technical terms,” says Kim.

At Kavia trust, equal and fair treatment also means that the pay structure is based on credentials and experience and that accolades are team based. “Everyone works together, helps each other, and owns and resolves mistakes together,” states Kim.

At the beginning diversity at Kavia was mostly ethnic, today it spans the full spectrum. Kim says, “The industry is changing. It’s not dirty, dusty and with heavy parts like it use to be. Today many parts are in aluminium, so lighter, and the work is more detailed and increasingly computerized. It means that the old excuses and stereotypes that people used to exclude women from that work are no longer valid.”

“The collision repair industry is creating jobs and women definitely belong here. There are jobs we didn’t envision years ago. For example, who knew that one day we’d need IT people to repair vehicles?!” exclaims Kim.

Kim’s team now counts 26 staff including eight of them women. She is proud to say that her latest apprenticeship recruit is a young woman who received the inaugural Kavia Scholarship at Saskatchewan Polytechnic for being at the top of her class as a collision repair technician. “It’s nice to see many women entering the industry on the technical side. This industry has a lot to offer in terms of job satisfaction, good salaries and opportunities for growth. When women see other women in this type of industry it opens their eyes to opportunities and that’s a good thing.”

Brittany Huber Dodge City Collision

For Brittany Huber with the new year came a new job title and responsibilities; on January 1, 2023 she became the Body Shop Manager at Dodge City Collision Centre. But don’t let her youth fool you, Brittany has a history of working in places that don’t often attract women.

She’s worked for an automotive parts supplier, in a cement company and for a wholesaler of safety, facility maintenance and industrial supplies. “I’ve never been afraid to try a new job, jump in a new industry and learn something new. I came to Dodge City five years ago as an office manager, then I became an assistant manager and today I manage the collision centre,” says Brittany with a smile.

Although she is the first woman to hold this position at Dodge City Collision, Brittany is quick to point out that within the Dodge City dealership women represent about 25% of the employees. Brittany explains, “Obviously we understand the benefits of having a diverse team and we want to attract women, but it’s not always easy when it is just plain hard to hire technicians overall. There’s a shortage of qualified technicians so I would encourage anyone to consider entering the automotive and collision repair industry.”

“We think of different ways to recruit and retain people in the industry. One of these ways is by offering training. Young people are often focused on growing their career, we offer them the opportunity to do that. Dodge City is also part of the AutoCanada group, it gives our people access to many opportunities for training and a vast network of industry people to learn from. Recently we started a group chat across AutoCanada’s operations dedicated to women. It allows us to not only talk about challenges but also brainstorm solutions to make our operations more welcoming and attractive for women and others.”

When talking with Brittany it is easy to see that she is determined and has a passion for her job. She talks about being focused on creating a culture built on respect for people, processes and procedures and attention to details. Asked about how women fit in her vision, she says that “Women need to understand that the road in this industry might not always be smooth because it takes time to change old habits; but it is truly rewarding and the key is to not quit. Although some people, men in particular, may be skeptical and doubt women’s ability and knowledge, women can rise above that. Here when someone questions one of our ladies’ repairs recommendations and asks to speak to the manager, they’re generally shocked when I walk in. It makes me laugh. Clearly, we still have a ways to go, but thanks to many women who are paving the way, like Chelsea Stebner, Kim Kos, and a few others, we’re making strides.”