Newfoundland Collision Repair Facility Named Bodyshop of the Year

CARSTAR Collision Centre in St. John’s, Newfoundland, has been named the Bodyshop Magazine Bodyshop of the Year.

“CARSTAR Collision Centre was named to the award, the first year it has been presented, due to the overwhelmingly positive feedback we received for nominated businesses,” says Bodyshop Magazine publisher Andrew Ross.

“From all accounts the ownership, management, and the entire team are focussed on ensuring a positive customer experience and on working well with their supplier and insurance partners.”

They are also very involved in industry association work as well as promoting the industry through their work with local schools, he adds.

“You don’t do this to get recognized, but then to all of a sudden get recognized by your peers and industry partners is just fantastic,” says Ray Cranford, general manager. “It’s great to be able to share this sort of award with our staff.

“We’ve got a great team here, right from the ownership on down to the guys in the shop, and this is a real credit to everyone’s hard work.”

The business was selected from nominated shops across Canada.

The 8,500 square foot facility was opened by franchisee Doug Russel in 2006 at a cost of some $1.6 million to accommodate rapid growth the business was experiencing..

Russell, who has more than 25 year of of experience in the collision repair business, joined the CARSTAR network in 2005. He also operates local GM dealership, Terra Nova Motors.

Cranford says that the collision repair business has more than doubled its volume in the past two years and has continued to expand its relationship with insurers.

CARSTAR Collision Centre will be profiled in the upcoming June issue of Bodyshop Magazine.

The Bodyshop Magazine Bodyshop of the Year Award was created to celebrate the Canadian collision repair industry by recognizing bodyshops that exemplify the qualities of excellent customer service, technical prowess, industry involvement, and industry image building through activities within their business and the communities they serve.

Bodyshop Magazine, founded in 1970, is the oldest, most respected magazine serving the collision repair industry in Canada. It is published by the Business Information Group, Canada’s leading business-to-business media company.

Headquartered in Toronto, the company publishes magazines and web content for two dozen industries including automotive, trucking, mining, manufacturing, architecture, dentistry, and others.