The Prairie Way

Garry Forstey’s Avalon Auto Service would at first glance seem to be an anachronism. An independent shop, operating in a Canadian urban center populated with dealers, major chains and discount “big box” competition. And the city in question is Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, where population growth isn’t the sharp upward curve seen in Eastern Canada. Does this business climate seem difficult to you? Not to Forstey: “It’s not difficult. We’re very fortunate. We’ve had a good clientele for many years. We’ve made a reputation as an honest shop. It’s all based on honesty. We don’t have trouble making new clients. We’re averaging 35 new clients a month. It’s been a good experience working here over the last 28 years.”

Forstey is reluctant to brag about his clean, progressive-looking operation. “I don’t like to blow my own horn, but relative to the shops in our area, we are the competition. We keep up with the times, and keep the shop professional looking.”

The combination of a good reputation and a modern facility has created customer demand that means expansion for the 4-bay operation. “It’s busy; we’re expanding. We have four bays right now, and we’re adding three more. Our last bay will be converted into a lube bay. We were losing a lot of our oil change business to the rapid lubes. People’s lives are busy.”

Key drivers in Avalon Auto’s success are the understanding that convenience is a natural entry point for time-pressed consumers, and that maintenance is a win-win proposition for service providers and consumers. “We’re at ’50-50′ (service to maintenance ratio) now, but we’re going in the direction of maintenance. For us that means tune-ups, fluids changes and filter changes. We use menu pricing for basic maintenance services. You win some and lose some; sometimes you have to eat a little on the labour side. The beauty of maintenance is that you don’t spend diagnostic time. It’s a nice drive-in job. When you book, you know how long it will take. It’s better money, and it’s better in the long run for the customer.”

Garry maintains customer relationships the old-fashioned way, although an Internet presence will be part of expansion. “Saskatoon is really like a small town. A lot of our advertising is word of mouth. We’re in a residential area. We do an annual calendar giveaway and sponsor local hockey. Community involvement is very important to us.”

At $79.11/hr, Avalon Auto’s door rate is low by Central Canadian standards, but is on the way up. “We’re a little lower than some area shops. With our new bays we’ll be upgrading equipment, so that will go up. The average rate in Saskatoon is about $85. Our competition is a lot cheaper than us”, declares Forstey.

Difficulties? Information lock-out is a factor in Saskatchewan as everywhere, according to Forstey: “We’ve seen it. You do lose some because you can’t work with it. We’re (as an industry) going to have to do something about it. I don’t think the dealers should try to run us out of the business. There’s lots of market to share. They don’t have to hoard it that way.”

Garry Forstey’s conversation is peppered with classic Prairie value terms like “honesty, sharing, and family. About life in Saskatoon, he states, “It’s great. It’s a slower pace of life. At 275,000, it’s a nice size for a city. It’s a great community to raise a family and make a home. We’ve made a comfortable living for the last 28 years. My son-in-law and son are willing to take the reins. I don’t think I’ll ever retire. It’s the people that keep me going. Over the years I’ve made a lot of friends with my customers, too. I treat them the way I’d like to be treated and we all get along.”

About Avalon Auto Service

Location: 2601 Broadway Ave. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Years at this location: 20<

Number of Bays: 4, 3 under construction

Technical staff: 5 technicians, 2 apprentices plus owner

Affiliation: Bumper to Bumper One Stop Service

About Garry Forstey

Age: 48

Married, wife Susanne, children Melissa and Mikel

Years in Trade: 28

Years at current location: 20