Celebrate Small Business Saturday with CARSTAR
Long-time CARSTAR owner Peter Chavez with son Kenneth Chavez
Celebrate Small Business Saturday with CARSTAR
CARSTAR, North America’s leading provider of premier collision repairs, is celebrating its network of independent owners this Small Business Saturday.
Founded in 1989 by Lirel Holt on the belief that a network of high-quality collision repair facilities would benefit consumers, CARSTAR paved its own future, never wavering on its founding values.
“We were the first CARSTAR store, joining the network on October 1, 1989,” says Gerald Wicklund, owner of Wicklund’s CARSTAR Collision Center. “Our location in Liberty, Missouri is now a three-generation CARSTAR. To this day, I would highly recommend that a person join CARSTAR purely for the fact that you can do things that you could not do by yourself, from hosting golf tournaments to procurement support, while still being a local owner and operator.”
In 1994, CARSTAR expanded to Canada with master franchisee Sam Mercanti and from there, the business expanded rapidly across the nation starting with the Saputo family and the Lucarelli family.
“Sam Mercanti advised us that it would be in our best interest to join CARSTAR, which is where our journey began,” said Paul Saputo, owner of CARSTAR Ancaster East and West. “As one of the first Canadian franchise partners, we were encouraged to operate as the best collision repair facility we could be. Here we are decades later, accelerating our drive to exceed expectations and really the sky is the limit for us and CARSTAR as an entire network.”
Having celebrated many milestones over the years including, CARSTAR still recognizes its humble beginnings and growth along the way.
“Having been with CARSTAR since the beginning of its Canadian history, we have been able to witness the team make strategic decisions alongside industry advancements to help us achieve these milestone accomplishments,” says Domenic Lucarelli, owner of CARSTAR Stoney Creek. “Our favourite part about CARSTAR though has been the lasting friendships we have created. Relationships that once centered on business have now evolved into friendships with our insurance partners, vendors, customers and other owners. It is exciting to see the next generation, like our two sons Joseph and Domenic Jr., follow in these footsteps and succeed with CARSTAR, just like we have.”
Across North America, the industry’s consolidation rates have yet to slow. Knowing that the trend is continuing at this pace, having the support of CARSTAR has proved incredibly beneficial for its network. Allowing franchise partners to independently own and operate their facility, but with the boosted support of the CARSTAR brand, guidance and resources is what the majority of its network sites as their reason for joining this industry leader.
CARSTAR looks forward to communities across North America supporting their neighbourhood CARSTAR facility this Small Business Saturday.
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