Made in Saskatchewan: Regina Auto Body

Every other week on The Greg Morgan Morning Show, Greg profiles a local business with Made in Saskatchewan, as entrepreneurs go from dreams to reality. In this episode, Greg catches up with Mike Mario, the third-generation owner of a local institution; Regina Auto Body, to talk about the evolution of his business and the industry.

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Listen to the full interview, or read the transcript below:

Every other week on The Greg Morgan Morning Show, Greg profiles a local business with Made in Saskatchewan, as entrepreneurs go from dreams to reality. In this episode, Greg catches up with Mike Mario, the third-generation owner of a local institution; Regina Auto Body, to talk about the evolution his business and the industry.

GREG MORGAN: Regina Auto Body is one of the most historic collision repair shops in Western Canada. They have been fixing cars longer than most neighbourhoods have existed in this city, and at the heart of it for decades, third-generation owner, collision repair expert, keeper of one of Regina’s coolest local legacies, Mike Mario, who claims his shop is older than most other businesses in this city.

MIKE MARIO: It is, yeah. We started the business in 1924, shoeing horses and fixing carriage milk wagons.

Yes, Mike is now the keeper of that legacy, and he’s full of stories about Regina’s growth, automotive history, and the evolution of collision repair.

MARIO: It was servicing like the Model Ts and the milk wagons. There was a co-op creamery right across the street, and so the blacksmith here that used to shoe the horses, he would also straighten out the doors on the milk wagons because the streets were so brutal here. So the carriages would fall over, and they would have to align the doors and get everything aligned so they could pull it back down the brutal streets.

And that was 100 years ago. And if you’re wondering whether the structure of the building has remained untouched? Well, no.

MARIO: It’s on the same footprint, especially the office area here. It’s on the exact same footprint. It was a long building, and then some of it burned down in the mid 50s. And then they built a brick building in 1958, which is still there.

From past to present, Mike has heard and seen it all, and it’s the only job he’s ever had. He started working there in high school, arranging his classes around shop hours, and earned his journeyman certification in 1982. He and his brothers bought the business in the 90s to continue the Mario family legacy. The shop is known for its innovation. In fact, Mike focuses on researching new repair techniques and improving efficiency all the time. He believes cars are like computers on wheels. Fixing a car from the 70s to now, there’s no comparison.

MARIO: It’s really different. There is so much research that goes into repairing a car, the calibrations, the sensors that are on a vehicle. In the 70s, it would be just taking a bumper off and putting a new one on. Now it’s overhaul the bumper. There’s probably 50 or 60 parts within this bumper. You have to make sure that none of these pieces are broken.

And where do they get so many parts for so many vehicles, old and new?

MARIO: They come from all over. The insurance company wants to repair the vehicle in the most economical fashion, right? So if there’s aftermarket parts, they’ll put aftermarket parts on. If there’s used parts, they’ll put used parts on. If the panel can be repaired, they will repair it.

What do you do when you can’t find the right part?

MARIO: We try to fix it or search around the world for the right part.

And if there was ever any misconception about the auto body industry, Mike Mario wishes to clear it up now.

MARIO: People think we’re dishonest and we charge a lot for what we do, but we don’t. It costs a lot to repair vehicles now.

If you’re still not sure where Regina Auto Body is, think about that Geo Metro car on Saskatchewan Drive that appears to have crashed into the wall. There’s a story behind that too.

MARIO: Well, it didn’t start with the Geo Metro. So what happened with that? With the first car, it was a Pontiac 2000, if I remember correctly. It was probably later in 80s, and we were getting the lot clean from snow. And the Bobcat driver was zipping around, left his bucket up, and knocked it off the wall. And so we had to replace it with a Geo Metro.

Regina Auto Body now employs about 25 people, and Mike feels they’re positioned for the future. Ownership involves a number of partners, and Mike’s super proud of his staff. And they continue to build their reputation on the same advice he’d give anyone else going into business.

MARIO: It’s hard work and staying with it, staying the path of what your values are. I think that’s the most important thing is just treating people the way you want to be treated and persevering.

And be open to suggestions too.

MARIO: Have a plan. Get the right people surrounding you. You know that’s so important to have quality people around you for advice and talking to other business owners too. That if you ever run into a brick wall, like just like ask another business owner. It might not be what your business is, but there’s so much help out there.

I guess I would add one final lesson of my own that I learned from Mike. If you want Regina’s attention, don’t just hang a sign. Drive a car through the wall. Here’s to another 100 years, Mike, to Regina Auto Body.