Expert craftsmanship and family have always been the foundations of No.1 Autobody Ltd.
Our story begins circa 1978, when a local bodyman and painter who were co-workers together had a vision of branching our on their own. They decided to combine their years of experience and skills and take a chance at opening their own Auto Body Shop. With a leap of faith and a lot of hard work, the two left their positions and purchased a building on Coulter Road, which they transformed into an Auto Body Shop. With this, No.1 Autobody Ltd was born. Now the two men were not only growing their young families, but a new business as well. Suffice to say, both fellows had a lot on their plates.
In the beginning, the team consisted of the two men doing bodywork and paint work, as well as assisting customers. - there was no administrative staff aside from a Bookkeeper. In 19xx, they hired their first Bodyman. (Was Jeff the first bodyman? Did they hire 2 at the same time? What about admin staff?) The team grew and eventually consisted of some of the men's family working for the company as well.
No.1 Autobody quickly gained a reputation of delivering quality and professional work around town, and word quickly spread. To this day, the reputation is well-known throughout Vancouver Island and beyond.
The shop continued to grow and in 2001(?) the two founders decided it was time for a change, and to continue on to other ventures. Wanting the shop to go to somebody who they believed had the skill to continue to grow the business, the two fellows approached another local in the industry. They approached Perry Klit, who had a background in Automotive Painting and was currently working as an Auto Body Manager at a local dealership at the time. Ironically, he was also working at the same place the original two fellows were at when they decided to branch off and form No.1 Autobody together.
Perry became the new owner of No.1 Autobody Ltd. and the two founders went on to other ventures. One of the original owners decided to stay on as an employee and continue doing (paint? body work) for the time being. Like the original two owners, Perry was also growing his family at this time and had two young children at home. Becoming a business owner and growing a company while raising two young (toddlers?) is not for the faint of heart!
With a new owner came some changes as well - two new buildings. The shop was moved from one building on Coulter Road to two separate buildings next-door on North Island Highway. The two buildings were merged into one, growing the shop as well as the team. The shop went from having ___ auto body bay and ___ paint booth, to _____ auto body bays and ____ paint booths. The team consisted of approximately ____ members by this time, and the name changed to CR No.1 Autobody Ltd. Perry's wife Diana also came on as part of the team working evenings in the beginning. Day and night they worked at expanding their company while raising two young ones.
Perry continued to grow the business over the next ____ years, and in that time many changes took place within the industry and technology as well. The team continued to grow- within the shop and in the office.
In 20XX, Perry became part of the Collision Solution Network by Joining CSN Collision Centres as a licensee. CSN was founded in 2002 by a group of four successful collision repair owners. It was established to assist independent collision repair facilities to improve their operations through performance assessments, ongoing training, and marketing initiatives. CSN Collision Centres is one of Canada’s most advanced networks of independently owned and operated collision repair facilities. CSN is proud that all licensees have a vested interest in the company and their communities. Perry saw much potential within the Collision Solutions Network, and joined CR No.1 Autobody as a member. Being a part of CSN also offers a National Lifetime Warranty on all repairs while the vehicle is owned by the same owner.
By 2017, Perry decided to start making plans for what would happen to the shop when he retired. CR No.1 Autobody was his pride and joy - he had poured his heart and soul into the business over the last XX years. He wanted to be sure the shop would go to a new owner who he could trust to continue to expand the business and had the skills to do so, and somebody he could work alongside with. He wanted to give this opportunity to somebody else who came from a similar background as himself. Perry approached James Giesinger; a previous employee and son of one of the original bodymen hired. Ironically, at the time James was also managing the same body shop that Perry had managed before purchasing No.1 Autobody. This was the same shop the original two men were working at before founding the company as well! Perry knew James as he had worked for Perry in the past as a painter, and his father was one of the original (first? second) automotive bodymen hired at No.1 Autobody.
Perry and James discussed the opportunity, and it was agreed upon that James would return to CR No.1 Autobody Ltd to work alongside Perry and join him as a co-owner. In November 2017 James took a leap and left his previous place of employment he had built his career at for the last __ years, and joined Perry. Like Perry and the original two founding men, James was also starting this venture while growing a young family - he had an 18 month toddler at the time he joined with Perry.
The business name was changed to No.1 Autobody Ltd, and to this day Perry and James can be found running the shop alongside eachother.
Our story begins circa 1978, when a local bodyman and painter who were co-workers together had a vision of branching our on their own. They decided to combine their years of experience and skills and take a chance at opening their own Auto Body Shop. With a leap of faith and a lot of hard work, the two left their positions and purchased a building on Coulter Road, which they transformed into an Auto Body Shop. With this, No.1 Autobody Ltd was born. Now the two men were not only growing their young families, but a new business as well. Suffice to say, both fellows had a lot on their plates.
In the beginning, the team consisted of the two men doing bodywork and paint work, as well as assisting customers. - there was no administrative staff aside from a Bookkeeper. In 19xx, they hired their first Bodyman. (Was Jeff the first bodyman? Did they hire 2 at the same time? What about admin staff?) The team grew and eventually consisted of some of the men's family working for the company as well.
No.1 Autobody quickly gained a reputation of delivering quality and professional work around town, and word quickly spread. To this day, the reputation is well-known throughout Vancouver Island and beyond.
The shop continued to grow and in 2001(?) the two founders decided it was time for a change, and to continue on to other ventures. Wanting the shop to go to somebody who they believed had the skill to continue to grow the business, the two fellows approached another local in the industry. They approached Perry Klit, who had a background in Automotive Painting and was currently working as an Auto Body Manager at a local dealership at the time. Ironically, he was also working at the same place the original two fellows were at when they decided to branch off and form No.1 Autobody together.
Perry became the new owner of No.1 Autobody Ltd. and the two founders went on to other ventures. One of the original owners decided to stay on as an employee and continue doing (paint? body work) for the time being. Like the original two owners, Perry was also growing his family at this time and had two young children at home. Becoming a business owner and growing a company while raising two young (toddlers?) is not for the faint of heart!
With a new owner came some changes as well - two new buildings. The shop was moved from one building on Coulter Road to two separate buildings next-door on North Island Highway. The two buildings were merged into one, growing the shop as well as the team. The shop went from having ___ auto body bay and ___ paint booth, to _____ auto body bays and ____ paint booths. The team consisted of approximately ____ members by this time, and the name changed to CR No.1 Autobody Ltd. Perry's wife Diana also came on as part of the team working evenings in the beginning. Day and night they worked at expanding their company while raising two young ones.
Perry continued to grow the business over the next ____ years, and in that time many changes took place within the industry and technology as well. The team continued to grow- within the shop and in the office.
In 20XX, Perry became part of the Collision Solution Network by Joining CSN Collision Centres as a licensee. CSN was founded in 2002 by a group of four successful collision repair owners. It was established to assist independent collision repair facilities to improve their operations through performance assessments, ongoing training, and marketing initiatives. CSN Collision Centres is one of Canada’s most advanced networks of independently owned and operated collision repair facilities. CSN is proud that all licensees have a vested interest in the company and their communities. Perry saw much potential within the Collision Solutions Network, and joined CR No.1 Autobody as a member. Being a part of CSN also offers a National Lifetime Warranty on all repairs while the vehicle is owned by the same owner.
By 2017, Perry decided to start making plans for what would happen to the shop when he retired. CR No.1 Autobody was his pride and joy - he had poured his heart and soul into the business over the last XX years. He wanted to be sure the shop would go to a new owner who he could trust to continue to expand the business and had the skills to do so, and somebody he could work alongside with. He wanted to give this opportunity to somebody else who came from a similar background as himself. Perry approached James Giesinger; a previous employee and son of one of the original bodymen hired. Ironically, at the time James was also managing the same body shop that Perry had managed before purchasing No.1 Autobody. This was the same shop the original two men were working at before founding the company as well! Perry knew James as he had worked for Perry in the past as a painter, and his father was one of the original (first? second) automotive bodymen hired at No.1 Autobody.
Perry and James discussed the opportunity, and it was agreed upon that James would return to CR No.1 Autobody Ltd to work alongside Perry and join him as a co-owner. In November 2017 James took a leap and left his previous place of employment he had built his career at for the last __ years, and joined Perry. Like Perry and the original two founding men, James was also starting this venture while growing a young family - he had an 18 month toddler at the time he joined with Perry.
The business name was changed to No.1 Autobody Ltd, and to this day Perry and James can be found running the shop alongside eachother.