Overseeing Opportunity

Story by SARAH PERKINS,
Photos by SHLOMI AMIGA

View Original Article Here

The automotive industry is a ever-evolving landscape—and collision repair prevails as a field rich with opportunities, and also rife with challenges to overcome. Having grown up in the industry, and now collision centre manager at Bramgate Collision Centre and Bramgate Volkswagen, Ryan Hurdman was taught at an early age that the key to success is experience, the willingness to step in and learn and the tenacity to build a strong foundation of teamwork using the lessons gained from both the industry’s benefits and difficulties.

Hurdman first began working in the industry at 14 years old. His father, who opened a General Motors dealership in 1991, exposed Ryan to a crash course in automotive repair. From working in the service department to cleaning the shop and assisting the technicians, Ryan quickly became an everyman with a kind of early apprenticeship for what would soon become a more serious career.

“My grandfather owned a Ford dealership,” Hurdman said, “and with my father having owned a GM dealership, the automotive industry has always been a part of my life.” “I’ve pretty much done it all. Cleaning and maintaining the dealership, driving the customer shuffle, parts advisor, service advisor, collision supervisor, sales associate and now, more recently, collision centre manager and general manager.”

“In the beginning, when I got my driver’s license, I became more involved in the shop and interacting with customers as a service advisor. I worked summers there until I finished school, then I started working as a service advisor full time.”

Ryan quickly developed a goal-driven mindset for his approach to the industry— one complemented by a degree in business management—and founded in the desire to learn and grow for the future, and in the case of collision repair, to face the unexpected. “When I was working full time as a service advisor, my next goal was to become a service manager. When people ask me how I got into the collision side of the business, I always tell them it was by accident—pun intended. My father’s dealership had a collision centre and the manager at that time had given his two weeks notice. I was asked to step in and learn everything I could as there was no guarantee of finding a replacement manager in the time frame.”

“I was 23 years old at the time, and my father went, ‘okay, get in there.’ I joke about it now, but at the time, I went home with a headache every night from just trying to absorb as much information as I could from the outgoing manager.”

However, despite the sudden learning curve and having previously “known nothing about the bodyshop side of the industry,” Ryan still had the support of those who came before him.

“Our previous manager was super helpful in teaching me. He was the first one to really introduce me to the collision industry. We still stay in touch. Even after he left the position, we would have monthly calls where we would catch up. It was a huge support for me, and he also became someone that I could have a healthy competition with, and this helped drive me forwards that much more.”

It took Ryan six months to ultimately feel comfortable in the role. During this time, he had to learn as much information as possible and to work with the—by today’s standards—outdated tech.

“At the time, we didn’t have the technology that we have now. We were still using floppy disks to store images of damages and the insurance industry was much more spread out. I was trying to learn the ropes while also learning 23 different insurers’ estimating processes. Even after doing the job, I originally turned the role down when it was formally offered to me. It felt like a big leap to make at 23 years old.”

However, having stuck to his desire to embrace opportunities when they arrive, and having found a passion in the industry, Ryan continued in the position and today, tries to impart a similar mindset in those he trains. “I encourage the young people in our facility to take any opportunity that comes to them and run with it. Face challenges head-on; if you make mistakes, we can work through them and then that’s a learning opportunity as well. On-the-job training is extremely valuable. It’s about paying attention and taking lots of notes, but it’s also about gaining experience.”

“I want my employees to feel empowered to make their own successes and mistakes without the fear of failure. That’s how you really build a confident team.” In his tenure as general manager, Ryan has successfully filled every technician bay in the collision centre and currently has 18 employees at Bramgate.

Ryan’s management style is unique—he does not feel as if he belongs to any one school of thought as he takes pieces from different styles and uses them everyday. When asked by Collision Repair what his biggest success has been in the industry so far, Ryan commented that “excluding the first Covid year, I’ve managed to grow the business by one million dollars or more year over year for the last 12 years.”

“Within this success, the biggest challenges have been continuing to find ways to achieve this growth, whether this is by creating more efficient processes, building strategic business partnerships or bringing businesses in house.”

Today, the shop currently holds certifications for Volkswagen and Audi. Bramgate is the only Audi-certified collision repair facility in Ontario’s Peel Region. And, in continuing to look ahead to see what opportunities may be on the horizon, when asked about future plans for the business, Ryan was quick to stress sustainability and growth.

“We are currently reviewing other manufacturer certifications we feel would be beneficial and align with our strategy for growth. Bringing sublet services in house is another strategy that would allow us to grow and reduce our length of repair.”

“The Bramgate building has also been in business since the late 1960s and so there have also been talks of potential future expansions or the development of other shops in the Mississauga region. I would like to be able to grow Bramgate to be in league with places like Budds’ Collision and Pfaff Autoworks.” While Ryan Hurdman may have been born into the automotive industry, it is choosing to embrace all that the collision repair industry has to offer—both the good and the bad—that has allowed him to take the foundations of his youth and turn them into a community that is always putting their best foot forward.

The beginning of his collision career may have felt like being thrown into the deep end, but Ryan continues to tread forwards into a future that he is excited for and more than glad that he stuck around to see.

“I joke and say that once you’re in this industry, you have a two-year window to leave before you’re in it for life. I’m glad to be in it for the long haul and I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds.”