This harsh blast of winter may be over but it’s left brutal road conditions and an auto body boom in its wake.
“We’ve had to hire more staff, we have more people in the front office, we have appraisers, we have two or three more tech’s that we’ve hired and we still can’t keep up,” said Kevin Fujita, Owner of Kustom Auto Body in Coaldale.
It’s days like Thursday that seem to be fueling the fire for repairs. Gusting winds and treacherous black ice have sent dozens of vehicles into a tail spin all over Alberta highways, bringing an influx of work to other seasonal businesses
“Ten, 20, 30 below stuff, up to a six hour wait. We’ve had a definite increase because of the weather for sure,” said Owner of TNT Towing, Jay Petri.
While the craze and demand is welcomed by business owners many have yet to determine just how profitable this year will be.
“it’s not normal for us, it’s not normal for southern Alberta to be booked up months and months in advance,” said Fujita. “We’re definitely busy, we haven’t even had time to sit down and see if we’re making money.”
This year’s extreme weather-from flooding, to hailstorms, to blizzards has been a record one in many aspects and that includes record wait times for repairs.
“Waits could be anywhere from a month to months, depending on the size of the shop and the amount of work they have at the moment,” added Fujita. “It’s going to keep us going probably into at least June, July of next year for sure.”
Both businesses say they prioritize emergency situations over minor fender benders. On a normal winter day you could wait up to three hours for a tow and your vehicle may not see the inside of a shop until Spring.
Comments