Alberta is a province known for its pro-business outlook and that’s reflected in entrepreneur success stories like that of Arik Hasson, who owns and operates Simplicity Car Care Foothills and Simplicity Car Care Country Hills in Calgary, Alta. 

Hasson was born into a collision and vehicle repair background. “My dad owned and managed his own shops, and as a kid, I would go to work with him, often on a Saturday and watch and observe what he did. I’ve always liked cars and the atmosphere of the shop environment.”

Buying, selling and building

Later, Hasson would end up doing military service overseas, but when he came back to Canada, his father was still actively involved in the business. Arik actually began his career buying and selling cars and then started repairing them, beginning with his own vehicles which led to a career in the collision repair trade. In 2008, Hasson was able to open his first collision repair shop, under the banner, Ultimate Fixx. “It was a small place, where we serviced customers on a very low scale.” Nevertheless, it proved successful, and the level of service that Hasson offered quickly spread, attracting more customers. 

This became readily apparent when the collision repair landscape began to shift, and more corporate type locations began to set up. Hasson felt that while this represented more competition for small independents, one advantage he had was the personal touch when it came to the customer experience. “It was important for us, to guide our clients through every step of the collision repair process, so they knew what was involved and knew there was someone they could directly talk to, instead of feeling like a number.” 

Nevertheless, as time went on, Hasson knew that he had to expand the business and that meant finding a way to obtain contracts with insurers. “We could see that was where the industry was heading, and when you have those contracts, it’s essentially guaranteed work and you’re not constantly fighting the process. When you have a contract, it tends to be much easier for both parties to work together, because you understand the terms, and it becomes easier and more efficient to get cars in and perform the work.”

Business expansion

While it was tough to gain insurance contracts as time, went by, Hasson was nevertheless able to secure one with a major insurer and expand his business, growing the original location at 441572 Avenue Southeast in Calgary, to 10,000 square feet and employing 11 staff, including three licensed Red Seal collision repair technicians. While business was good, Hasson could see that for independents, the future was likely to present a tougher operating environment, particularly for insurance repairs, as more and more, carriers were looking to partner with major networks where contracts and billing could be organized through a centralized system, one where those networks were representing a multitude of different shops.

Around a decade after first opening, Arik, knew that he needed to partner with a network, and in 2019 attended Simplicity Car Care’s Road Show event in Calgary. “I was invited to the event and got talking with Simplicity CEO Paul Prochilo and network President Domenic Ieraci.” It was these conversations that planted the seed for joining the network. “We had a similar mindset,” recalls Hasson. “They were collision shop operators, and they knew and understood the pressures and challenges we face in the industry,” says Hasson. Additionally, he explains, “they also had this sense of community and when we joined Simplicity Car Care officially, we found that we’d become part of this big family. I was really excited,” says Hasson, “to have the opportunity to take our skills and experience to the next level and grow with them. When we joined, we officially became the 19th shop in the Simplicity Car Care network.” 

Major investments

Since then, Hasson and the business has seen major growth. “We’ve made big investments in equipment and training, and we’ve also expanded with a second location.” The new store, located at 11358 Barlow Trail Northeast, boasts 5,500 square feet, with nine staff including two Red Seal collision technicians and a painter. Named Simplicity Car Care Country Hills, the second location opened in 2022 and together, the two facilities are known colloquially as “The Hills.”

“The second store was a great opportunity for us, as we were able to open it in a largely residential part of Calgary where there aren’t a lot of collision centres. “We quickly found out there was a real need for this kind of work in that area, and it’s a busy store, with great customers and in a very convenient location.”

In terms of business progression, Arik says that the COVID-19 pandemic, while causing a huge amount of disruption, also provided the opportunity for training and further advancing repair procedures and practices. “Today there’s a lot more focus on repairing panels and other items like bumper covers instead of replacing them. For us it’s been a lot more efficient, more profitable and there’s less waste going to landfills.” It’s also helped the business contend with issues such as backordered parts, which became a growing headache for the industry during and immediately following the later stages of the pandemic.

Focal point

Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS) technology has also become a focal point for the industry in recent years, as more vehicles come equipped with these features. For Hasson, ensuring that vehicles are repaired properly and safely continues to be a fundamental foundation, and he works with local ADAS service providers to ensure each vehicle is properly calibrated before it is signed off and delivered to the client. “It’s all about ensuring our customers are safe and that’s been our motto from day one.”

Regarding the future and potential expansion, Arik notes that it’s something he’s looking towards, including adding further locations, though he says when and where will depend on market demand. “I’m very happy with the success and growth at we’ve seen, but when and where we expand will depend on our customers, our employees and the opportunities that present themselves.”

Based on the success and growth that Hasson and “The Hills,” have seen, it looks like the business has a bright future. “We’ve been able to achieve a lot since joining Simplicity Car Care, and work/life balance, efficiency and productivity has increased significantly. Becoming part of the network is one of the best decisions we’ve ever made.”