2026 CARSTAR Conference Makes a Big “Impact”

Opening day delivered some highly educational, inspiring and truly heartfelt content

From August 18-20, CARSTAR Canada hosted its 2026 Annual Conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Under the tagline “Impact,” the event drew hundreds of CARSTAR franchise owners, corporate staff, vendor partners, and other industry professionals to the expansive Halifax Convention Centre for three days of keynote sessions, breakouts, networking opportunities and charity initiatives. The event began with the Seaside Stride Charity Walk through the streets of Halifax, raising money for Cystic Fibrosis Canada. Despite the rainy weather, attendees took it all in stride, raising an impressive $10,500. 

Delivering value

Later that afternoon, the conference officially got underway. Dave Foster, Senior Vice President, Operations for CARSTAR Canada took to the stage to welcome everyone and deliver what proved to be an inspiring and powerful leadership message. Foster noted that while the collision repair industry, like many others is currently navigating a myriad of challenges, the greatest opportunities tend to show up during the most difficult periods. He applauded franchisees and other stakeholders for taking a road “that demands resilience and absolute courage.” Foster said that CARSTAR’s goal is to bring long term value for every single franchise owner in the network, and the brand is a promise—made at a moment when people feel vulnerable—a promise to steer them through difficult times and deliver an outcome that offers confidence, satisfaction and reassurance. 

And the key to delivering on that promise, comes down to discipline, focus and operational excellence. Foster noted that highly effective collision repair operators do not simply look at improving numbers, they instead change how it feels to run a business. By consistently focusing on ways to improve processes and consistently perform at an optimum level, the result is not only time saved, but “less stress, more pride and better lives for everyone.” 

Foster noted that while there is often a lot of emphasis on growth, real, valuable growth comes from maintaining relevancy, cultivating influence and being consistently relied upon as a trusted asset. “Profitability doesn’t happen by accident, but by design,” Foster emphasized, noting that respected brands command a premium for the services they provide. “At CARSTAR, our goal is not help you run a store, but build an asset,” he said.

“Foster said that CARSTAR’s goal is to bring long term value for every single franchise owner in the network, and the brand is a promise—made at a moment when people feel vulnerable—a promise to steer them through difficult times and deliver an outcome that offers confidence, satisfaction and reassurance.”

Complexity, scarcity and opportunity 

Next on the stage was Damien Reyna, Chief Operating Officer for the Driven Brands Collision Group. In delivering his executive leadership message, Reyna provided an analysis on where the market is from a North American perspective, and where it is likely headed. Reyna noted that in today’s operating environment, the combination of “complexity and scarcity drives opportunity for all of us.”

Reyna said that when the market becomes tighter [as is the case today] “execution becomes the advantage and that is how we create impact!”

Reyna provided an overview of his own career trajectory, starting out a CARSTAR store, cleaning up and detailing vehicles, before becoming a paint prepper, graduating to technical roles and ultimately management. Reyna said that his own career path revealed the importance of quality work and that “every detail matters.” He also noted that it is not only the work that you do, but the people that you surround yourself with that matters. Furthermore, Reyna stressed that understanding how people take pride in performing quality work is hugely important. 

He echoed Dave Foster’s sentiments in that strong businesses are built by disciplined people with disciplined processes. Reyna also said that when it comes to focus, it’s critical to zone in on the nuances that drive the entire business and not on things that do not matter. When it comes to processes, he said it was essential to focus on the basics, do them well and do them repeatedly. He noted that in today’s world, it can be very easy to get swallowed up in complexity, but as a leader, it is essential to not overcomplicate things and, despite the advances in technology and specific procedures, the actual process of repairing vehicles hasn’t changed that much. 

The overall experience

Focusing on market conditions, Reyna, stated that things have changed. Insurance claim volume has softened and many collision centres can no longer rely on work being sent to them or customers simply showing up at their door.  Furthermore, when work does come in, the claims and overall repair costs today are higher than they were in the past. Furthermore, said Reyna, customers are no longer just judging the quality of the collision repair itself, but the overall experience they’ve had in getting their car fixed. 

“Customers today are looking for speed of contact and service, and, they want the convenience of online tools and engagement,” Reyna stated. He noted that for service driven businesses [like collision centres] offering the ability for customers to engage and schedule appointments on their own time is essential today. And, if customers feel confident and trust that the repairs to their vehicle will be handled in a professional manner, they are far more likely to refer others to your business, which, in an environment where claims volumes are lower, provides a solid opportunity for shops to earn more business, particularly in that unpredictability in claims volume, tends to drive greater competition within the industry..

Reyna said macroeconomics is a key driver in consumer behaviour, determining where customers spend, what they spend and how they spend it. With that in mind, and also the uncertainty in claims volume, customer pay repairs are becoming a more important consideration for collision centres. Reyna said that when it comes to customer pay (and overall repair work for that matter) it was important for shops to focus on the things they can control, namely the standard and execution of the repair. 

Reyna noted that in today’s environment, a solid strategy relies on numbers, strong habits and disciplined execution. 

“Your KPIs and metrics will tell you where your business is under control and where the gaps are, so that you can fix them.” Reyna noted that when KPI performance is embedded into the business culture, growth follows, because confidence and trust increase. “And in a tight market, those kinds of relationships are even more important.”

He noted that “Impact” was not only the theme of the 2026 CARSTAR Conference, but an opportunity for shops and networks to separate themselves from the competition.

Sharing our stories

A very moving session came from Mike Downie, a renowned documentary filmmaker and older brother of former Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie. In his keynote session, Downie discussed the importance of storytelling, and that as Canadians, we need to share our stories with the world. “Stories open our eyes, our minds and our hearts,” said Downie and he showcased some specific stories that really hit home. On the collision repair front, he talked about the journey of Peter Chavez, who came to Canada with very little, and worked his way up to own a multimillion dollar, family owned and operated collision repair operation with seven locations. He also talked about the incredible, tragic and inspiring stories of jockey Ron Turcotte, who became a leading advocate for spinal cord research; of David Milgaard, who was wrongly imprisoned for 23 years and campaigned relentlessly for wrongful convictions, and Terry Fox; who inspired millions in 1980 with his Marathon of Hope run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. Downie said finding purpose in your life after so much is taken from you is tremendously inspiring and it is often those small stories that end up moving mountains—stories that can change the trajectory of personal lives, businesses, communities and ultimately history. 

Franchisee of the year

Following Downie’s keynote session, CARTAR presented its prestigious Franchisee of the Year award, which went to Jessy Dufresne and Eric Henault of CARSTAR Rawdon and CARSTAR St-Félix-de-Valois in Quebec. The award represented their exceptional track record, including excellence in business leadership, store performance, and a relentless commitment to excellence across the entire CARSTAR Canada network. It was an honour truly deserved.

Rounding off the evening, was an opening night celebration, held at Pier 23 down on Halifax’s historic waterfront. With ample samplings of local cuisine including fresh seafood and various activities, including games and fundraising initiatives, it was the perfect end to the first day of this incredible conference.