BESPOKE COLLISION REPAIR

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Story by JOE LEARY

Brothers Scott and Robert Walker have always had their sights set on success. With a passion for luxury vehicles, and a strong desire to create innovative companies, they acquired via Walker Group Ventures a small collision repair facility in 1994, and No. 1 Collision was born.

With locations in Vancouver and Richmond, No. 1 Collision has established itself by focusing on doing two things well: taking care of its people, and taking care of its customers. Jason Cooper, Executive Vice President, has been with Walker Group Ventures for over a decade, and has seen the growth that occurs when you invest in your most valuable resource your people. With pride he notes that the technicians at No. 1 Collision are “some of the best in the world, constantly training on forthcoming innovation and technology in the industry. We have technicians training all over the country every month throughout the year.”

“ The industry was in need of a better collision repair experience for the customer.”

GROWTH UNDER THE HOOD

It’s that top-quality approach to collision repair that has led to explosive growth for No. 1 in recent years, with a new location under development in Southern California, along with recent openings in Washington State and the Greater Vancouver area. “The expansion has definitely been organic,” Cooper says. “The luxury automotive market has been steadily rising over the last decade, so naturally the demand for collision repair increased. Rob and Scott Walker both realized that the industry was in need of a better collision repair experience for the customer — similar to the experience you receive at luxury automotive dealerships.” Much innovation has occurred within the automotive industry, too; most notably the increased factory-equipped technology contained in newer luxury vehicles. “Collision repair has been rapidly changing in recent years with the technology in new vehicles,” Cooper says. “A bumper repair used to be a very simple process. Today,bumpers are filled with sensors, cameras, radar, and other technologies that make simple repairs very complex.” While accident-avoidance systems have helped to decrease the severity of car accidents, Cooper notes that “vehicle repair costs are higher due to the complexity of these systems. Until there are 100% autonomous vehicles on the road, human error will always come into play.”

“Our goal is to take the collision repair industry to the next level.”

THE FUTURE IS NEXT LEVEL

The undeniable theme behind all Walker Group Ventures is the customer experience — not just delivering a great experience, but going beyond all expectations. Further expansion plans into 2022 will raise that bar even higher. “Our downtown Vancouver location on Vernon Drive and Parker will take the collision industry to the next level,” Cooper says. “The facility will be over 30,000 square feet, and will include all of the latest and greatest technology in the collision sector. The building itself is a mid-rise concept by PC Urban, and features a showcase of local art and a rooftop lounge. This facility will ensure that customers in Downtown, North, and East Vancouver have a centralized luxury vehicle repair facility they can depend on.” As No. 1 Collision looks further into the future, its sights are set on taking customer experience to new heights. “Dealerships are constantly evolving the car-buying and delivery process, so we need to keep pace with that experience,” says Cooper. “Damaging your vehicle in an accident is a terrible occurrence, which is why we want to make repairing that vehicle as easy and comfortable as possible for the customer. We want to be known as the Nordstrom of the collision industry we don’t sacrifice quality or service to save money.” Simply put, No. 1 Collision is the art of high-end collision repair.