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Simply six years in the past, Fabian Bonjean based Foothills Group decided to offer high quality and clear service with an unmatched guarantee within the truck service and restore trade.

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At the moment he has three areas and 70 staff, and his firm’s continued progress requires more room.

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After highschool, Bonjean determined to hunt a profession within the automotive trade that he felt would fulfil his ardour for automobiles.

After 4 years at SAIT he graduated as an automotive service technician, however had loved working with a heavy gear store throughout that point. The large models grew to become his new love and, after shopping for a home, he constructed a triple storage and shortly grew to become busier at his dwelling store than at work.

He left his day job in January 2017 to work for himself, and located he had no downside getting purchasers and making an excellent dwelling.

By Could of that yr he made one other leap of religion and leased a 4,800-square-foot bay in Foothills Industrial Park, and inside 18 months was capable of rent different technicians to work on automobiles, pickup vehicles and heavy-duty vehicles.

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His neighbour wanted to increase his area, so Bonjean took the chance to vacate his and transfer throughout the road in early 2019 into 11,000 sq. ft.

Six months later, the quantity of professional quality enterprise had elevated to the purpose he was capable of lease an extra constructing devoted to a heavy truck operation — 16,000 sq. ft fitted with overhead cranes and sufficient inside area to permit for 14 heavy-duty vehicles to be labored on on the similar time in separate bays.

Bonjean and his enterprise rapidly turn out to be a pacesetter within the heavy-duty market, and in 2020 opened a big 27,000-square-foot facility in Lethbridge. He moved his household there for 2 years to supervise operations however returned to dwell in Calgary to steer his firm that, having fun with a hard-earned, strong fame, has grown to 70 staff, together with 40 mechanics on the three areas, with 10 cell service models.

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Presently, one of many cell models is working in Golden and 5 are in Sparwood in B.C. the place Bonjean is specializing in increasing.

Foothills Group has a busy elements division for all makes of vehicles, shares oils and fluids, and has three gross sales employees and 11 service employees advising clients on scheduling, work orders and the like.

What began as a one-man operation now enjoys relationships with many giant firms and building corporations, oilfield contractors, shifting corporations and rubbish haulers, plus non-public automotive and RV homeowners.

Bonjean says he’s following with excessive curiosity the expansion of the electrical automobile market and the alternatives to restore and repair them.

The Foothills Group proprietor and CEO has — in six brief years — constructed a progressive truck restore firm, main the trade in firm tradition and customer support. He’s at present going via a shareholder course of to allow a number of employees members to personal fairness within the enterprise, aspiring to turn out to be an employee-owned firm sooner or later. All staff take pleasure in nice profit plans and free-lunch Fridays, creating a piece ethic that may assist the now 30 year-old Bonjean obtain his growth plans that embody progress by acquisition, and new bricks and mortar in Alberta and B.C. that may push his employees complete as much as 100 by yr finish.

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Electing to observe his ardour and select SAIT programs has confirmed to be a sensible determination for the younger businessman.

Notes:

• Bow Valley School has launched Dr. Maurice Manyfingers as its first director of Indigenous relations and reconciliation. In his new position, Manyfingers will lead and advise the evolution of BVC’s Indigenization technique and oversee the school’s newly created Division of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation. “Manyfingers is a confirmed, revered chief with an completed educational {and professional} background,” says Lynn Connell, vice-president of learner expertise at BVC. A member of the Blood Tribe (Kainai First Nation) that’s a part of the Blackfoot Confederacy of Treaty 7, Manyfingers is a fluent speaker of the Blackfoot language. Most lately he was president and CEO of Previous Solar Neighborhood School on the Siksika Nation.

David Parker seems frequently within the Herald. Learn on-line at calgaryherald.com/enterprise. He could be reached at 403-830-4622 or by e-mail at [email protected].