The repair side of BC Diesel, Dave explained, is based on one meaningful yet simple principal: “People want to get their truck back on the road because time is money.” “They don’t want to have to come back two weeks later because it was misdiagnosed,” he continued. “They don’t want to hear that you’ve overbooked yourself and that you’re rushing jobs just to get them out the door. The same principle applies to the other part of our business.” Dave’s talking about the diesel performance side of BC Diesel, which includes BCDiesel.ca. “And that’s a huge market. When people are buying stuff online and you’re shipping it to the east coast, for example, “My daughter is really into cars and trucks, too. She also drives a diesel truck, works at a dealership, and following in my footsteps.”
If you’re a gearhead in the Greater Vancouver Area and you’ve seen Dave’s Ram 3500 or Christie’s eco- diesel vroom by all wrapped up in BC Diesel pride you might have done a double take. And you’d be forgiven. BC Diesel is one letter off from a big name in the diesel world. “BD Diesel is a manufacturer of diesel performance parts and people get us confused all the time,” Dave explained. “They’re a major player in the industry both in Canada and the U.S. Christie and I worked there for 10 or 12 years each. She was the accountant and I was the east coast territory rep. After six years of working together, we started to date and we eventually became husband and wife – and parents. Brian, the owner at BD, welcomed it because his company is very family oriented. He has over 100 employees and many of them are the sons and daughters of past employees. That’s how we’ve both worked for almost the last 20 years: in a family- driven business atmosphere.” Dave and Christie credit Brian and the BD family for much of their success today. “We really hit the ground running because of our time there,” Dave said. “Being the BD east coast territory rep meant I did a lot of traveling in Toronto and Florida, places where the big trade shows are. What I really noticed dealing with other shops and businesses was a lack of customer service. Diesel truck drivers are driving 75,000-dollar and 100,000-dollar rigs and they’re phoning around trying to find the right parts and a lot of the time they’re being sold stuff they don’t want or don’t really need. No one out there was tailoring the experience for individual drivers.” Part of Dave’s job at BD was monitoring online diesel chat forums. “I found a real niche in that part of the job. Brian recognized that in me and moved me into that position dealing with customer relations and PR and anything like that. When it came time for me tomove on and start my own business, it was my intention to take care of customers. These are customers who require specialized parts and need you to spend a little more time with their concerns. They need detailed emails with options they can choose from rather than just a list of things we think they need. Diesel customers need to be understood. I was so successful as a territory rep because I took the time to listen to people. I know that if I get bad customer service when I need something for my car or my boat, I remember it. But when you get good customer service it sticks with you in a meaningful way and that’s what I’ve based my company on.”
3500 with a six-inch lift and 35-inch tires and a full BC Diesel wrap down the side, which is a real eye catcher and is much better in the mud and snow then the Hellcat. Dave quickly pointed out that he and his Ram 3500 are in good company. “My daughter is really into cars and trucks, too. She also drives a diesel truck, works at a dealership, and following in my footsteps.” Dave’s first job at a dealership, he explained, was at 18. He was washing cars. “But it wasn’t long before I was selling cars at the dealership,” he pointed out with a chuckle. “And then it wasn’t long before I was the sales manager.” “When I was younger, I watched my brother build all the old Mopar stuff and then later I had a couple of Challenger RTs.” Today, Dave leaves most of the management decisions to his better half. His wife, Christie, is BC Diesel’s co-owner. She’s also the central nervous system of the company’s famous customer service, he explained.
“My wife has a brilliant mind for business. She takes-on so much: the accounting, shipping and receiving, and hiring new employees, which is a key to our success. If it wasn’t for her, the rest of the team wouldn’t have the time to be so focused on the customer’s needs. She’s always conscious of our image. Christie drives an eco-diesel and that’s also totally wrapped with our advertising, too” he boasted.
“My wife has a brilliant mind for business.”
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SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2019
55 OCTOBER 2019 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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