By David MacDonald E ver since Dave Dias was a kid he’s wanted to be a NASCAR driver, he told Spotlight on Business in early January. “I’ve always been really into vehicles; I’ve always been drawn to cars. When I was younger I watched my brother build all the old Mopar stuff and then later I had a couple of Challenger RTs. Up until two months ago, I owned a Challenger Hellcat and I traded it in for my new diesel truck,” he laughed in a tone which made it clear that it wasn’t an easy decision. “Now I’ve got a 2017 Ram 3500 with a six-inch lift and 35-inch tires and a full BC Diesel wrap down the side - and it’s really great.”
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.” “When I was younger I watched my brother build all the old Mopar stuff and then later I had a couple of Challenger RTs.” “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 busi- nesses was a lack of customer service. Diesel truck drivers are driving 75,000 dollar 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.” Dave and Christie credit Brian and the BD family for much of their success today.
Dave quickly pointed out that he and his Ram 3500 are in good company.
“My daughter is really into cars and trucks, too. She’s 18-years old and drives a diesel truck, works at a dealership, and she’s taking a mechanics course. She’s following in my footsteps.”
Dave’s first job at a dealership, he explained, was also at 18. He was washing cars.
“But it wasn’t long before I was selling cars at the dealer- ship,” he pointed out with a chuckle. “And then it wasn’t long before I was the sales manager.” 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.
Part of Dave’s job at BD was monitoring online diesel chat forums.
If you’re a gearhead in the Greater Vancouver Area and
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MARCH 2018 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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