FEATURES Opposite page: from left, CPS president John Santos , Cross Canada president Peter Sepetanc and CPS vicepresident Paul Reichert. Far left: some newly fabricated bumpers. Left: Paul Reichert, John Santos and Peter Sepetanc in their chrome plant.
for good body panels and started supplying them to other shops. The rest is history. Today Peter Sepetanc and Sylvia Soulliere, the second generation, is welcoming the next generation: Peter’s son Joel and nephew Tyler are slated to play major roles in senior management. Cross Canada, headquartered in Windsor, Ontario has national reach with five main distribution centers—Windsor, Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary and Burnaby—providing over 315,000 sq. ft. of warehouse space and serving more than 8,000 distributors-coast to coast. Collision Parts Specialists is another Canadian success story. Family owned since 1973, it was started by Cas and Maria Santos, who immigrated from Portugal. John and Lina Santos, the second
generation, partnered with Paul Reichert in 2007 and the company entered an aggressive expansion plan. At the time of the acquisition, CPS, headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, had nine strategically placed locations: Winnipeg, Calgary, Saskatoon, Regina, North York, Mississauga and Kamloops. With more than 155 employees and 92,000 sq. ft. of warehouse space, it serves a distinct industry need with four bumper recycling plants and an electroplating chrome bumper facility. John Santos and Paul Reichert will join the Cross Canada senior executive team. “We have been listening to the needs of our clients and watching the changes in the industry and will strive to stay ahead of the curve to continually improve our offerings,” says Sepetanc. “We will continue to be recognized for brand quality, service and innovation.” CRM
march 2010 collision Repair 37