Duncan’s Dancia Motors, which specializes in the service of European cars, has a new owner.
Kevin Wood, who has worked as an auto-service technician at Dancia Motors for 10 years, took over the business from the previous owner Rich Cote in February.
Wood, who was born in the Cowichan Valley, started his career working as a mechanic apprentice at Kal Tire right next door to Dancia, located at 5273 Trans-Canada Hwy., in 2007 before taking a job at Dancia in 2013.
“When Rich (Cote) decided he was moving on, I jumped at the chance to take over the business,” he said.
“It’s important to me to see small, local companies well maintained and part of the community. I’ve always really enjoyed working here. It’s a small shop, but Dancia is a high-end business that does work on high-quality cars for high-quality people.”
Wood said Dancia Motors is the only auto service shop specializing in European vehicles between Victoria and Nanaimo, and it is consistently booked for service appointments up to three to four weeks in advance.
“Taking over Dancia is a natural progression for me, and I’m looking forward to the future,” he said.
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There’s also more business news from Dancia Motors.
The company’s service advisor Coralee Zueff has recently published a book, called Five Star Service Advisor, that has become a must-read for people in the industry.
Zueff has worked in the auto industry for 20 years and has spent time studying to be an auto technician before moving into sales and then as a service advisor, which is the person who works in between customers and the mechanics.
She said there were no textbooks in the industry on how service advisors should deal with customers’ concerns and how to communicate effectively with them, as well as the technicians, to help auto businesses run more smoothly so she took advantage of the downtime during the pandemic to write the book.
“The book is selling well and was even a number-one hit on Amazon,” Zueff said.
“It’s currently selling about 50 a month, usually to dealerships, shop managers and workers.”
Zueff said she is also moving on from Dancia Motors, where she has worked since 2014, and has taken a position as a parts and warehouse instructor at North Island College.
“The classes are online and will be watched by students all over B.C.,” she said, while a regular customer arrived to pop a bottle of champagne to celebrate the achievements of both Wood and Zueff.
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The Royal Bank of Canada location in Duncan didn’t open until 11:30 a.m. on April 3 due to a technical malfunction with its main doors.
Customers and even some bank employees found themselves locked out of the RBC location on Trunk Road at opening time that day.
A statement from RBC said a locksmith was called to assist with opening the doors, and staff were finally able to enter the building at 11 a.m., and the bank opened shortly after that.
“We apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused our clients…prior to opening our doors,” the statement said.
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Paper Excellence Canada, which owns the Crofton mill, has been awarded the Corporate Pioneer of the Year Award at the annual Foresight Canada BC Cleantech Awards that were held in Vancouver last week.
Foresight Canada’s BC Cleantech Awards is an annual event to recognize inspiring change-makers from across B.C. that are leading the charge to a net-zero economy.
The Corporate Pioneer of the Year Award recognizes a large organization or company adopting, championing or leading sustainable practices in their industry.
“We are very proud to be recognized for efforts we started decades ago when we made a bet and took early action on decarbonization,” said Paper Excellence spokesman Graham Kissack.
“As an organization, we have reduced our carbon emissions by 66 per cent since 1990 through fuel switching and dramatic improvements in energy efficiency. And that’s brought us to today where our energy mix is 85 per cent renewable.”
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The Cowichan Milk Company was the winner in the Retail Business of the Year category at the 22nd Annual Island MNP LLP Business Excellence Awards held in Nanaimo on Jan. 26.
The Cowichan Milk Company’s dairy farm, located south of Duncan, has found inspiration in the past as its farmers bring locally produced milk to Cowichan Valley consumers.
Not only is the milk created by local cows munching on local grass, it is also delivered throughout the Valley in old-fashioned glass bottles.
A total of 124 companies competed for Business of the Year Awards in 17 categories at the awards ceremony, which celebrated the best of the best in Vancouver Island business in 2022.
A team of independent judges determined the category winners.
Enex Energy Corp. of Nanaimo was named Business of the Year, and Parksville’s Black & White Event Rentals, which is a member of the Duncan Cowichan Chamber of Commerce, won the Small Business of the Year award.
“This was the biggest event we’ve ever held, and we are always amazed at the wonderful stories that these businesses have to tell,” said Business Examiner News Group owner and publisher John MacDonald, who coordinated the event.
“It is a great indicator that business is alive and well on Vancouver Island, and there are so many great success stories. The BE Awards is all about celebrating that.”
robert.barron@cowichanvalleycitizen.com
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