Rarely will you come across a business these days that has been around and thrived for 50 years, let alone being locally owned and operated for that half a century by one family.
Since 1974, the DiFelice family has dedicated their time, energy and expertise to make life for their neighbours throughout the Flamborough area a great experience.
That dedication is seen on many fronts, from supporting countless local teams, events, service organizations and charities, to the craftsmanship of fixing someone’s damaged vehicle. It all matters equally as a committed member of the community.
“50 years is a wonderful milestone” says second generation owner, Max DiFelice, “but at the end of the day, we’ve celebrated thousands of daily success stories when our happy customers are thrilled with how meticulously we have repaired their vehicle. I couldn’t be more proud of the local team we’ve put together, and their commitment to putting our customers and community first”. Waterdown Collision’s 4.9 STAR Google rating based on more than 1000 reviews is truly a reflection of that mindset.
“I think we look at our business a bit differently as an independent and family owned company in a market full of franchised collision centres owned by large corporate entities,” said Domenic DiFelice. Domenic, who along with his brother, Dante, are the third-generation operators of Waterdown Collision. “We live and play in this community. Our family has grown up locally, our customers are our community and we love to see their eyes light up when they come in to pick up their vehicle. The thing about the collision industry is that most people would prefer they never have to deal with you, but the reality is – stuff happens. If we can turn a difficult experience into a great outcome, we’ve done our job and maybe just made a new friend. Our goal is always to achieve 100 percent customer satisfaction. The public has the right to choose where their vehicle is repaired. We want to earn their business and respect. It ties back to our slogan ‘Insist on Us!’”
When Domenic DiFelice Sr. and his wife, Margaret DiFelice, established Waterdown Collision back in 1974, it was a different world. They were offering vehicle repair service, but also fixing tractors, farm equipment, and tanker trucks. As time progressed, the company refined its focus to specialize in vehicle collision and body repair – often a service covered by the customer’s auto insurance. “While many of our customers have their repairs covered by one of the multiple insurance companies that we work with, there are still a lot of people that pay for their own repairs – albeit smaller collision repairs or simply staying on top of the rust or bumps and bruises that happen over time” says Domenic Jr. “While my grandparents didn’t have the facilities, resources or the breadth of automotive related services we operate with today, they did instill in us the importance of taking pride in a job well done. That is also a quality that our father, Max, has done his best to make a part of our personal and company DNA.”
Today, in addition to vehicle body repairs, Waterdown Collision offers vehicle detailing, rust control and undercoating, windshield repair or replacement, glass tinting, fleet services, all supported by our convenient onsite rental vehicles.
As many Flamborough residents may be aware, the Province of Ontario is in the final stages of plans to revamp the intersection at Highways 5 and 6 – Clappison Corners. This intersection has grown to be one of the busiest in the province and certainly in need of redevelopment. With impending construction, the Province has deemed the Waterdown Collision property as an integral part of the highway project. As a result of expropriation, Waterdown Collision is slated to move to the west side of Highway 6, into a brand new facility. Our “coming soon” signage is in place - stay tuned for exciting announcements!
The new location, now in the final stages of the approval process, will bring with it further growth. We will be more than doubling the footprint of the present location, staff will increase from the current size of about 50 to a future team of over 75, all sitting on 3.5 acres and conveniently located at a stop light!
“It’s a very exciting next step” says Domenic Jr, “It’s an opportunity for growth. It’s an opportunity for expansion. We are growing with our community, and as one of the collision industry’s largest independent operators, we can’t thank the residents of Flamborough enough for the past 50 years of support. We’re very excited to see what the next 50 years has in store for our business and our expanding community.”
