Pearl Lorentzen

Lakeside Leader

Two Slave Lake autobody shops have merged, with all of the employees moving to the CSN Avalon location northwest of Kal Tire in the industrial area.

Patsy Wells is now the assistant manager at Avalon. She and two technicians moved to this location after the merger.

Mike Boucher remains in his role as Avalon manager. The combined company has eight technicians (including two apprentices) and three admin staff. The shop has 10 to 12 bays for vehicles needing bodywork.

Asked how the merger is going, Wells says, “good so far.”

“It’s overall been really, really good,” adds Boucher.

“All of the files came over with me,” says Wells, “and they are all booked in for their repairs. The customers still get a warranty on all their work. We’re here to serve Slave Lake and outlying areas.”

Avalon has been in its location at 208 10 Ave NW for 30 years.

Lift Auto Group bought Avalon in 2001. In 2023, it bought Carstar and merged the two.

“There’s a multitude of reasons,” says Boucher, when asked why the companies merged. A big one was difficulty in hiring technicians. Another was that Avalon needed to upgrade some equipment. Carstar had some new equipment, so the merger fixed this problem.

The autobody business is busy, with Avalon booking into late October and November.

“We’re the only autobody shop in town now,” says Boucher.

People also bring their vehicles to be repaired from Wabasca, Peace River, and as far away as High Level, which is about five hours north of Slave Lake.

“There’s not a lot of options between here and High Level,” says Boucher. “Autobody isn’t a backyard trade anymore.”