A body shop where women feel at home
The first thing you’re going to notice is the reception area; it’s small, tidy and painted screaming pink. Ink and Iron Automotive isn’t your usual body shop.
For Hilary Noack, that pink stands for a lot of things. Sure, it’s making a statement about a female-owned and staffed automotive body shop, but it’s more than that: it’s a signal to other women that this shop will be welcoming instead of overwhelming, and this industry has opportunities for all.
Noack is 29, and a graduate of Centennial College’s School of Transportation. She’s a licensed auto body and collision damage repair technician. Her career choice had a practical starting point: at 17, she bought a 1970 Oldsmobile and decided she wanted to do the work it needed herself. Instead of just dropping it off at a local body shop, she asked if she could enter into a co-op learning program with them. They agreed. A career was born.
Noack doesn’t pretend this isn’t still a male-dominated business. She was the only woman in her classes up until graduation, and while the numbers are slowly creeping upwards, there is no measurable race among women to enter into the automotive repair trades. It’s too bad; Centennial has a spectacular program supported by all the major players in the industry, and there are apprenticeships and opportunities for anyone interested in entering a challenging — and rapidly changing — workplace.
To that end, Ink and Iron showcases the women. Noack not only graduated from Cen- tennial, she also taught there. She employs some of her former students as part of a staff that is both full and part time, as demand dictates. On the day I visited, Linda Adams was working away on a bumper, escaping from her house for a few hours; she’s on maternity leave. “I love the work,” she laughed. “I can put in a few hours at a time, stay connected.”
While Ink and Iron performs all types of bodywork, they specialize in restorations. An old Karmann-Ghia, mostly a faded green, sits off to the side. A Ford off-roader strapped on a huge lift kit waits in the paint booth, in the midst of its final custom twotoned paint work.
Noack ran an online fundraiser to help get the doors open. Those who donated could get work done, a nice touch that benefited both sides of the equation. While not quite meeting her set goal, word of mouth and publicity has kept the shop floor busy.
Noack was cautious in her approach and she’s realistic. She intentionally found a place that was already zoned and set up to need the least amount of work. An existing paint booth saved thousands, and she successfully negotiated for support from suppliers.
Noack wanted a place where women would feel comfortable working as well as doing business. She’s done that. It’s got nothing to do with the colour on the office walls and everything to do with listening to her clients, making them feel comfortable with the process and then delivering quality work. Noack knows it will always come down to the work. Especially in the restoration business, that word of mouth can make a reputation.