KAVIA AUTO BODY
Kavia Auto Body hasn’t stopped growing since it opened in Saskatoon more than three decades ago.
The family-owned body shop has moved three times since 1984, most recently into a sprawling new facility on 33rd Street East that owner Raj Kavia says is exactly what the company needs.
“We were quite fortunate,” Kavia said. “We basically planned every detail of that shop before we even put a shovel into the ground.”
The company’s latest relocation also reflects a vision that emerged on another continent almost half a century ago.
Kavia’s father Lalju founded Kavia Auto Body in Africa 45 years ago before moving it to England. In 1983, the family — and the business — moved again, this time to Saskatoon.
The company specialized in vehicles imported from Europe and Asia, and developed strong working relationships with local dealerships, Kavia said. It was also among the first to bring the basecoat-clear coat painting technique to Saskatchewan, he added.
Kavia took over the business in 1996, a few years after it moved from 11th Street to Avenue B. In 2007, it moved again, to a larger shop on First Avenue. But steady growth meant the space became cramped, so the company designed and built an enormous new facility on the edge of the downtown core.
“We wanted to be close to downtown because our clients are familiar with where we are,” Kavia said.
“We didn’t want to lose that. And, pretty much, that was the only space available on a busy road.”
Kavia said the shop, which opened earlier this month, is unlike other body shops for several reasons. The company’s level of certification and use of the “quality-focused” processes such as the lean system ensure the work is done well, while the shop is designed to be better for customers and its 22 employees.
“Our main goal for us to do this move was to make sure that people that worked at Kavia Auto Body had a good environment … Our mandate is to be the employer of choice in the collision industry. We want to be that place where people want to work.”
Although the new building has yet to lose its new car smell, Kavia is already looking toward the future. He wants the company his father started and he nurtured to stay relevant and profitable well into the future.
“We do see it as the top shop in Saskatoon (in 10 years),” he said. “We do see it as being as busy as we are now — and we’ll continue to grow.”