THE D’ALESSANDRO FAMILY’S COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY AND CONNECTION AT THE CSN 427 AUTO GROUP
BY SARAH PERKINS
It can be easy to assume that repairing a vehicle is solely a technical project. From an outside perspective, the process of beating panels, recalibrating parts and refinishing the dents and scratches acquired in a collision can easily seem to be the only repairs taking place. However, the third generation of the CSN 427 Auto Group, Nick, Jessica, Gabe and Giulian D’Alessandro, instead know that below the surface of every repair also comes the opportunity to build and foster community spirit and support.
The four family members, siblings Nick and Jessica D’Alessandro—the children of Lorenzo D’Alessandro, General Manager of the CSN 427 Auto Group—and siblings Gabe and Giulian D’Alessandro—the children of Frank D’Alessandro, Vice President of Operations—each entered the business in different ways but have since joined together on the same path toward unified success.
Gabe D’Alessandro
“I’ve been working in the business now for 10 years,” Gabe reported. “I first began working here during university over my reading weeks where I would organize the shop and pick up cars.”
“I saw the experience at the time as a way of getting acclimated to the business and the industry before I was fully thrown in after finishing my degree.”
“It was challenging at the start,” Gabe continued. “I was moving from student life to the professional world, and it felt like I was doing a 180-degree turn. But I worked hard to integrate myself into the business and I’m now a body technician and help manage our new Quick Repair Shop.’
Nick D’Alessandro
“I’ve been working in the business for seven and a half years. Like Gabe, I originally went to university and worked on getting my master’s in operations management before getting into the industry, ’Nick said.
“I wasn’t initially planning on working in the automotive industry at all but was searching for a job after graduating university and was asked by the family to temporarily fill an HR position,” Nick continued. “I had limited knowledge of the role but was glad to help out. I didn’t fully know what the role would entail, but I understood people.
I was in this position for six months before moving into a certification and training role. At the CSN 427 Auto Group, we’re always looking to add certifications to the business. I also now work on the financial business planning side of things with a focus on both our long term and the short-term goals.”
Giulian D’Alessandro
“I’ve been working in the business for eight years. After university, I was approached by my father who offered me a starting position with the business,” said Giulian. “I started in the front office as a Customer Service Representative.”
“In my opinion,” Giulian continued, “customer service was the best place for me to start. I got an immediate inside look into how the different departments work together as well as what customers want. I did this position for approximately three and a half years and took great pride in exceeding customer expectations.”
“After this,” Giulian concluded, “I was ready to start something new and moved on to estimating. Now, I work as an operations manager. I try to be a support system for different departments and also work closely with our insurance relationships.”
Jessica D’Alessandro
“I initially never had an interest in cars or plans to get into the business. However, following university, I started to consider the business more closely and decided that I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity,” Jessica commented.
“I initially started on the accounting side of things until our previous HR Manager suggested that I could have a role in Marketing and PR,” Jessica continued, ‘I started off by delivering donuts to our dealer partners in the area and developing our websites. It was a good fit.’
“Now, I am our Head of Marketing and PR and I also help with maintaining our I-CAR recognitions, certifications and training and I’m so glad I decided to take a chance on something that I had previously not even considered ten years ago.”
m“As a business, our goal continues to be making desires align,” said Nick. “One thing that people don’t often understand about the industry is how difficult it can be to balance the opinions of so many different stakeholders. For instance, the expectations between, say, the customer, the insurance company, the OEM and the collision repairer may not always be aligned, and so, as a family and a team we work hard at our three shops to be the thread that pulls everything together.” And, alongside this shared goal of finding balance between industry members, Nick, Jessica, Gabe and Giulian also make sure to extend a familial spirit to all involved.
“Our biggest achievement as a business is first and foremost excelling at our trade,” Gabe said. “After this, however,” it is definitely being so integrated as a family business. We all take a lot of pride that we’re all here as family and we always try to extend this feeling to our customers and staff.”
“It’s all about continuing to adjust the culture of the business to fit modern standards,” Nick continued. “With over 160 employees across three shops, it’s important to us that people come to work excited and passionate. At the end of the day, we’re all a community working towards a shared goal.”
In order to help keep up with the demands of the modern shop, the D’Alessandro family also makes sure to invest in the latest technology to stay up to date with the learning curve.
“For today’s vehicles, you almost have to be an electrician and a technician,” said Nick. “It’s not just about fixing cars anymore. This is why we consider certifications to be such a high priority for staying up to date. Gabe, for instance, has done his I-CAR’s certification and the training for many of our OEM partners. The ability to adapt, learn and grow is key for continued success.”
A focus on procedure and community connection was also key in helping the business survive its most challenging period: the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Covid was our most challenging time,” said Gabe, “but we stayed connected and focused on being able to survive and stay busy during this time. Our goal was to keep people coming to work and having fun.”
“We made it a priority to check in with each other and offer space for anyone going through a difficult time,” Nick continued. “We wanted to help people have tasks and feel productive, especially during a period where so much of the industry and people’s lives were put on pause.” As the business celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, the D’Alessandro family plans to continue with the spirit that first got them started in the industry.
“Our future goal is always continuous improvement,” said Jessica. “We want to make sure that as we grow the business, we still keep a positive workplace culture and maintain a small business feeling.” “We also want to continue participating in charity initiatives and to give back to the community that helps support us. For instance, we do a food drive every year, and we would like to continue growing this initiative,” Nick continued.
“Our advice for the industry and for those looking to get involved,” Nick said, “is to have an open mind. We’ve all learned first-hand the level of technical experience and accomplishment that can be gained from working in the industry. There are so many transferable skills and opportunities to connect with so many interesting people.”
In this way, while it can be easy to get caught up in the repairs, to not see the connections between the calibrations, and to not dig past the technical surface of collision repair, for the D’Alessandro family, the takeaway is something far deeper than just performing a trade.
“I can confidently say for myself and my family, when I reflect on my work at the end of the day,” Nick concluded, “what I remember most is the interactions I had rather than the technical aspects. Collision repair may be about rebuilding vehicles, but it’s also about building relationships.”
