What does a growing business do when they can no longer expand outward? They go up.

Niverville Autobody has recently undertaken its third expansion since owner Ferd Klassen bought the business in 2008. This most recent expansion, Klassen says, is an investment into his employees.

“It ultimately started because we do a lot of our own training and we have our staff meetings and different things, so we needed a place to do that,” says Klassen. “I want to focus on bringing all of my employees into a group setting. We’re out of space on our property, so the only other option for us was to go up.”

Along with all the building expansions, so too has his staff expanded over the last 11 years. Most recently, Klassen added a full-time estimator to his team. To accommodate an extra office on the main floor, the old lunchroom had to go.

The second storey, currently being added to the building, will provide about 600 additional square feet of space. Here, Klassen envisions adding a kitchenette, lounge furniture, and a board room large enough to accommodate his entire staff of 12.

In the autobody industry, Klassen says ongoing training is essential to keep his staff on top of changes and new technology. To provide the best possible service to his customers means keeping his technicians at the top of their game.

As well, he adds that staff are often the ones to come up with great ideas on improvements and efficiencies within the business. Put them all together in a room to brainstorm, he says, and great ideas come out of that.

“[Another] value that I see is that now I’ll have a place for these employees to actually rest in comfort,” Klassen says. “They do a great deal for us and we need to make sure that they have an environment where they can take an hour and just flat-out relax… Basically, at the end of the day, we’re just trying to provide the best [customer] service that we can and [happy] staff is a big part of that.”

As with his previous expansions, Klassen hired Von Ast Construction to complete the build. With it comes a complete renewal of the façade over the entire building, which will include a variety of metal, wood, acrylic, and stone features.

“There’s going to be curb appeal,” says Klassen, adding that curb appeal has the potential to substantially improve a business’s bottom line. “The building’s going to look absolutely beautiful when it’s done.”