About
President’s Message
We have been very fortunate to see what started out as a two-man operation grow into one of Winnipeg’s leading collision repair shops, with 200 employees all working to ensure our values shine in every product and service we provide. We look forward to growing with our customers and serving them with unmatched convenience and guaranteed repairs for many years to come.
Thank you,
Chad G. Brick, President
Eastside Group of Companies
Our History
Eastside Heavy Truck has been a part of the collision industry for over 25 years, beginning at our St. Boniface Archibald location where satisfied car customers would ask for our help with their larger equipment needs. As a result of high popular demand, we then developed our location at 874 Marion, where still to this day the large overhead doors mark our commitment to servicing heavy trucks.
As demand continued to rise for both our passenger car and commercial truck services, we found the need to expand to a heavy truck-only location. This resulted in the opening of our 171 Eagle Drive location, where our team of heavy truck experts has grown to more than 25 skilled individuals. It was there that Eastside developed and patent the first integral Volvo day cab conversion kit, which is still in use today.
Our high-quality repairs, quick turnaround and honest culture has earned the respect and business of transport companies, owner operators and OEM dealer principals.
In 2005 we once again outgrew our place of business, and moved to 2535 Inkster Blvd., where we operate today. No stranger to change, we continue to evolve, driven by our commitment to quality and customer confidence. We attribute our growth to our relentless investment in being the very best commercial truck repair team ever assembled.
Our Team
Darryl Budge
General Manager
Darryl began working with the Eastside Group in 1995. A journeyman body and paint technician with more than 35 years of experience, Darryl has served in several roles at Eastside Heavy Truck. He has been the road estimator for commercial trucks, worked as the production manager and controlling the flow in the shop. Darryl is the General manager of Eastside Heavy Truck and our newest division Zone Refinish. He enjoys the new challenges that Business Development brings. Darryl’s passions include restoring vintage cars, playing his guitar and entertaining for family and friends.
Dale Taylor
Paint Production Manager
Dale has been with Eastside Heavy Truck since its inception in 2001. Dale is a 40-plus year veteran of the commercial truck paint sector. You won’t find too many painters with this depth of experience; as one of the original members of the Heavy Truck team, Dale continues to be a key member in developing our painting team. Dale continues to support projects with our industry partners as we continue to expand our coatings offering at Zone refinish as well he remains in tune with the developments and advancements to the coatings industry. With the launching of Eastside’s newest division Zone Refinish, Dale has been mentoring and developing our growing team. He is an active member in his community of Petersfield, where he has served on the board for various community clubs, is the resident ice maker, grass cutter and pancake flipper. Dale continues to sport the best mustache in the Eastside group, ever since Burt Reynolds retired as a body tech.
Kevin Formaniuk
Operations Manager
Kevin has over 25 years of experience in the collision and commercial truck repair industry and has lived and worked in the Rosser area his entire life. Kevin has been with Eastside Heavy Truck since 2010, when we began repairing passenger vehicles. As our Operations Manager, he is a key part of our management team. Kevin oversees our production team, and works to improve quality, productivity and efficiency of our shop. Kevin is the guy that will roll up his sleeves and pitch in where needed in the shop, as well as with the admin team. In his off time, he enjoys camping and fishing, working in his shop and in the winter building a huge hockey rink and bonfire pit on his property for friends and family to enjoy.
Jessica Desjardins
Customer Service Representative
Jessica has been with Eastside Heavy Truck since 2016 and is a valuable member of the production team. Jessica is the ‘go to’ on the Commercial side for all things administrative. Jessica greets customers when they drop off their vehicles, as well she goes over the invoice when they pickup. Jessica submits insurance claims on the Commercial side and invoices all customers for both Commercial and passenger vehicles. Jessica is our social butterfly and the first to take pictures at our social events. As part of our Social Committee, she organizes and plans our quarterly get togethers. In Jessica’s free time, you will find hosting dinners and bonfires for family and friends.
Kim McDonald
Controller
Kim has been with Eastside since 2011. She is a military wife who originated in Victoria, BC. Kim started with Eastside Heavy Truck as our receptionist, greeting and invoicing customers, accounts payable and taking care of MPI glass claims. She transitioned into a Direct Repair Co-Ordinator, supporting our team in ensuring customers received updates and production was properly scheduled for our light vehicle repair team. She later joined the accounting team for the Eastside Group in our payables department working with our suppliers and our group of body shops. Recently, Kim was promoted to Controller of our commercial repair division, overseeing the finance and accounting requirements for our body shops on the west side of Winnipeg. She works with the senior management at Eastside Heavy Truck, Zone Refinish and Eastside Moray Collision ensuring they are reprised of their financial performance. Kim is an avid hockey and soccer fan and you won’t miss her cheering on one of her three boys in either the hockey rink in the winter or on the soccer field in the spring.
Justin Budge
Production Manager
Justin has been with Eastside since 2005. Justin literally grew up at Eastside. He began working as a detailer in the wash bay. Later on, Justin worked in the parts department on the commercial side where he spent several years. When we opened our car repair division, he had added on the task of ordering and receiving parts for both Commercial and light vehicles. In 2018, Justin transitioned into the Production Management of the Commercial Repair Division. Justin write all MPI claims and amendments, out of province claims and private estimates. Along with his team member Mario, he co-ordinates the repairs of all commercial vehicles including semis, buses, motor homes and any other equipment we may have in our shop. Justin (or JB as his closest friends call him) is a true Outdoorsman. In his free time, he enjoys hunting and fishing, spending time with his family and actively cheering on the Bruins and Jets during the hockey season.
Mario Tomei
Paint Production Manager
Mario is the newest addition to our team, joining Eastside in 2019. Mario has over 25 years in the commercial truck industry and has completed his Red Seal in paint and body repair. Mario is our Commercial shop foreman, overseeing 4 body technicians, one apprentice and three paint technicians. Mario oversees the quality control on the shop floor. He controls the inventory in the paint department, completing orders with our vendors. Mario thrives on building lasting customer relations. In his off time, Mario enjoys winter sports like snowboarding and spends the summer months at his cabin in Grand Beach.
