Who's Who Better Business Bureau

20 BBB MAGAZINE Who's Who Special Edition W hether it's a cracked windshield, a broken basement window or a smashed storefront, Dean Forster and company can save your glass. Forster is president and majority owner of ACR Glass, located at 3331 Portage Ave. ACR stands for Automotive, Commercial, Residential, meaning the business can meet many requirements for glass repair and replacement. "When people come into the shop for auto glass repair, they often also have a piece of glass around the house that needs work as well, such as a window, a sash, a mirror in a bathroom, or maybe it's a storm window in the sunroom," Forster says. "ACR is somewhere they will feel familiar." Forster, who started ACR in 2008, has spent most of his life learning the details of window repair and installation. "I actually started working for my dad back in Kelowna, B.C. when I was a young kid growing up. He owned a business for 40 years out in Kelowna called Valley Glass, so I've been in this industry my whole life," he says. Still, Forster and co-owner Pierre Debreuil, who bought into the company in 2015, stay up-to-date on changing technologies, especially in the automotive industry, which accounts for approximately 75 per cent of their business. That's particularly important when it comes to safety issues and technologies like advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), which include features like lane departure warning and collision avoidance. "These features have to do with cameras that attach to the windshield or see through the windshield," Debreuil says. "We have to make sure those systems are recalibrated properly after we've replaced a windshield. Sometimes you can do it in the shop with specific targets and other times you have to take the vehicle on the road and do what's called a dynamic calibration." Debreuil says that because ADAS is so new, ACR Glass is doing its best to educate customers, dealerships and Manitoba Public Insurance. "We're working as much as possible with MPI to get these recalibrations approved," Debreuil says. "We want this to be a one-stop shop where customers can come here, get their windshield replaced, get the recalibrations done, and not have to go to a couple different places on a couple different days." Adapting to changing technologies presents challenges for ACR Glass, but Forster welcomes those challenges. "I like solving problems. I love my job 100 per cent. I love working on autos, houses, keeping people safe, doing the best we can and having that reputation of quality and service," he says. "It doesn't always boil down to price. It comes down to the quality of the service and the workmanship that you're getting. That's kind of something of the past. Customer service and quality don't always go hand-in-hand at a lot of places anymore. I like to keep that mentality because that's how I was raised." Debreuil adds that having Better Business Bureau accreditation makes that solid reputation evident to potential customers. "It provides not quite a certification, but a trustworthy source that people rely upon to be able to find places like us." ❙ Learn more at ACRglasswinnipeg.ca From left: ACR staff and owners Chris Toth, Steven Hubbard, Pierre Debreuil, Dean Forster, Austin Fietz. Photo by Darcy Finley ACR GLASS One-Stop Shop ACR COVERS ALL AUTO, COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL GLASS NEEDS

• Cover