Standard Auto Wreckers continues to foster community friendships

For David Gold of Standard Auto Wreckers in Port Hope, Scarborough and Ottawa, Ontario, 2023 was a year of building community—a familiar practice for the second-generation organization. David reported that a good portion of the year was spent working with the Standard Auto Wreckers’ team to develop a strong culture of mental health and wellness as well as inspiration for the automotive recycling industry.

While the automotive industry may be experiencing an ongoing technician shortage—and this extends to automotive recycling as well—David was happy to report that in 2023, Standard Auto Wreckers experienced very little turnover with 80 employees at the Port Hope location moving more parts than ever.

As with previous years, the Standard Auto Wreckers’ team spent 2023 involved in the Markham first responders’ auto extrication training program. Because of his long-standing involvement, David was awarded with the Outstanding Citizen Award from the Markham Fire team.

In response to this achievement, David noted that “we’ve developed a friendship with the first responders, and it makes the team proud to help out. We didn’t expect the award, but we’re in a good position to give back. Developing community connections and a passion for the industry is what keeps me in the business.”

Despite what David sees as developing concerns over third-party and unlicensed recyclers, as well as increasing costs, he is looking forward to a new year of “collaborating with the bright lights in the industry.”

“At the end of the day, automotive recycling is very important— especially with increasing environmental concerns—and I’m excited to see what the year brings. The industry is a strong community, and we have to look out for each other. At Standard Auto Wreckers, we’re trying to spend the new year doing one good thing every day.”