Fibromobile
Marc Beaudin, Owner
www.fibromobile.com
152 Marble Rock Road, Leeds and the Thousand Islands ON, K7G 2V4
613-382-8292
gzpaint@gmail.com
Tell us about yourself! Hobbies? Fun facts? How did you get started?
My story is long, but well worth the read!
I started a fiberglass repair business in 1989 in South Montreal. After two years of aggressive business building, work dried up. It seemed that all the damaged boats in my area were fixed! As a young father of three, on the edge of bankruptcy, I found my self completing odd jobs just to get by. One day I was told of a potential position at Sky Line Marina, “If you can find your way to Toronto, there is an unlimited supply of work for a guy like you”! It was the chance I needed, and I decided to load all my tools and supplies, leaving my family at home, so I could help us get back on our feet. Unfortunately, my gas ran out around Gananoque. This meant I needed to find a quick job to refill my truck and make it the rest of the way to Toronto.
Wayne Morrow from River Rat Marine, offered me the quick repair job, and he was so impressed with the quality of my work, that he took it upon himself to call other marinas to ask them for more opportunities. Where I am from, competition is fierce, and this is unheard of! As if they were all friends, none of them had any issue with me working for another marina. I spent 3 months traveling back and forth to Montreal, it was a tough journey, but I made it through.
As luck would have it, I wasn’t supposed to go any further, and this location took me in as if I was one of their own! I had never experienced that before. The following spring Gordon Marine offered me a room until I could move my family here. At that time, 25 years ago, Neil Gordon told me something I will never forget, “Marc, you are part of our community.” This was all the fuel I needed to keep the business moving forward! Our family eventually bought a home with the help of another marina owner, John Leighton of Peck’s Marina. This is an amazing place filled with amazing people - I am so glad I never made it to Toronto!
Define your business in your own words.
Fibromobile is an RV and Boat Bodyshop.
What business achievement are you most proud of?
My youngest, Jessica, took over the repair techniques and has made the business 100 times better! She has mastered a new way of handling colors with computer software, and using color scanners, can create a perfect match on a variety of vehicles we repair. A technology that was unavailable in my early days, but one the new generation can easily master.
Why did you choose Leeds and the Thousand Islands to start your business?
Even though I did not choose it, it chose me, just by helping me.
What words would you use to describe Gananoque/Leeds and the Thousand Islands?
I would say its simply ‘the best’! People like and help each other in business and life.
Fibromobile described in one word:
Quality