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Auto-rack business booming for Victoria entrepreneur

Camping, construction work fuels expansion for auto-rack maker
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Colin Bixby, owner of All Seasons Auto Racks, is riding a wave of high sales. He has expanded to a larger store with two of his employees, installer Liam Sproule and manager Rick Downie.

It’s the crazy season for Colin Bixby.

As people prepare to load up their vehicles with bikes, boats and baggage for summer holidays, the owner of All Seasons Auto Racks is working long hours to meet demand.

To boot, construction work is ticking up and the trades are looking for custom-built aluminum racks for trucks and vans, and interior shelving systems.

And it’s all happening for Bixby as he settles into a new shop that’s triple the size of his previous location.

“I’m not afraid of hard work, so this is great for me,” Bixby said while installing a bicycle hitch on a luxury car. “In the busy season, I work.”

It’s non-stop from March to mid-September with another spike during ski season. In Bixby’s shoulder season, he heads north and revels in mountain climbing, rafting and camping.

Bixby, 42, is self-made in the business, building up his racking company on a strong work ethic and genuine pleasure in solving problems. If you have a vehicle and something to haul — and can’t find a factory made rack that fits, he makes it or creates a hybrid of out-of-the-box and designs from his own mind. Judging by how he’s grown his business over the last 17 years, he makes them well and brings in plenty of repeat customers and referrals.

Bixby has also operated a second shop in Kelowna over the last decade.

A Prince George native, Bixby has run out of room in previous Victoria locations. From small rented shops on Bridge and then Alpha streets to buying his own building on Gorge Road in 2004, he made a major purchase this spring of a former electrical contractor building on Oak Street. It covers 5,700 square feet and includes a showroom, work area with oversized bay doors and a large fenced compound.

Earlier this week, Bixby completed an automated boat rack and launcher for an 82-year-old customer who loves to fish but can’t handle lifting much anymore. For about $3,000, he made an aluminum rack that loads and unloads from a vehicle rooftop, controlled by the push of buttons on a remote control. For another customer with a freighter canoe, he used a rack system augmented with three hitch points on the front of the truck to distribute the weight.

“I’ve made some neat stuff that people really seem to like,” said Bixby. “It’s when I really have to think, that’s when it’s fun. Everyone’s an individual. Everyone’s got an idea they want. It brings a lot of satisfaction when you can bring it all together into something that functions well.”

Bixby worked in silviculture and tree spacing for years, earning a commerce degree at the University of British Columbia between stints in the bush. His business model took shape as he noticed society’s shift to greener lifestyles.

“Vehicles were getting smaller and smaller, but people were getting more active,” he said. “So you have people wanting to ski one day and kayak the next, but the vehicles they’ve bought don’t have much room to carry these things.”

Bixby can rig just about any vehicle to carry a bike, skis, rooftop box or just about anything. He’s done bike and ski racks on all sorts of small cars, including a BMW convertible using clever hitch mounts.

The big sellers are kayak racks where people no longer have to lift their boats to rooftops. The racks fold down to the side of the vehicle and boats are put on a saddle and secured, then easily pushed up to the roof.

The other side of All Seasons is custom aluminum racks. Bixby has sold dozens over the years to plumbers, electricians, hunting guides and other mobile businesses as well as the weekend warrior who has to ferry his boat or motorbike into the great outdoors.

Headache Racks — the mesh coverings that protect pickups’ back windows, ladder racks, truck-box rails and contractor racks — are always in demand.

Shaw and Telus are regular customers.

The sky is virtually the limit on custom work.

Just take Bixby some plans or an idea. He’s built amazing boat racks, some with sophisticated winch systems; truck-box decks for quad recreational bikes; and rooftop safari baskets with fold-down ladders.

He is one of Thule’s best sellers in B.C., earning a Five Star Dealer rating, and also sells Yakima and Rhino rack brands. His spacious new showroom also features vehicle assessories such as running boards, off-road lighting, winches, bumpers and mud flaps.

Bixby has leased 1,400 square feet of the location to The Finer Details, a vehicle detailing shop. It’s owned by Rob Westfall and Dave Marquis.

All Seasons Auto Racks is at 3325 Oak St. Call 250-383-2100.