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St. Albert’s first and only independent body shop turns 50

Sturgeon Auto Body is serving its third generation of customers
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Larry Ketsa, left and his son, Lore Ketsa, right, are celebrating Sturgeon Auto Body's 50th anniversary with longtime employees Al Eastwood, Christine Goodine, Darren Nerling and Glen Trowers.

When Larry Ketsa moved to St. Albert in 1971, there were 9,000 people living here and it hadn’t occurred to any of them to open a body shop.

For two years, he ran the Gulf service station on St. Albert Trail, fielding requests from customers for minor repairs like a tail or headlight replacement, or a new mirror.

With no local auto body shop to point them to, Ketsa saw an opportunity.

He didn’t even have auto body experience. Ketsa had mechanical expertise, plenty of time around vehicles and some business courses under his belt, but he learned the craft of the shop “from the bottom up.

“It took me six months to convince the city to give me a licence to open,” Ketsa said, sitting at his desk in the current, state-of the-art home of Sturgeon Auto Body on Rayborn Crescent. “They’d heard about a body shop. They didn’t see a need for it.”

On that topic, they were on an island. When the shop finally opened its doors at 8 Riel Drive Feb. 2, 1975, the front lot was as full as the service bays were.

“It was needed.”

Half a century later, St. Albert’s original crash eraser has two other chain shops literally on the block competing for their business.

But the service bays and the front lot at their home on Raybould, which Ketsa had built in 1979 and opened in 1980, are still full.

Larry’s son, Lore, took over as general manager six years ago, and has been with the company for the last 28. The shop has a number of other employees who have been along for the ride for years, some for decades, including:

  • Darren Nerling, 35 years
  • Carole Baldwin, 31 years
  • Julio Barahona, 21 years
  • Glen Trowers, 14 years
  • Fritz Lopez, 14 years
  • Alan Eastwood, seven years
  • George Keruzberg, six years
  • Mike Diprose, Stefan Trottier, Christine Goodine, Dakoda Kirk and Richard Quitely, five years or less.

Ketsa also added he couldn’t have done it without the support of paint and parts suppliers, “the backbone of the industry.”

Larry is part-time now, and weighs in on major business decisions. With no other family members stepping up, he said it may have to be longtime employees who take over as Lore approaches his own retirement.

“I enjoy coming in every morning,” he said. “The people are great. I see customers my age coming in, I might have a little chat, trying to recognize them — names aren’t always the best!”

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Larry Ketsa is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Sturgeon Auto Body, St. Albert's first collision repair centre. Craig Gilbert/St. Albert Gazette

Not to be outdone by the shop’s golden anniversary, Larry is celebrating his 80th birthday in 2025. The vehicles in the shop being worked on by his longtime employees are owned by folks from his generation, by “kids” he coached in hockey or other sports, and, more and more, by their children in turn.

“We’re experiencing doing repairs for third-generation customers,” Ketsa said, beaming.

He believes the time he spent in the community, with minor sports in particular, helped build that loyal clientele.

Ketsa was one of four owners of the St. Albert Saints from 1985 to 1992, coached hockey and other sports and supported local charities.

Being first helped, too.

“It’s been so long, all the insurance companies, and the customers recognized us over the years, and they just keep coming.”

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Larry and Lore Ketsa, right, are celebrating Sturgeon Auto Body's 50th anniversary with longtime employees Al Eastwood, Darren Nerling, Glen Trowers and Christine Goodine. Craig Gilbert/St. Albert Gazette





Craig Gilbert

About the Author: Craig Gilbert

Craig is a thoroughly ink-stained award-winning writer and photographer originally from Northern Ontario. Please don’t hold that against him.
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