Many car dealers in Ontario lost a specialist in the fine art of automotive detailing and reconditioning with the recent passing of Herman Struthmann. The 69-year-old, who founded Struthmann Enterprises in 1983, died unexpectedly in January in his home in Craighurst, Ont.
“What a tragic loss for his family and company, and the automotive industry as a whole in Ontario,” said Midland Honda President Richard Davies. “Losing a 40-year game changing pioneer in our industry deserves a great story for many reasons, but I am sure many businesses aren’t aware of his loss — and more importantly his value to our industry.”
He added that the part that made Hermann so special was his love for the industry and helping people in every dealership he did business with, which was “unusual to say the least.”
Davies also said Struthmann often came in to help train dealership employees on the finer aspects of cleaning and waxing a car. “It’s an art, not a science, and that experience comes from decades of doing it himself, and that’s why I bought my products from him,” said Davies.
Chris Olschewski, President of Olschewski Auto Group, had done business with Struthmann for some 20 years. He also owned a detailing company, which he subsequently sold, and had learned a lot about it from Struthmann.
“He’s going to be known and remembered and missed in the industry for a long time,” said Olschewski. “I’ve never run into a man with that kind of passion and knowledge for the industry and so willing to teach. He never stopped learning. He was also changing and progressing with the industry, just extremely helpful. He loved it. He was passionate about detailing, whether it was making a scratch go away or a vehicle shine.”
“He liked that camaraderie of standing in a detail bay and teaching somebody not only how to use a chemical or a tool, but to do the job. He liked the process of teaching quickly and effectively with a solution that would last, and then coming back and hearing from the people he taught.”
Christian Struthmann said his father took customer service seriously.
“His endless drive taught us that ‘without customer service you are not going to go far in business,’ ” said Christian. He added his father definitely considered himself a game changer.
“Whenever we went to the trade shows, he was always saying to me, ‘there’s always going to be something we’re going to fix up that’s going to make us better at what we’re doing,’” said Christian.
David Bath, Parts Manager at Audi Newmarket, had known Struthmann for more than 30 years. He said Struthmann was first and foremost a people person.
“It was more about the relationship than getting an order,” said Bath. “The business he built was all around that. His nature was that he loved people. That was just his character. I had more conversations with him about family than about product. You always looked forward to seeing him.”
Struthmann is survived by his wife, Vilma and their two children, Christian and Tiana, all of whom are involved in the family business and carrying on his legacy.
