For someone with aspirations of following his father and grandfather in flying commercial planes, Chris Tonkin instead found his true love in the automotive industry owning dealerships.
The 40-year-old Alberta resident, who was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, is the president of Straightline Motor Group and the new president of the Calgary Motor Dealers Association. And he is quite happy with the decision he made to keep his feet firmly on the ground instead of in the air.
“I originally moved to Alberta for pilots’ school,” said Tonkin in an interview with Canadian auto dealer. “I loved flying but there wasn’t exactly a shortage of pilots. I was seeing all my (pilot) friends move up to the Northwest Territories. I liked living in Calgary and living out west, but found I didn’t have the same passion my father and grandfather had for flying.
“I’ve always just been a real car guy. My mom told me I learned how to read by reading Ford and Honda on the back of cars, and I was always obsessed with pinpointing what car was what model.”
After giving up flying planes, he pursued an automotive career path by enrolling and subsequently graduating from Georgian College’s Business Administration program at the Automotive Business School of Canada.
He then completed his Bachelor of Business, Marketing from Griffith University in Australia. He entered the workforce with Airdrie Dodge in Management, specifically in Finance and Sales Operations, and spent more than 10 years with the company.
After an attempt at buying the family-owned business was throttled by larger offers from auto groups, he worked for a Honda dealership for a year before embarking on his own with the start of Straightline. He chose the name to represent his philosophy of doing business with customers in a straightforward, clear and transparent way, while also having fun. He began with buying a Dodge store outside of Edmonton, which he recently sold.
In all, Straightline Motor Group now owns five franchised dealerships, an RV and Marine operation, an independent operation selling utility vehicles, and a NAPA AutoPRO outlet. Last year he acquired three stores in Terrace in northern B.C., including a Chevrolet Buick GMC dealership, a Honda dealership, and the RV and Marine business.
“We’re going to keep growing, but it’s got to be in the right market and with the right brands where we are comfortable,” said Tonkin.
The move into B.C. resulted from working with a managing partner for the first time when his longtime friend Justin Rose joined him and moved down from Yellowknife. “It was an opportunity to get in with new brands — very excited to be with GM, Honda, and getting into the recreation industry — and in a location that might scare off some people, but I like spending time up there and Justin ended up moving there full-time.”
“We were very fortunate to acquire from a very successful family,” added Tonkin. “They were operating well and were image dealerships, what you would call turnkey, with still a lot of growth opportunities.” He said he was approached by the CMDA to join the executive after his name was put forward.
“There’s a lot of responsibility through the year, but you do a lot of good within the City of Calgary and for the dealer body,” said Tonkin. “It’s definitely something I was interested in and I was happy to accept.”
