Complete Lube Supply Celebrates 25 Years in Canada

June 20, 2017
Complete Lube Supply (CLS) will celebrate its 25th anniversary this month as Canada marks its 150th anniversary milestone. To recognize these achievements, CLS will be offering customers a chance to create their own Canadian experience with a summer-long promotion and valuable prizes. CLS was founded in East Toronto in 1992 by John Vanderlaan and Michael Cassin and has become the go-to supplier for the quick lube industry in Canada. Both are experienced quick lube operators. Executives at CLS in Toronto include, from left to right: John Koutrouliotis, National Sales and Marketing Manager; Anita Chui, Controller; John Vanderlaan, President and

Complete Lube Supply (CLS) will celebrate its 25th anniversary this month as Canada marks its 150th anniversary milestone. To recognize these achievements, CLS will be offering customers a chance to create their own Canadian experience with a summer-long promotion and valuable prizes.

CLS was founded in East Toronto in 1992 by John Vanderlaan and Michael Cassin and has become the go-to supplier for the quick lube industry in Canada. Both are experienced quick lube operators.

Executives at CLS in Toronto include, from left to right: John Koutrouliotis, National Sales and Marketing Manager; Anita Chui, Controller; John Vanderlaan, President and COO; and Mike Cassin, President, Sales.

“Unlike in the U.S., there were no quick lube suppliers in Canada at the time,” says Vanderlaan. “Operators sourced product from local auto parts stores and truck jobbers, paying top dollar. Mike and I saw the opportunity to create a distribution model focused exclusively on the quick lube industry.”

“Our business model was similar to that of distributors in the U.S. with one exception,” said Cassin. “We knew we had to differentiate ourselves from the many other auto parts distributors. Our goal from the outset was to offer customers not only great products, but to back-up those products with unmatched service, support and training by quick lube professionals.”

That philosophy continues today. CLS only hires sales staff with quick lube experience, and incredibly, the combined experience of CLS sales members exceeds 250 years! “Our staff are without question the driver of our growth,” says Vanderlaan. “Their dedication to CLS and its continued success, day in and day out, is simply inspiring.”

Twenty-five years later, CLS has expanded to multiple distribution centers across Canada, serving most of the quick lubes in the country.

“The growth we’ve had could not have been possible without the partnership that was created with our vendors and, more importantly, our customers,” remarked John Koutrouliotis, National Sales and Marketing manager for CLS. “We feel very fortunate to be partnered with such a hard-working, talented and dedicated group of professionals. Their continued appreciation and loyalty motivates us every day.”

In 2007, CLS partnered with Service Champ, the largest automotive aftermarket supplier to the industry in the U.S.

“John and Mike came to visit me 25 years ago wanting to become a distributor of Service Champ in Canada,” recalled Kirk Gustie, Senior VP, Strategic Accounts for Service Champ. “We were really growing at a nice pace in the U.S. and didn’t have a lot of experience in exporting our product. I said why don’t you just do what we’re doing and we will help you as much as we can. Maybe down the road we will circle back together. The rest is history.”

“Our partnership with Service Champ allowed us to significantly expand our product offering and increase our combined buying power,” explained David Hogg, National Operations Manager for CLS.

“CLS has been an incredible part of the Service Champ team,” noted Mary Zappone, Service Champ’s President & CEO. “I admire their deep quick lube market expertise, customer care and focus on providing value-added training and services to the Canadian market.”

CLS expects the quick lube industry will continue to grow and evolve in Canada, providing for new challenges and opportunities. “We’re excited about what the future has in store for the industry,” sums up Vanderlaan. “As we often say, there’s never a dull moment in this business.”

Starting July 1 and running through the end of August, CLS will offer customers a chance to win one of three grand prizes in their 25th Anniversary contest. First prize is a $2,000 Air Canada gift certificate. Second prize is a $750 hotel gift certificate and the third prize is a $250 gift certificate from Breakaway Experience; you can learn more at www.breakawayexperiences.com. All winners will be announced at a drawing in early September.

To learn more about Complete Lube Supply, visit completelube.com