How technology and AI helped this backyard truck repair shop grow into a $20 million business

Foothills Group grew from a backyard repair shop into a $20 million business—and beyond—by tackling operational bottlenecks with technology and AI

Fabian Bonjean, CEO, Foothills Group and ShopView

When Fabian Bonjean set up a garage behind his Calgary home in 2017, he wasn’t setting out to build a $20 million company with more than 100 employees. He had one clear goal: To run his own business and deliver transparent, high-quality service in the heavy-duty repair sector, where trust is hard won.

Bonjean had always envisioned being his own boss. In 2017, he left his day job and began serving clients out of his triple garage.

Within a year and a half, his business had grown from a one-person operation to a team of nearly 10. Within a few more years, it had expanded into multiple facilities across Western Canada, including a dedicated heavy-duty truck shop in Calgary and a major location in Lethbridge.

But as Foothills Group scaled, its operational complexity increased. The company was adding locations, hiring managers and expanding its services. On the surface, everything was working. But Bonjean knew performance wasn’t keeping pace.

“Once we got to 100 people, it became challenging for me to manage without being involved everywhere on a day-to-day basis,” he says.

Technicians were busy, yet their productivity lagged. Administrative processes were too slow. Managers struggled to maintain visibility across locations.

Then came a turning point.

“We did about $20 million in revenue in a year—yet we lost about a million dollars,” says Bonjean. The problem wasn’t demand, talent or effort. The company was excelling in all those areas. It was a systems problem

With this new technology, it became so much easier to implement processes and manage the business at scale.

Building the right technology

There were shop management software systems available to help—the company cycled through five different platforms—but none provided the control or efficiency that Bonjean wanted.

“They didn’t work the way we needed them to,” he says. “It seemed like they weren’t built by people who had actually run a shop.”

Ultimately, Bonjean and his team concluded that none of the available software packages for his industry reflected the realities of running a heavy-duty repair business.

Instead of continuing to search for a better tool, they decided to build one themselves. In 2023, that decision led to the creation of ShopView, a shop management platform designed specifically for heavy-duty repair operations. Bonjean founded ShopView with experienced software industry co-founders. He is still CEO of both Foothills Group and ShopView today.

Unlike many tech start-ups, ShopView has no venture capital backing—it was entirely self-funded by its founding team and now employs about 60 people.

From the outset, the goals were practical: eliminate friction in day-to-day operations and give managers the tools they needed to run profitable locations independently.

The impact was immediate. After implementing ShopView internally, Foothills Group saw a dramatic turnaround—from the $1 million loss to a $2.7 million profit the following year.

“The change was dramatic,” Bonjean says. “With this new technology, it became so much easier to implement processes and manage the business at scale.”

Bonjean estimates that Foothills Group’s return on investment (ROI) is about 20 times the cost of its ShopView subscription.

The platform has since evolved into a full business operating system, supporting everything from work orders and scheduling to reporting and performance tracking. It is now powering thousands of users across Canada and the U.S., with about 75 new shops joining every month.

With the integrated AI, you can build a 20- or 30- line work order in 30 seconds.

The role of AI in day-to-day operations

A key part of ShopView’s evolution has been the integration of AI tools directly into workflows. For example, technicians can use natural language prompts to generate detailed work orders almost instantly—a process that previously took 20 minutes or more.

ShopView was the first shop management system to implement AI features across the platform with ShopCoach AI. Looking ahead, ShopCoach AI is expanding its feature set into shop insights, designed to act as a built-in business advisor. Using each shop’s data, it will provide recommendations on how to improve profitability and performance.

AI also works behind the scenes to improve performance. For example, Foothills Group and ShopView record their internal meetings and sales calls, then use ShopView’s AI tools to analyze them and provide coaching insights.

A Canadian success story

ShopView’s development and reach are global today, but the business was created in Canada, where its founders still live. It operates with teams across multiple countries and serves a growing customer base in both Canada and the U.S. The company maintains a strong Canadian presence, particularly in Alberta, where it continues to support local businesses and industry events.

As Foothills Group expanded, Bonjean sought external supports to strengthen the company’s leadership and operational structure. BDC provided early-stage operating capital. It also helped the company’s management team grow strategically through Growth Driver Program.

“It was really valuable to have that mentorship and leadership coaching—not just coming from me, but from outside experts,” Bonjean says.

BDC also connected Bonjean with broader networks and learning opportunities, including executive training programs.

“And they’re still there as a resource and partner for us, if need be, whether for operating capital, expansion or refinancing.”

My job is to put the right people in the right seats. Not to do everything myself.

Looking ahead

In fewer than nine years since leaving his day job, Bonjean has organically grown Foothills Group and ShopView into highly profitable businesses with growing workforces. At age 33, his focus remains the same as when he started in a backyard garage: build the systems, people and technology needed to scale without becoming the bottleneck.

“My job is to put the right people in the right seats,” he says. “Not to do everything myself.”

For other entrepreneurs, the lesson is clear: Growth alone doesn’t guarantee success. Without the right systems and technologies, it can expose serious weaknesses.

In Foothills Group’s case, investing in technology—and building a custom tech solution when the right product didn’t exist—turned those potential weaknesses into a foundation for long-term growth.

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