7 Brands. 50 Years.

Karl Heinz Wetzlaugk and Herta Schmidt immigrated from Germany to Canada shortly after World War II. They were introduced to one another by Karl’s mother and started Karl’s Body Shop in Dawson Creek, British Columbia. They moved south in 1968 when Modern Auto Body Ltd. first opened in Edmonton.

Karl and Herta’s son Dean showed interest in the shop at a very young age. He worked alongside his parents, helping clean the shop, wash vehicles, sand parts, run for tools, mix paint, and keep his father company working late into the night to exceed customer expectations. This became Dean’s passion. With his father’s guidance, Dean began working full time at Modern and earned his auto body technician license at the early age of 19. Karl and Dean were always encouraging their team to be the best.

Over the 20 years Dean worked with Karl and Herta, he learned a lot about the industry. The opportunity to make significant changes to the collision industry was identified in the best interests of our customers’ safety. Modern implemented a plan to focus on key brands providing OEM certifications with manufacturer-approved repair guidelines to repair customers’ vehicles. This was unheard of in the collision industry. Today Modern has seven OEM certifications and operates with precision workmanship.

Modern Auto Body is more than a business. It’s a family. Three generations of family, including our senior team of technicians who worked alongside Karl and Dean, our junior technicians learning from their peers, and Dean and Michelle’s children, who also share in the business. It’s family pride that fosters a higher level of expectation in our industry. We work together to be leaders, ensuring the repair procedures of the OEM certifications are adhered to at all times.