Click on one of the people below to find out more information.
Neil Kalawsky describes himself as a "hands-on dealer who works in the
store every day and runs a small family-operated dealer group."
An accountant by training, Neil began his automotive career in
1965, fresh out of school, at Camrose Auto Service Ltd., in Camrose, Alberta. Progressing through the ranks there,
from accountant to sales manager, he subsequently held controller
positions in various dealerships before acquiring his first GM store in Killam, Alberta, in 1978. In 1989, Neil purchased Kalawsky Chevrolet Buick GMC and has since built it into a thriving business that prides itself on attention to detail and providing superior service at all levels.
Darlene has been involved in the operation of Kalawsky Chevrolet Buick GMC from day one. Beyond taking care of business, Darlene's touches can be seen around the dealership and often take the form of fresh cut flowers and home baked goodies for customers and staff.
Beyond her position as Vice President, Darlene finds time for many community causes. She
has served on the board of the Selkirk College Foundation and organized a
key fundraising event, the Festival of Trees. She is a proud supporter
of the Castlegar & District Library, helping to raise funds for its
expansion and its latest project, the creation of the Rotary Centennial
Garden. Darlene has also organized a weekly summer concert series
at Kinnaird Park, and served as local vice-chair of Communities in Bloom
for the city of Castlegar. She is past president of the Castlegar
Sunrise 2000 Rotary Club. In 1996, she was named Castlegar's
Citizen of the Year. That same year, she received a trustee award from
the British Columbia Library Association. Darlene also volunteers with the SPCA and has been known to show up at work with stray animals she found on the way.
Mitch started at Kalawsky Chevrolet Buick GMC after moving to Castlegar from Calgary to work as the Service Manager. He has extensive experience working in the automotive industry and has recently moved to the position of Controller.
Mitch is a crazed sports fan and avid supporter of the Castlegar Rebels hockey team.
Camille is a great addition to Kalawsky Chevrolet Buick GMC. She does a lot of things beyond answering the phone and running the till, and she does it for Castlegar Hyundai as well when we let them drag her away.
When she is not working, she spends time with her family, most importantly, her son.
Scott came to Kalawsky Chevrolet Buick GMC as a Sales Representative, moved to the position of Business Manager, and has recently taken on the responsiblities of Sales Manager. With his extensive experience and can-do attitude, he is a good man to know when looking for a new vehicle.
Shane has been at Kalawsky Chevrolet Buick GMC as a salesman forever. He knows his product and has won several GM awards as a salesman. He has achieved this by focusing on his customer's needs and following up to make sure that they are satisfied.
Shane is also a keen gardener and regularly gives away, to any passerby, the biggest and tastiest tomatoes you have ever eaten.
Vito is a long time local who came to Kalawsky Chevrolet Buick GMC after years of running his own successful business in the automotive industry. He never forgets a name and seems to know everyone.
His love for GM products means you may see him driving his beautiful white Corvette on any of our winding roads. He knows what he loves and loves what he sells.
Adam has been in automobile sales
for almost 12 years, and during that time, he's had the opportunity to represent
quite a few different brands. It may be little wonder that he's very pleased to
be providing information and quality customer support for the GM family of
vehicles here in Castlegar. Prior to vehicle sales, Adam sold recreational
vehicles, and camping and being in the outdoors still make up a big part of
what he enjoys. Adam also plays hockey in his spare time, and he's the busy father
of two children, a son and a daughter.
Murray worked at Kalawsky Chevrolet Buick GMC before Neil and Darlene purchased it in 1989, so he knows his GM parts and how to get them here as fast as humanly possible.
Murray is an avid fisherman and, true to his heritage, is known to wear a kilt and play a mean set of bagpipes.
Dale is a recent addition to Kalawsky Chevrolet Buick GMC, but no stranger to General Motors products. As a journeyman mechanic, trained and certified by GM, Dale has spent his working life with GM products. For many years he worked specifically with GM automatic transmissions and before coming to our dealership, he worked as a service manager at another GM dealership.
Dale spends his free time exploring the area with his travel trailer and quad. He also owns a Victory Touring Cruiser and a Honda Goldwing that he could go on about forever. He loves his motorbikes as much as his GM vehicles.
Don has a long history in the autobody business. He has seen a lot of dented, dinged and destroyed vehicles and put most of them back together. His eye for detail, combined with a state-of-the-art paint booth and a crew of gifted craftsman, means your repair will be done properly and look good too.
Don is also a keen outdoorsman, spending much of his time on one of his two mountain bikes in the summer, or downhill ski touring in the winter. You wouldn't know it, but he has been known to throw his body off some pretty amazing places on his bike and skis and survive. When he is not doing that or working at Kalawsky Collision Centre, he can be found building himself a summer retreat from the ground up, the hard way, with his own hands.
Darren started working with Kalawsky Chevrolet Buick GMC as an Assistant Parts Manager, but moved to his present position when Kalawsky Collision Centre was created to make more room for both mechanical and body shop repairs. Darren understands the parts that go into making your repair look good, and he knows how to get them here on time so you get your vehicle back as quickly as possible.
Sandra relocated to the West Kootenay a little over a year ago and is taking every opportunity to explore these beautiful surroundings. Sandra loves dogs! She and her faithful six-year-old German Sheppard spend as much time outdoors as possible. Sandra recently got involved into Trials motorcycling, and enjoys biking and touring. She also loves to spend time on her splitboard.