Rocky Mountain Diesel, second generation

Chris Thom grew up involved in the family business, Rocky Mountain Diesel

Rocky Mountain Diesel, founded in 1981 by Rick and George Thom, is now owned by Chris Thom and his wife, Olivia. — Marie Milner photo

Rocky Mountain Diesel (RMD) is a family business, founded in Cranbrook, B.C., in 1981 by brothers Rick and George Thom. In December of 2008, Rick’s son and daughter-in-law, Chris and Olivia, bought the business. In April 2010 they added a body shop to the mechanical repair operation, and they now employ about 40 people.

“I would say that at the heart of it, the company looks like we thought it would,” said Chris, “though it’s significantly larger than anyone would have thought at the beginning. We do mechanical repairs on commercial trucks and trailers, and autobody work on all types of vehicles.”

Since RMD received ICBC’s “express valet” accreditation—its highest rank for body shops—Canadian Direct Insurance has designated RMD to be its preferred repair facility in the Kootenays for commercial automotive work. RMD’s reputation is spreading, with customers coming from as far away as Grand Forks and Golden.

Family business works

Chris said that he very much enjoys his day-to-day dealings with customers, developing relationships with them. He has great confidence in the people who work at RMD, some of whom are family members.

“My mother, my uncle and two cousins work in the business,” he said. “My mom is my financial controller, and she’s constantly looking out for me—I feel lucky to have her. I’m really proud of the people who work for the company.”

Chris said that he’s more of a spur-of-the-moment kind of person than a long-range planner. His decisions are often based on a subconscious process and a gut feeling. 

The rewards of contribution

Following the example of his parents, Chris is a great believer in supporting community causes and is happy to have the opportunity to work on projects and events that make a positive difference in and around Cranbrook. He is an incoming director for the Cranbrook & District Chamber of Commerce, he was involved in Junior Chamber International for about six years, and the company is a generous supporter of the East Kootenay Foundation for Health—to the tune of about $60,000 over the last decade.

Chris feels good about contributing his time and financial support, and finds that his community involvement has, incidentally, made his business more well known.

Chris makes family activities a priority. He and his wife have two daughters, age nine and 11, who are involved in dance and figure skating.

“The girls are pretty busy,” Chris laughed. “This is a good time for us, and we appreciate it.”