A deliberately small Kootenay business with trust at its core

Family-owned Lubers Express Oil Change brings a different model of vehicle service to Fernie

Cavan Fertig (left) accepts the 2025 Fernie Business Excellence Award for Outstanding Customer Service. — Photos courtesy of Lubers Express Oil Change

When Lubers Express Oil Change opened its Fernie location in March 2023, it marked the next step for a family-run business that began in Drayton Valley, Alberta, more than two decades earlier. Founded in 2000, the quick-lube company has remained closely operated by the Fertig family, with multiple generations and siblings involved in the day-to-day running of the business.

The decision to expand wasn’t driven by scale, but rather by fit. After spending time in Fernie, members of the family saw both a gap in the local automotive service landscape and a community where a smaller, service-focused business could work. Since opening, the Fernie location has emphasized straightforward vehicle maintenance, transparent pricing, and consistency in a market where trust and word of mouth carry significant weight. The company also won a 2025 Fernie Business Excellence Award for Outstanding Customer Service.

Lubers Express is owned and operated by Corbett Fertig alongside his brother Cavan Fertig, their sister Charli Lorain Fertig, their mother Louise LaForce-Fertig, and Charli’s husband, Edward Kezar. We spoke with Corbett Fertig about the company’s expansion, its approach to customer service, and the challenges of operating a family business in a small mountain community.

How did Lubers Express get started in Fernie?

We have a location in Drayton Valley (since 2000) and we knew we wanted to open another shop, but we didn’t know where. My brother ended up having a job in Fernie in 2020 ... and he loved the community and saw an opportunity for our shop to expand to Fernie. We then visited the city and fell in love with it. We started to do our research and found it was indeed a place that could support our business, so we started the process to develop a piece of land we purchased and the rest is history. We’ve been open in Fernie since March, 2023.

How do you attract new customers in a competitive automotive industry?

We are lucky in that we are the only true “quick lube” in Fernie. But with that being said, people have the option to go to dealerships, mechanic shops and to Cranbrook which has many quick lubes.

We focus on good marketing and also we do a few things around the community such as our random act of kindness days, etc.

But what really matters is customer service. We really strive to ensure our customers feel welcome from the moment they arrive and it’s important to us that they leave happier than when they arrived. We ensure that we are transparent, we don’t pressure our customers and we listen to them. We also work hard to ensure our prices are fair and competitive.

Without great customer service, the growth we’ve had in Fernie wouldn’t have happened. It’s very important for us to get the trust of the community and then build off that and keeping consistent with our products and service and never breaking the trust. Customers have so many options and we want them to come to us because they know they’ll be truly looked after, and we want them to be excited to come in for their oil change instead of it being something that “just has to get done.”

What’s the biggest operational challenge for you?

At the beginning it was staffing as Fernie and the surrounding area really struggles with this—the cost of living is high and accommodation is hard to find.

How do you keep your team trained and motivated?

We train our team from the beginning by showing them the ins and out of the business, our standards, etc. Once they have finished their training, the senior team members continue to work alongside them to guide them. Once someone is fully trained, confident and mastering the role, we then encourage them to be a leader themselves and take the “bull by the horns”—allowing them to feel motivated.

We also have a great team, so that in itself really helps as everyone supports each other, works as a team and “jive.”

For training, anything new that comes out (whether this is oil specs, new vehicles or products), we ensure we are always working with the team to keep them informed. If it’s something on a vehicle, our team leader or my brother will take the time to show any new processes.

Training is really ongoing and yearly, as in our industry many things can change as vehicles change. But more importantly, communication is key.

What trends are you noticing in vehicle maintenance right now?

Over the last several years we have been noticing more vehicle specs changing, what oils they take, new oil grades, etc. We have also been noticing a change in oil specs and it seems this is constantly changing year to year or every few years.

Back in the day, quick lubes were able to check most of the fluids—but vehicle manufacturers are designing things so the customer has to go to the dealership, often being charged a fee to get basic things checked (for example, some vehicle transmissions can only be checked at a dealership now). This can often times be frustrating for us, and especially the customers, because it’s more money out of their pocket and time out of their day.

What’s your proudest achievement as a business owner?

Our proudest achievement is celebrating our 25 years as a business and being able to serve our community in Drayton and Fernie. This means the world to us. We are also so happy to carry our father’s legacy on in a way we know he would be proud.

What customer feedback means the most to you?

When customers comment on our competitive pricing or customer service, this means so much to us. We love when people leave us reviews and give us feedback in regards to their experience by saying things like “we didn’t feel pressured into products or services.” That’s one we hear a lot.

We love hearing the feedback about our team because it puts a smile on the team members' faces—and as employers and business owners, it reassures us we have the right teams in place.

How has Fernie’s community supported your business?

They gave us a chance and tried us out. That is really the first step. The fact that they gave us the opportunity to service their vehicle, means the world! The community is so supportive and lots of our business is by word of mouth.

What advice would you give someone entering the automotive service trade?

Have patience, don’t pressure customers into products or services as a means to grow sales, and be genuine. Also, ensure that you’re keeping up with the constant changes as they are happening quicker and more often than before.

What’s next for Lubers Express?

We would like to open a third location. We have no dreams or aspirations to become a “large” company or to franchise though. We want to stay small so we can ensure we can properly manage our business and really keep our service standards top-notch. Often when companies grow large, the first thing that they seem to lose is what originally made them special—customer service. When major growth happens, we find it becomes about the money and not so much about the customer or the employees. Yes, all service establishments would say that customer service is very important to them, but when you become too big, it’s hard to control it. It’s our opinion, that when companies do pressure sales and look for upselling opportunities, customers stop being cared for. You can’t give good customer service when you see your customers as numbers.

We want to stay small, humble and always make sure our customers are taken care of, and our employees. The moment either is sacrificed, we know we’ve gone in the wrong direction.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

We would like to thank Fernie and the surrounding communities for their trust, loyalty, support and business. We truly value and appreciate it. To us, our customers aren’t numbers, they are family and they mean the world to us.

We also want to thank our team for their dedication, loyalty and hard work and for continuing to support us in our business. We are forever grateful to our team and think the world of them.