Who We Are…
At Pro-Active Automotive, our greatest asset is our team for their expertise and dedication to meeting our customer’s needs.
Our team includes knowledgeable service advisors who provide personalized service and expert guidance to ensure every customer’s needs are met with care and precision.
Our Licensed Journeyman Automotive Technicians and Master Technicians are equipped with the latest diagnostic tools and software, enabling them to deliver top-tier maintenance services and resolve even the most complex mechanical and electronic issues.
Our unwavering commitment to excellence and our personalized approach to customer care sets Pro-Active Automotive apart. Your satisfaction is our priority, and we take pride in building lasting relationships through quality service and exceptional expertise.
Dean And Dori Gurtler
Dean is one of the owners of Proactive Automotive and a very accomplished licensed Master Technician. Dean’s love of taking things apart and putting them back together goes back to his childhood (his Mom can tell you some stories about that)! He did his first major engine conversion at the age of 15 on a 1962 1-ton cabover Willey’s Jeep which he determined would be better if it was run by a Chevy V8. He completed the Automotive Service Technician Program at SAIT (with honors) and worked for a Toyota dealership in Calgary for nearly 10 years with increasing roles of responsibility and has a long-standing respect for the Toyota brand.
Dean and Dori have owned Pro-Active Automotive since it was established in 2004. Dean enjoys getting to know each of his customers and his objective is ensuring that each one is dealt with fairly, with integrity, and has the confidence that they are getting excellent automotive repair service.
Dean loves 4x4ing and tries to get out several times a year. Favorite spots include Waiperous, the Whipsaw, Harrison Springs, Rubicon trail in California and exploring Moab, Utah. He also loves ice fishing, movies and does amazing metal art when he has time.
As one of the original owners, Dori has been very involved in the establishment of Pro-Active Automotive. Although Dori is not engaged in the daily operations of Pro-Active, she is responsible for monthly statement reconciliations and bookkeeping, financial reporting, business plan and proposal writing, payroll administration, and employee benefits management. Dean and Dori are a team in all matters related to Pro-Active Automotive.
Dori works full-time as a Business Analyst in Strategic Asset Management for a Calgary-based utility company.
Ron Smith
Ron worked with Pro-Active Automotive in its early years before leaving to pursue other fun opportunities. We are delighted that he has come back as a valued member of our team. Ron is currently Pro-Active Automotive’s Shop Foreman and has been since his return in 2023.
Ron is a Toyota Master Technician and has years of experience working on all types of domestic and import vehicles. Ron enjoys hanging out with friends, spoiling his best dog Max, and catching all the hockey games that his favorite team plays.
Dean Northcott
Dean is a licensed technician with a wide array of automotive experience. He is also both a Toyota and a Hyundai Master Technician. Dean has been with Pro-Active Automotive since 2023, and we love his great sense of humor and dry wit.
Dean loves being outdoors – he and his wife spend time with their family camping, hunting and enjoying the beauty of Alberta’s amazing foothills and mountains.
Chris Penaranda
Chris is one of Pro-Active Automotive’s Service Advisors. He is outgoing, friendly, truly interested in those that he talks to, and works hard to ensure that every customer that he deals with has a positive interaction with our company.
Chris has a passion for personal fitness and helping others achieve healthy lifestyles.
Robert Highberg
Robert has been with Pro-Active since mid 2024 and is our Apprentice Technician. He is very hardworking and is definitely learning a lot about all kinds of different vehicles. He is applying his knowledge and gaining experience through working with our excellent licensed technicians.
Robert loves classic cars and built his car with his Dad. He is recently married and enjoys hiking and being in the mountains.
Christian Apaya
Chris came to us from Saskatchewan where he completed his automotive repair journeyman training and got his license. Christian is hardworking, thorough, and makes sure that he is doing the best job he can.
Christian married his lovely wife in 2023 and recently he and his wife welcomed their first child, an adorable daughter.
Heather Hofer
Heather is the newest addition to our team as a Service Advisor. She makes sure the calls are answered and returned, that every customer is taken care of and that the technicians have all the information that they need to get their jobs done. She is bright, friendly and happy to help everyone that comes through the door with their automotive service needs.
Heather is a Mom to 2 great kids and enjoys music, including playing the piano and the guitar, and also loves to get outdoors and go camping.