Four generations in automotive — and still building.

Brian Barber — full name Brian Roy Barber, named after his grandfather Roy — is a third-generation automotive entrepreneur from Winchester, Ontario. In October 1967, his grandfather Roy Barber opened a 2-bay Sunoco gas station at 1063 Bank Street, Ottawa at the age of 43, with nothing but a desire to build a better life for his family. That station ran for exactly 50 years, closing in October 2017 — the same month it opened, five decades later. Brian's father Calvin grew it into a full-service shop, adding a second location at 1720 Bank Street in 2015. Brian became the first mechanic in the family before making the leap into modern parts distribution, ecommerce, and systems-led growth.

He grew up in the Ottawa automotive world, learned early how hard money is earned, and by 17 had already made about $60,000 between pizza delivery and mechanic work. Later, he was making $135,000 a year at Canadian Tire in Edmonton — a strong career path by most standards — before deciding to come home and bet on building something bigger with family roots.

The first year was ugly. In 2017, Brian lost $650,000 trying to build a distribution business before he fully understood the working capital, inventory discipline, and timing the model demanded. He stayed in the fight, made sharper bets, and in May 2018 put $100,000 on a first container of 800 winter tires. That move generated $300,000 in revenue and roughly $180,000 in profit. It changed the company’s trajectory.

Today Brian leads Autrex, formerly Capital Auto Parts, with Winchester as headquarters, Ottawa operating, and Cornwall set to open in 2026. He’s also building a personal brand around honest operator content: the numbers, the mistakes, the family pressure, the systems, and the upside of staying in the game.

Personally, Brian is married, a father of two — Roy, 4, and Rose, 1 — and sees his son Roy as the fourth generation in the family’s automotive story. He’s based in Winchester, likes early mornings, and prefers building useful things over performing success online.