In 1963, Mister Transmission co-founders Bruce Brillinger and Jerry Etkin opened the doors to Canada's very first specialized transmission service centre in Richmond Hill, Ontario. For the first time, Canadians could take their vehicle to a specialist instead of being forced to take their car back to the dealer. Customers now had a choice. We received such a great response that we opened additional stores in Barrie, North Bay, Brampton and Burlington. In 1969, the automotive aftermarket business really took off in Canada. Specialist shops were taking repairs back from car dealerships that were providing poor service for customers, and forcing them into long waiting lists. In 1969 Mister Transmission was converted into a franchise business.