Optimum Auto Service Corp

Basit Alqubaisi has always been passionate about mechanics and started gaining experience in the field when he was just a young boy growing up in Kuwait. “As a child, my main hobby was mechanics and I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to work on different vehicles growing up,” he says. In 1996, he gathered his belongings and moved to Canada in pursuit of a higher education and establishing his own career path. Originally pursuing an accounting degree, he switched his field to mechanics at NAIT and obtained his Journeyman certificate after four years.

After working for a few dealerships and then experiencing a layoff, Basit was ready for a change. “I realized right then that I couldn’t keep working for other businesses anymore,” says Basit. “I wanted to finally be able to put my education, experience and skill set to good use.” With a newfound determination to start his own auto business, Basit took a government-sponsored business course and achieved his dream of opening Optimum Auto Service at the end of 2003. By 2013, Basit had been joined by his right-hand man Mahmud Bseis, acquired ownership of the entire building, and expanded the shop’s size to six bays.