Liza Mrak holds her own as female co-owner of Ottawa luxury car family firm

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There is no one path for next generations in enterprising families. In this series we talk to members of next generations, whether they choose to take on a role in the family business, or its wealth stewardship, or to carve their own path. Sometimes, it is all of the above. In addition, it can be a unique path for women in Canada’s enterprising families. This story is also part of our Women and Canadian Business Families series.

Liza Mrak grew up as the only daughter among four children of immigrants who opened a European car repair centre in Ottawa.

She and her brothers worked in the business as it grew into a Porsche dealership, and Mrak started a career outside the family business.

When her father approached her to join the family firm, she wanted to learn the business from all angles, including peppering the technicians with endless questions.

Now, as co-owner and executive vice-president of Mark Motors Group of Companies, which Mrak and her brothers have built into a group of luxury car dealerships in Ottawa, she holds her own in a male-dominated industry by leveraging the distinctive perspective she brings to the table.

Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your family’s background.

“My parents are immigrants. My father, Louis Mrak, was born in Maribor, Slovenia. He was raised by a foster family, went to a mechanics college and came to Canada in the mid-fifties to work at a small garage.

My mom, Margaret, was born in Hannover, Germany. She came to Canada around the same time and started working at the Château Laurier. They met in Ottawa, and in 1959, they married and opened their first business together: Mark Motors of Ottawa, a European car repair center.

I have three older brothers, Andreas, Michael and Vincent. I am the youngest and the only daughter.”

What was your experience growing up in a family business?

“I have a tremendous amount of appreciation and respect for both of my parents. Growing up, we did not have many extras, but we never felt we were missing out. My parents always ensured that we had food on the table, were well-dressed, and participated in different activities where we could.

My parents valued hard work, discipline, doing a job well, giving back to the community, and spending time with the family. Sundays were family days. We skied in the winter, spent time at Lac Phillipe in the summer, and of course, the business side flowed in and out of home life.

There were car races, auctions or shows to attend, and we grew up cleaning the dealership, stocking shelves, moving cars, or hosting events.

Like most immigrant families, if you were not working at the dealership, you had to be working somewhere.

Being the youngest and the only girl in the family, I looked up to my older brothers, and I was always competing with them. They may not admit it, but I know they would get upset if I beat them at a game.

I spent much of my time with my mom, and when I look back, I always remember her being on the sidelines, cheering me on when I took part in sports or other activities. She always stressed that, even if you lose sometimes, you can be proud if you can say you gave it your all.

She reinforced the importance of teamwork. Like a family, you share the highs and the lows. I give her much of the credit for teaching me to take risks, that it’s okay to fail if you learn from it, and not to take yourself too seriously.

Over the next few decades, my parents’ small car repair centre grew to encompass many great car companies, including BMW, Alfa Romeo, Lamborghini, Peugeot and Lloyd – but the focus and passion lay with Porsche and Audi at the time.

In 1974, Porsche awarded my parents the franchise for selling and service, making Mark Motors the oldest Porsche dealership in Canada. The Audi franchise followed shortly after in 1975. In 2005 we opened a stand-alone Audi flagship dealership on Hunt Club Road, and we celebrated each of these accomplishments together as a family.

When my father passed in 2012, it left a huge hole in our family. He is, and always will be, remembered as a man of great pride, dignity and deep family values.

Today, my mom is 90 and as strong as she has always been. She still manages to keep all four of us kids in line.

My brothers and I kept the wheels of the Mark Motors Group rolling, just as our parents taught us. We opened Audi Ottawa on Montreal Road in 2016. In 2017, we launched Alfa Romeo Ottawa and Maserati Ottawa. In 2019, we added Audi City, a new concept store, and Audi West Ottawa. Jaguar Landover Hunt Club followed in 2020.

Today, Mark Motors Group oversees six luxury automotive dealerships across the nation’s capital, with over 250 employees.

We are proud to be in the community and to lend our support to the arts, youth and education, health, and social causes. The Ottawa Hospital, the Montfort Hospital, The Royal Mental Health Centre, The Boys and Girls Club, Shepherds of Good Hope, and the National Arts Centre are just some of the charitable organizations we hold in high regard.”

When did you decide to take on a leadership role, and how did your family support you?

“My journey started with a Bachelor of Science in Physiology degree from McGill University. I had early aspirations of being a doctor, but business is in my blood. After graduating from McGill, I took business courses at the University of Ottawa and loved every part of it.

Outside my early training within my family’s business, my first professional experience was as a management trainee with a car rental company. At the rental agency, I learned first-hand how to manage people, deliver high levels of customer service, how to market and sell, oversee the books, and how to train and motivate my team to succeed.

I made mistakes, but I learned from them. I worked hard, learned from the ground up and knew every aspect of this business. Within ten years, I earned my spot as territory manager. The funny thing is that my clients were mostly dealerships and body shops in the Ottawa-Gatineau region. While I was not in the family business, I was still dancing around it. A part of me always knew I would come back to it. Taking on a business my parents had started meant something special to me.

In 2006, a year after the Mark Motors Audi flagship store opened, my dad approached me to join the family business.

While returning to a successful business run by my parents might sound easy, I felt I owed it to my family and myself to ensure it was the right move. I asked my father many questions, and in the end, we agreed that I would follow the same path I had taken at the car rental company.

Once again, I worked through the different positions in the dealership to get a better experience of the departments, the employees, the customers, and the products and the services. I started as a service writer, and I am grateful to the team at the time for their patience with me. To be able to explain things to our customers adequately, I peppered those service technicians with hundreds of questions – the how, why, and when for service items – and they were so generous with their knowledge.

This was the period I learned the most, and as my understanding grew, so did my confidence. By the time I became an executive, I didn’t just work at the business; I knew the company, inside and out.”

What challenges have you faced as a woman in a family enterprise environment?

“The automotive world is traditionally a male dominated environment. It is much more diverse today than when I started, but I remember when I would walk into a room for a meeting and get this look as though I had just stepped into a men’s locker room. I recall this immediate rush of blood through my body, thinking, was there something in my teeth?

As the youngest in the family and the only girl, I got my share of ‘You are too young to understand’ or, ‘You are a girl.’ It is easy to get defeated when this is in front of you. Still, the reality is that my time outside the family business and my competitiveness allowed me to build my ability to handle myself in these types of situations. I was confident I had earned my place around the decision-making table.

As one of a few female owners, I also learned that I bring something different to that table. The words I use and the perspectives I bring are often distinct from those of my male counterparts, and there is great benefit in that when you are looking to widen your customer base.

Increasingly, more came forward to seek out my input for this very reason. As I came to appreciate the usefulness of my difference, I built the courage to speak up more. I had good ideas. I was helping to make the business better. It was a bit lonely early on, but even then, this experience helped me. I’m good at finding common ground with my male colleagues and customers, and I am a more skillful mentor to and champion of women in my industry.

All that said, the best advice I ever got about using my voice came from my mom. She’d often say, ‘Sit on your hands,’ which to her meant, ‘Wait for your moment’ and ‘be thoughtful’ when you choose to speak.”

What has your experience been as a mother or caregiver as you have also navigated your business role?

“I am lucky to be a mother to three amazing step-kids who are young adults, and a caregiver to my mom.

For the kids, I get to be their cheerleader and someone they can lean on if needed. As they navigate the early days of their careers, I try to emulate my mom, nudging them to trust their own voice and values, particularly in the workplace. I am so proud of them, and being a part of their life journey is more than I could have ever asked for.

Similarly, my mom has been such an essential part in shaping who I am, this opportunity to return her lifetime of kindness and care is a privilege for which I am grateful.

Like many people, being a parent, caregiver and business owner requires balance. And by balance, I do not think that always means an equal split because sometimes, one area of your life needs more attention than the others. It just needs to balance out in the long run.

It helps that I have an amazing husband and partner who understands the family business dynamics. He has my back, and I have his.”

Do you have any advice for younger generations, whether they choose to be part of the family business or strike out on their own?

“Anything new will be exciting and, at the same time, intimidating. There are big rewards to be had by starting at the beginning and taking time to learn your business. Understand employees by being an employee. Understand customers by asking them for feedback. Remember what you value and know your worth, especially when standing alone.

Being different can be very powerful, and when used well, you will gain more respect by speaking up and sharing your thoughts on strategy and outlook.

Lastly, it helps to have a sense of humour. You need to be able to laugh at yourself. Laughter improves the good times and makes the challenging times a little less difficult. It works well in business and life.”

Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.

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