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Tony Faria, the University of Windsor marketing professor who created the school’s Office of Automotive and Vehicle Research and sounded the alarm over the future of the industry in Canada, has died.
Faria died suddenly April 7. He was 76.
A graduate of Michigan State University, Faria initially worked in the private sector, including as a buyer for then-DaimlerChrysler in the company’s parts distribution centre in Centerline, Michigan.
Then he went back to school, earned an MBA and a PhD, and joined the faculty at the University of Windsor in 1975.
He created an important body of research on the automotive industry, tracking investment in Canadian plants and signalling the decline of the industry in this country.
In addition to his expertise, he was very accessible, and national media regularly sought his take on industry developments. He still followed the industry closely and was sought after for comment even after his retirement in 2012.
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Smart, a workaholic and respected, “he knew the auto industry as well as anybody,” said auto analyst Dennis DesRosiers.
He called out bad decisions by companies and took on unions.
“He was very outspoken because he loved the industry and wanted the industry to not only survive but thrive,” DesRosiers said. “He took a lot of criticism from various parts of the industry on his stance, especially with unions, but he was dedicated to the industry and worked his butt off for decades to make sure the industry did well.”
Faria worked extensively but quietly behind the scenes, writing briefs and lobbying, to help draw investment to Windsor and Essex County, said DesRosiers. He was involved in landing then-Chrysler’s research and development centre in Windsor.
A “marketing whiz,” according to DesRosiers, Faria also helped dozens of automotive and automotive-related companies in the region.
“He was also one of the nicest guys you’d ever want to come across, loved by his students,” DesRosiers said.
“If I had to pick one particular thing about him,” DesRosiers said, “it’s how much he cared about the community and how much he did behind the scenes to promote automotive investment in Windsor and Essex County.”
Said Peter Frise, a University of Windsor professor of mechanical, automotive and materials engineering and scientific director of the former Auto 21, “The thing about the auto industry — it’s like a garden. It requires constant feeding, weeding and care to keep the industry healthy. But if it’s healthy, holy cow does it produce jobs, and good ones, and wealth.
“The jobs we have here, that we must compete for every day, are really important. Tony got that.
“Job security does not come from a collective agreement. Job security comes from people buying the products your company sells. We have to compete and Tony understood that.”
ajarvis@postmedia.com
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