Clarissa and Dave Iacobucci took over the family business DSI Panels in Victoria back in 2014. The business has won several Paint & Panel Awards and Clarissa has also won a Women in Collision Award.
How did you get started in the industry?
I’m from Perth originally and moved over to Melbourne to be with my husband Dave in 2009. I worked for Singapore Airlines in WA and wanted to transfer but Dave lived too far from the airport so I started working at DSI shortly before we got married.
What do you do now?
I handle payroll and accounts, employee relations, health & safety compliance etc… I managed a lot of the set up tasks for our second location and again was heavily involved when we purchased our third site last year. We’re currently working on the expansion and re-development of our Blackburn workshop so that will keep me busy for a while. Hopefully once that’s done we’ll be able to catch up on some sleep. It’s been a hectic few years.
What do you most like about the industry?
I like how the industry has changed so much since I started working at DSI and we’ve had to continually evolve to stay relevant. The bar has definitely been lifted in the last 10 years. I would never have expected us to be working on self-driving electric cars on polished concrete floors!
What do you most dislike about the industry?
The shortage of skilled workers in our industry would have to be what I dislike the most. It’s a consistent problem and a very difficult one to manage, we are always looking for more people. Luckily for us, we have an awesome team and wouldn’t be where we are today without our core group of employees.
Who do you most admire in the industry?
I’d have to say my father-in-law. He moved over from Italy when he was 16, couldn’t speak a word of English yet had the courage to start his own business. He’s now 75 and ‘retired’, yet still comes in to work a few days a week to keep busy.
Cars! tell us - first car, current car, dream car?
My first car was a blue Mitsubishi Mirage that I bought when I was 17 – I paid extra to add on the ‘power pack’ which included power steering and air conditioning and Dave still laughs at how proud I was of the upgrade. These days I drive a GLE53 which I love so there’s no plans on changing any time soon.