Craig Read, whose career in the automotive aftermarket dates to the early 1970s, passed away while continuing to contribute to the market.

Most in Canada’s aftermarket connect him with the Fram brand which he represented through several corporate owners and through a number of stints.

He began his aftermarket career with Red Stallion and in 1976 moved to become Eastern Canada Regional Manager with Honeywell CPG representing Fram, Prestone and Autolite brands. After five years away at Case & Drum, he returned as Senior Technical Trainer for the Fram Group and stayed in similar roles–a total of some 40 years with the brand–before joining Grant Brothers Sales in 2021.

Craig’s son Adrian Read, who works in the industry with Continental Specialty Tires, says that his father was a bit of a legend in the aftermarket.

“There’s a good chance that if you were in the automotive supply business, you had the pleasure of meeting my dad at some point. Most will have positive memories of Pop—none more so than my sister, Jen Read and me, who began our mentorship programs at a young age.

“He was a great mentor, colleague, and, most of all, a great dad.”

Charlie Grant is CEO of Grant Brothers Sales, one of the largest sales organizations in Canada, says he valued Craig’s counsel more than words can express.

“I learned so much from Craig when I joined the family business. He took me under his wing and trained me. When he retired the first time, I had to work with him again, so I brought him back to work at GBS. He tried to retire again so I hired him at Excalibur.
Needless to say I had to have him around me as he meant that much to me.”

Read was still working with Excalibur when he passed away.

While he was not very active in social media, he made several posts proclaiming how excited he was to be joining Excalibur a short four months ago, with already more than 50 years in the aftermarket behind him.

And it’s telling that among the few posts he had shared, one stands out: A chalkboard sign that stated emphatically “You’re never too important to be nice to people.”


Service will be Saturday February 1st at Bay Gardens Funeral Home (1010 Botanical Gardens Drive Burlington, ON) from 1pm – 4pm.