After seven years of leadership, a third-generation recycler leaves a legacy that stretches far beyond the boardroom
When Jeff McGregor first took his seat on the Ontario Automotive Recyclers Association Board of Directors in 2019, he brought with him something no orientation manual could teach — six decades of his family’s name, reputation, and hard-won trust, all staked on the future of responsible auto recycling in Ontario.
This spring, after seven years of dedicated board service, Jeff has stepped down from the OARA Board of Directors. His departure marks the end of a chapter — but not the end of his commitment. He will continue to serve on three of OARA’s active committees, ensuring the steady leadership he cultivated in the boardroom keeps shaping the industry he has served his entire life.
OARA Chairman Greg Woodbeck offered warm words of thanks: “I would like to thank Jeff McGregor from McGregor Auto Parts for his commitment to the OARA Board. Jeff will continue to serve OARA on those committees after stepping down from the Board. Thank you Jeff.”
To understand what Jeff’s board tenure meant, you have to understand where he came from. On March 1, 1962, Henry Alexander McGregor — known as Mac — founded McGregor Auto Parts in a modest yard in St. Thomas, Ontario. Built on hard work, mechanical know-how, and fair dealing, the business grew through the generations: Mac’s son Jim joined and expanded the operation, and today the third generation is led by Jeff alongside his wife Shelly, his brother Tim, and their children.
They didn’t just inherit a company. They inherited a reputation — one built over 60 years of trust. In 2005, Jeff took that commitment further by bringing McGregor Auto Parts into the OARA membership, reflecting the family’s dedication to responsible recycling, ethical business practices, and that same character showed beyond the yard. In 2015, Jeff traveled to Sierra Leone on a humanitarian mission, using his mechanical skills to repair water well-drilling equipment for a village in need — a reminder that the values of a small-town auto recycler can reach far beyond Elgin County.
Jeff McGregor’s seven years on the OARA Board were an extension of that ethos. He showed up, contributed, and served on three committees simultaneously — lending expertise and character to an association that, in many ways, reflects his own values: professionalism, environmental stewardship, and care for the communities that auto recyclers call home.
His name comes off the Board roster this spring. But in St. Thomas — and across the Ontario automotive recycling industry — the McGregor name stays on the sign.
That’s legacy.