Craig started at McCarthy Panel Works as a 15-year-old apprentice collision repairer, working under his dad who owned the business. A few decades later, Craig is now managing director and co-owner, with his wife, Andrea.

Craig is fortunate to be someone who genuinely loves his job. He enjoys almost every aspect of it: the client and team interactions, which are different every day; the hands-on repairs; and the learning of new technologies and techniques. He admits the advancements in vehicles and tech from when he started, almost 40 years ago, is mind-boggling.

Nowadays, Craig admits that a large portion of his job is dealing with people when they are overly stressed. Calming them, assuring them that it will all be okay and helping them when they need it the most, are all in a day’s work for him. That last part is the most satisfying to Craig because he knows this is when he has made a difference in someone’s life.

What sets McCarthy Panel Works apart from most Mackay-based competitors, is their commitment to ongoing education. Craig and Andrea implemented this additional training regime because they wanted to ensure their team and their equipment were the best. In Craig’s words, ‘Technology is marching forward, so the guys need to have extra training to help them and our clients.’

You would think that with all that he does, Craig’s days are kept busy enough. But he still finds time plan for the growth of McCarthy Panel Works.

Meet the Rest of the Team

Meet the rest of the McCarthy Panel Works team and see how we became Mackay’s leading experts in collision repair.