How Jamie Crozier is Modernizing a 90-Year-Old Industry With Risk, R&D and Vision

In this episode of Founder2Founder, Aaron Spivak sits down with Jamie Crozier, owner of Thunder Bay Hydraulics and founder of Atlas Elite Autolifts. Jamie leads multiple industrial businesses based in Northern Ontario, including Custom Hydraulics, and has built a reputation for blending hands-on manufacturing with modern innovation. From hydraulic cylinder repair, to designing luxury car lift systems for high-end residential homes across North America, Jamie is reshaping what legacy manufacturing can look like today.

Jamie shares how he entered entrepreneurship later in life, stepping into a blue-collar industry with no formal business background and learning everything from the ground up. He breaks down how customer feedback led to the creation of Atlas Elite, why he’s taking bold R&D risks in a 90-year-old industry, and how family, partnership, and long-term thinking continue to shape the way he builds companies that last.

Chapters:
 02:26 – Jamie’s Unexpected Path Into Entrepreneurship
 03:36 – From Political Science to Sales and Industrial Supply
 05:32 – The First Signals of Business Ownership
 06:51 – The Role of His Wife and Business Partner
 08:40 – Founding Atlas Elite Autolifts
 10:07 – Identifying a Gap in the Luxury Car Lift Market
 12:31 – Using Customer Feedback to Drive Design
 13:24 – Early Mistakes With Construction Integration
 15:36 – The Most Unique Projects They’ve Built
 16:26 – Bringing a Car Lift Into a Living Room
 18:24 – Engineering for High-Value Vehicles
 19:17 – Growing Up in a Blue-Collar Household
 21:06 – Why His Father Pushed Him Toward University
 23:21 – Family, Motivation, and Staying Grounded
 26:21 – Building a Business His Kids Can See
 29:32 – Why Physical Businesses Still Matter
 30:49 – Risk Tolerance as a Competitive Advantage
 32:08 – Innovating Inside a 90-Year-Old Industry
 34:10 – Designing for the Harshest Environments
 37:02 – Where Hydraulics Is Headed Next
 41:02 – Finding Purpose Later in the Journey
 42:52 – The Power of an Outside Perspective
 45:38 – Partnership, Belief, and Thinking Bigger
 48:07 – Breaking Generational Limiting Beliefs
 50:42 – Giving Back to the Northern Ontario Business Community
 54:09 – Values, Integrity, and Choosing the Right People
 56:17 – Commit Fully and Build With Intention

Guest Links:
Website: https://www.atlaselitelifts.com
LinkedIn: Jamie Crozier

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