2
CHARLIE’S 25TH
| Kennebec Journal | Morning Sentinel | Sun Journal | Special Supplement
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Charlie’s Motor Mall history highlights a
quarter century of hard work and innovation
BY NANCY GALLAGHER
Corrrespondent
There’s no mystery in how Charlie’s
Motor Mall grew from one franchise to
nine in 25 years. It’s a timeline bursting
with expansions, interspersed with education, interwoven with family and fueled
by innovation.
During the 11 years it took Charlie
Shuman, President of Charlie’s Motor
Mall, to earn his college degree from the
University of Southern Maine, he was
also earning a degree in practicality. He
spent 17 years working days for
American Motors/Jeep, calling on auto
dealerships. Over the years he has represented New England in developing the
Toyota Tundra truck, was on the Jeep
Advertising Association Board for 15
years and on the Toyota Dealers Advisory
Board for 12 years.
In 1986, Shuman opened Charlie’s
Subaru in the current Charlie’s Motor
Mall building — then two-thirds smaller
More on HISTORY, Page 3
Contributed photo
Contributed photo
Charlie Shuman, President of Charlie’s
The second generation of the Charlie’s Motor Mall family. Left to right: son-in-law Gary
Motor Mall, celebrates his 25th year in busi- Emmons, daughter Elissa Emmons, daughter-in-law Stacy Shuman and son Stephen
ness.
Shuman.
INDEX OF ADVERTISERS
Aable Auto Parts ..............................15
AFC ..................................................17
B&S Paving & Construction, Inc. .....15
Central Maine Motors Auto Group .....8
Charlie's Family of Dealerships........20
Clark Marine.......................................6
Damon's ...........................................14
Darlings ............................................14
Dave's Appliance..............................18
Davis Asphalt Paving Co..................16
Edward Jones-Julie Barter.................6
Farmington Ford...............................15
Goodall Lanscaping ...........................9
Gosline-Murchie Agency ....................6
Hammond Lumber Company ...........13
Hight Dealerships.............................16
Kennebec Journal ............................19
Kennebec Savings Bank ..................18
Kennebec Valley YMCA.....................4
KSW Federal Credit Union...............12
Lifts Etc., LLC.............................13, 17
Maine Better Transportation .............18
Maine State Credit Union...................9
Maine State Golf Association.............3
Mattson's Flooring
& Lighting Center ............................5
Michaud's Trailer and
Truck Accessories .........................15
Morning Sentinel ..............................19
Motor Supply ....................................17
Northern Signs ...................................7
O&P Glass .......................................10
Overhead Door Company ................10
Paul Blouin Performance....................9
Pierce Atwood, LLP .........................18
Ray Haskell Ford................................5
Senator Inn and Spa ........................16
Shads Advertising ............................18
Snap-on Tools ..................................10
Sprague & Curtis Real Estate..........14
Sun Journal......................................11
Tim Hortons .....................................12
Toyota.................................................7
UniFirst.............................................13
United Way .........................................8
Wolfington Group .............................12
About this section
This special advertising supplement was produced by the Kennebec Journal/Morning Sentinel. The cover design was by Denise Vear, Creative/
Innovations Manager. If you would like information on running a section about your business or organization, call Business Development
Manager Bridget Campbell at (800) 537-5508, Ext. 9155.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
History
Continued from Page 2
than its current size — with 17
employees. A photo of his first
sale still hangs in the Subaru
showroom.
A chain of acquisitions and
expansions followed. After
acquiring a Jeep dealership, he
added Nissan and Suzuki franchises in short order. In 1991
Mazda joined the lineup. In
1992 he expanded the Motor
Mall building to its current size.
In the mid-90s he purchased
Toyota from Dave Gove. A former Grossman’s Hardware
building was then purchased and
renovated to house the brand
new Charlie’s Toyota.
Shuman next acquired and
converted the former Farm
Bureau Insurance Building into
a state-of-the-art body shop. A
Ford dealership in Farmington
came next, with Kia and
DaeWoo franchises following
around the turn of the century.
In 2001, Shuman added the
Ford Lincoln Mercury dealership on the Waterville-Oakland
town line to his properties, and
introduced his son, Stephen,
into the management end of the
family business. Stephen subsequently returned to Augusta to
exclusively manage the Motor
Mall.
And the expansions continued. Scion joined the group in
2005.
A short time later Shuman
welcomed Honda to his franchises. He transferred daughter,
Elissa Emmons, from her position in human resources to that
of Charlie’s Honda vice president and general manager.
Thus, with his wife and executive vice president, Nancy, two
complete generations of the
Shuman family had entered the
family business.
And soon came Mitsubishi,
which rounded out the nine current franchise offerings.
As a result, vehicle shoppers
can enjoy a broad selection of
vehicles at Charlie’s family of
dealerships’ six convenient
Western Avenue locations,
including:
• The Subaru Impreza,
America’s most fuel-efficient
| Kennebec Journal | Morning Sentinel | Sun Journal | Special Supplement
all-wheel-drive car at 36 miles
per gallon.
• The 2011 Jeep Patriot, the
country’s best-priced SUV,
designed with authentic Jeep
DNA.
• The Kia Forte Koup. A hot
ride.
• The Mitsubishi Eclipse.
Brute power, exotic design,
down-to-earth price.
• The Nissan Maxima. Sleek
motion captured in a single fluid
line.
• The Mazda MX-5 Miata
hardtop convertible roadster
with more than two decades of
breezy exhilaration. Zoom.
• Toyotas range from the muscular Tundra truck to three sensible, sensational hybrid automobiles: Prius, Camry and
Highlander.
• The Honda Civic, designed
with freedom, fun and flexibility
inside and out for those who
drive on their own terms.
• The practical Scion tC, a
2011 top safety pick and best
buy award winner.
Two recent innovations have
created niche buying opportunities at opposite ends of the used
vehicle price spectrum.
The Public Wholesale
Division came into being when
Shuman purchased a nearby
building and had to decide how
to use it. He realized there was
a market in central Maine for
lower-priced automobiles. So
rather than take his lower-priced
trade-ins to auction, he decided
to mechanically evaluate them,
make sure they were safe and
offer the best of them to the
public at low prices. Most will
have state inspection stickers.
Customers are buying these
high-mileage, low-priced cars.
So why don’t others replicate
this approach? The answer is
simple, according to Shuman:
they lack access to the volume
of vehicles he controls. His
monthly sales volume of 600
vehicles draws in numerous
trade-ins for consideration.
Vehicles are closely scrutinized
prior to being offered as retail
vehicles on Charlie’s nine franchise lots. Some vehicles that
have potential are offered for
sale at Public Wholesale, and
those not meeting Charlie’s
sales standards are sent to auction.
In response to a perceived
CHARLIE’S 25TH
3
“We’re the only major dealership in the state where the owner is right there on the
floor. We’re out there meeting people, thanking people, making sure things are running right.”
CHARLIE SHUMAN, OWNER
CHARLIES FAMILY OF DEALERSHIPS
BY THE NUMBERS
1
9
17
250
900
Franchise in 1986
Franchises in 2011
Employees in 1986
Employees in 2011
Cars sold in first
year of business
7,200
Vehicles sold in 2010
$1 in $8 Number of Augustaarea retail dollars
spent at Charlie’s
Motor Mall
Contributed photo
Charlie’s first sale, August 1986. Charlie, left, hands the Subaru keys to
buyer Tim Tardiff, a local postman.
lack of used luxury vehicles
such as BMW, Mercedes and
Lexus available in central
Maine, Shuman created the
Luxury Division. Ever the wise
shopper, he located several
clean, used luxury vehicles
available in Florida at prices
lower than in the northeast. He
purchased them, and now offers
them for sale in the $20,000 to
$50,000 price range. Each
Luxury Division vehicle undergoes a stringent examination in
the service department, followed
by a thorough reconditioning
prior to being offered for sale.
The Luxury Division specializes
in the BMW, Mercedes, Volvo,
Lexus, Acura and Infiniti
brands.
Fundamental to the Charlie’s
Motor Mall way of doing business is accessibility to customers. Charlie, Elissa and
Stephen make a point of being
available. Not closeted in an
office, but out on the sales floor.
“We’re the only major dealership in the state where the
owner is right there on the
floor,” says Charlie. “We’re out
there meeting people, thanking
people, making sure things are
running right.”
Nine franchises, a public
wholesale division, a luxury
division, a state-of-the-art collision center, a second generation
in place and a quarter century of
steady growth, highlight the
company’s benchmarks.
“We’ve made a lot of acquisitions. And who knows, there
might be more,” Shuman said.
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CHARLIE’S 25TH
| Kennebec Journal | Morning Sentinel | Sun Journal | Special Supplement
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Charlie’s dealership thrives on family
connections and employee longevity
BY NANCY GALLAGHER
Correspondent
Charlie Shuman’s family of
dealerships began 25 years ago
with 17 Charlie’s Subaru employees. A couple of them are still in
the Charlie’s family of employees.
The following year he purchased a
Jeep dealership with five employees. Some of those employees also
remain in the family.
Son, Stephen, (Steve) displayed
the family car-selling gene at age
16 during school breaks. He continued to sell vehicles through his
college years, studying first at the
University of Arizona and then
transferring to and graduating
from the University of Maine with
a degree in business management.
After graduation, selling cars
seemed a natural fit, “and here I
am,” Steve said. Moving through
the ranks from salesperson to
sales manager to general sales
manager at both Charlie’s Motor
Mall in Augusta and Charlie’s
acquired Ford dealership in
Waterville, groomed him for his
current position of vice president
and general manager of Charlie’s
Motor Mall and Charlie’s Toyota.
Much of Steve’s day consists of
managing inventory, hands-on
communication with sales managers, sales training and interacting with manufacturers. One thing
Steve said he likes about his job is
having “no idea what’s going to
happen day to day. You never
know what could hit you,” he said.
“The part I enjoy most about my
job is getting to deal with the
employees, the salespeople, the
service people, the parts people.
We have a great crew, a great
operation. Unlike most car dealerships, I don’t have a lot of
turnover with employees. The
average sales person has been here
between five and 15 years.”.
Family interaction runs deeply.
Each day includes a conversation
with his father. “I’ve always
looked up to my dad and what
he’s built here,” Steve said. Sister
Elissa, he said, “brings a lot of
good ideas to the table that I
wouldn’t have thought of.”
“A lot of dealerships aren’t
family-run organizations any
more. A lot of them are bought by
big outfits from outside the state. I
think people appreciate it when
they can actually come in and talk
to me, my sister or my father. We
try to talk to every customer that
comes in here. I try to thank
everybody that comes through the
door,” Steve said. “We’re not
exactly in a heavily- populated
area, but yet we seem to outsell
most of the dealers around in the
more populated areas. I think
that’s a big part of it.”
Steve Shuman, age 33, is married to Stacy Shuman, and has
three children: Emma, 6, Brady,
4, and Sophie, 1.
Daughter Elissa’s high school
car-selling gene took a few turns
before blossoming. A summer of
helping people find the right
vehicles at Charlie’s Subaru
proved much more enjoyable to
her than selling ice cream cones.
After she attended the
University of New Hampshire
and graduated from the
University of Maine with a
degree in kinesiology and physical education, she began working
in the human resource department
at Charlie’s, learning the business
aspect of the dealership. She
simultaneously traveled to
McLean, Va. for periodic dealer
training. After graduating in 2005
from the National Automobile
Dealer Association Dealer
Academy, she assumed her current position as vice president
and general manager of Charlie’s
Honda, yet another of Charlie’s
acquisitions.
Elissa oversees 35 of the
Motor Mall’s 250 employees,
spending much time on the sales
floor. “It’s a great group of people that I work with. Honda is
such a great product that it makes
it easy,” Elissa said. She works
closely with brother Steve and
father Charlie, often discussing
advertising and hiring decisions
affecting the entire group of franchises. “We talk about pretty
much everything,” she said.
Elissa is 32, married to Gary
Contributed photo
Executive Vice President/Grandmother Nancy Shuman (rear) holds a poolside board meeting with future
Charlie’s Motor Mall executives (from left) Emma Shuman, Sophie Shuman, Brady Shuman and Quincy
Emmons.
Emmons, and has a 17-month-old
son, Quincy.
More than 30 of Charlie’s 250
employees have more than 20
years’ service. Theirs are high
skill-level, high-paying jobs,
Charlie said.
Long-term employees say they
are proud of their connection to
the company.
Business Development
Manager Mike Roddy, a 20-year
member of the Charlie’s family,
said he likes coming to work
because the Shuman family
“cares about the business, cares
about the employees and they
also care about the customers
who come in every day. They
More on FAMILY, Page 5
Thursday, July 28, 2011
| Kennebec Journal | Morning Sentinel | Sun Journal | Special Supplement
CHARLIE’S 25TH
5
“Charlie’s always helping employees and…doing all
kinds of charitable things. He’s helped many employees who have had problems arise.”
PRISCILLA MCMILLAN,
CHARLIE’S MOTOR MALL OFFICE MANAGER
Contributed photo
Office Manager Priscilla McMillan
has managed the office at
Charlie’s Motor Mall for 24 years.
Contributed photo
Business Development Manager
Mike Roddy, a 20-year veteran of
the Charlie’s Motor Mall family of
employees.
Contributed photo
Stephen Shuman, Charlie Shuman and Elissa Emmons lead the Charlie’s family of dealerships.
Family
Continued from Page 4
give back to the community and
you can feel it as a whole circle
because the people keep coming
back to buy vehicles here, and
they make them happy. That’s
the major reason I enjoy coming
to work every day.”
Office Manager Priscilla
McMillan said she has watched
the Shuman family “use their
employees extremely well”
throughout her 24 years at
Charlie’s.
“Charlie’s always helping
employees and…doing all kinds
of charitable things. He’s helped
many employees who have had
problems arise,” McMillan said.
About his 21 years with
Charlie’s, Toyota General Sales
Manager Jeff Hansen says:
“Every day is a different experience. I like working with the
people, and I’ve never worked at
another dealership because of the
way that Charlie and Nancy have
treated me, my wife, my family
and everybody around me.
They’re just great people to work
for and I wouldn’t go anywhere
else.”
Subaru Service Manager Hiedi
Laliberte, an 18-year employee,
said she enjoys her job because
More on FAMILY, Page 6
Contributed photo
Charlie’s Toyota General Sales
Manager Jeff Hanson, a 21-year
member of Charlie’s family of
employees.
Contributed photo
Hiedi Laliberte, Charlie’s Subaru
Service Manager, will soon complete 18 years in the Charlie’s
family of employees.
6
CHARLIE’S 25TH
| Kennebec Journal | Morning Sentinel | Sun Journal | Special Supplement
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Contributed photo
Only a portion of the total number of Charlie’s Motor Mall employees.
Family
Continued from Page 5
“it’s a great place to work. The atmosphere, the co-workers are great. Charlie’s
wonderful; he’s always treated me great.
He’s easy to talk to. I love dealing with
people, so that’s part of it too. It’s a job
that you look forward to coming to when
you get up in the morning, and not many
people can say that. Charlie is very big on
loyalty and hard work. That’s how he got
where he is.”
New employees absorb the ways of the
Charlie’s family through mentoring by
experienced coworkers. They do more
than just work together; they enjoy spending time together at summer barbeques, a
black-tie holiday party and golf outings,
all emphasizing the personal meaning of
family in the phrase “family of dealerships.
“We’re just one big happy family,” said
Charlie Shuman, who has been married
for 44 years to his wife and executive
vice-president, Nancy Shuman.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
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CHARLIE’S 25TH
7
The Shuman family legacy embodies
a lifetime of giving
Charlie’s dealerships are largest United Way group contributor
BY NANCY GALLAGHER
Correspondent
The Charlie’s family of dealerships is the United Way’s largest
employee group contributor, the
first to exceed $100,000 in an
annual United Way campaign,
according to organization records.
In 2005, Charlie, his wife,
Nancy; son, Stephen and daughter,
Elissa, jointly chaired the 2005
United Way Annual Campaign,
the first family group to do so.
“They really modeled the
notion of a family working together, a family succeeding in business
a family valuing the community
and giving back to the community,” said Rob Gordon, United Way
of Kennebec Valley executive.
“They’ve also done a lot of things
under the radar and quietly that
have helped many, many people.”
Causes of all sizes benefit
through Charlie’s family of dealerships. The Trek across Maine, a
Cony High School scoreboard, a
Winthrop Little League field, and
numerous Project Graduations are
among dozens of Charlie’s Motor
“Charlie is very respected because he builds the culture of giving as part of his business philosophy. The people
who work with Charlie understand and appreciate that and participate strongly in United Way because of that.
In the 25 years I’ve known Charlie he has always supported the United Way as a way for people in business to
give back to the community. Charlie has been a leader in helping to bring that message to other businesses in
the community so that the United Way has been able to grow by the example and leadership that Charlie and
his businesses have given to the United Way.”
ROB GORDON,
UNITED WAY OF KENNEBEC VALLEY EXECUTIVE
Mall beneficiaries.
Chief among the 20 charity golf
tournaments Charlie’s Motor Mall
sponsors each year is the Charlie’s
Maine Open. That tournament
alone provides about $45,000 in
golf scholarships.
The Children’s Center is especially close to Nancy Shuman’s
heart.
“Nancy is really like this force
for positivity,” said Children’s
Center Executive Director
Jonathan Leach. “She will show
up in our parking lot and she will
have with her carloads of things
she has purchased for the kids and
families of the children’s center.”
Carloads of toys, of clothing
and shoes for the adults and other
children in the families of
Children’s Center clients are
among them. She also funds holiday meal baskets for Children’s
Center families. Nancy Shuman
was honored as a Friend of the
Children’s Center in 2010.
“The Shumans, in their role as
community leaders in the Augusta
community, were really a driving
force” in the 2003 Children’s
Center capital campaign to double
that facility’s size, as well as its
ability to impact kids’ needs,
Leach said.
That leadership has inspired yet
another example of caring. The
level of United Way giving by the
Charlie’s Motor Mall employees
More on GIVING, Page 9
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CHARLIE’S 25TH
| Kennebec Journal | Morning Sentinel | Sun Journal | Special Supplement
Thursday, July 28, 2011
President's Award
Each year, Toyota Motor Sales recognizes its stellar
dealerships with the prestigious President's Award. It’s
the highest honor a dealership can receive from Toyota,
and is only awarded to those dealerships who have
demonstrated a commitment to maintaining Toyota’s
high standards for customer satisfaction.
Charlie’s Toyota has received this award for 11
years running, 13 years overall.
One of Toyota’s primary goals is to emphasize the
entire ownership experience. They want to help ensure
that their customers are satisfied not only at the time of
purchase, but as long as they own their vehicle.
Offering top quality cars and trucks is, of course, the
first step — but only the beginning. Toyota dealerships
strive to match the quality of their products with the
finest service in the industry. In order to qualify as a
President’s Award winner, dealerships must
excel in each of a series of categories, including Customer Sales Satisfaction and Customer
Service Satisfaction. Dealerships that meet the
requirements in all categories receive name
badge recognition at all dealer events, national recognition in an Automotive News advertisement and, of course, the beautiful
President's Award Tiffany crystal trophy.
Time Magazine
Top, the Shuman family—Nancy, Charlie, Stephen and Elissa —
lead the way at the Kennebec Valley United Way annual Student
Day of Caring.
Time Magazine
Right, animal lovers Charlie Shuman, former Kennebec Valley
Humane Society Executive Director Sherri Thompsen and Nancy
Shuman share a happy moment with four-legged animal shelter
friends.
Staff photo by Tallus Miles
Travis Zimba, Finance Manager for
Charlie’s Toyota, stands next to the
President Award in the showroom at
the dealership. He has been an
employee at Charlie's for 19 years.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Giving
Continued from Page 7
has helped Leach raise the standard of United Way internal giving at the children’s center to 100
percent participation as well.
“If it wasn’t for Charlie modeling that, I don’t know if I would
have been able to set that same
high standard with my organization,” Leach said.
The nursery in MaineGeneral
Health’s planned new Augusta
facility will be named after the
Shuman family. A kitchen at the
Harold Alfond Center for Cancer
Care in Augusta that is dedicated
to teaching cancer survivors to
prepare meals that meet their special dietary needs, also bears the
Shuman family name.
Animal shelters benefit as well.
“The entire Shuman
family…has been amazing supporters of the Shelter for
decades,” said Hillary Roberts,
executive of the Kennebec Valley
| Kennebec Journal | Morning Sentinel | Sun Journal | Special Supplement
Humane Society in August. The
Shumans host the annual Kibbles
‘N’ Bids Auction, which raises
more than $20,000 in shelter support.
“No job is too big or too
small” for Charlie and Nancy,
Roberts said. From sponsoring a
bake sale table at the Paws in the
Park Mutt Strut, to periodically
arriving unannounced with a vanload of pet food and supplies, the
Shumans provide support at many
levels. They don’t just drop off
supplies, they spend time visiting
with the staff and the animals as
well. Roberts says she cannot
conceive of being able to serve
more than 3,000 animals entering
the shelter each year without their
support.
The Shuman family also made
substantial donations to the building campaigns for the Waterville
and Lewiston-Auburn animal
shelters.
Charlie Shuman described in
the simplest terms the Shuman
family’s approach to giving back
to the community: “We believe in
giving to people and animals.”
Contributed photo
Nancy Shuman shows her “Friend of the Center”
award, presented in recognition of her many efforts
at the Children’s Center in Augusta.
CHARLIE’S 25TH
9
MaineGeneral photo
Little Emma Shuman inspects the Shuman Family
Special Dietary Kitchen at the Harold Alfond Cancer
Care Center as aunt, Elissa Emmons, looks on.
10
CHARLIE’S 25TH
| Kennebec Journal | Morning Sentinel | Sun Journal | Special Supplement
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Charlie’s Motor Mall’s service and
performance garner a long list of awards
BY NANCY GALLAGHER
Correspondent
Meet Maine’s No. 1 New Car and
Truck Dealer for 12 years in a row:
Charlie’s Motor Mall.
Meet the dealership voted the No. 1
Place to Buy an Automobile in Greater
Augusta for 13 years running: Charlie’s
Motor Mall.
Add to these awards the 15 prestigious
Toyota’s President’s Awards, the Subaru
Stellar Performer Awards, earlier Honda
President’s Cup and Mazda Elite Awards
and 20 Chrysler Five Star Dealer Awards
and it draws a picture of a dealership that
has been working ceaselessly for 25 years
to earn, satisfy and keep customers.
Levels of market penetration certified
factory-trained technicians, sales efficiency, customer satisfaction and proper facilities determine which dealerships earn
these awards.
Additionally, Charlie’s was most recently rated New England’s No. 1 Toyota
Service Department, based on customer
satisfaction.
“Since 1986 we’ve made a major
upgrade or purchase every year,” Owner
Charlie Shuman said.
That growth may be one reason the
Kennebec Valley Chamber of Commerce
voted Charlie Shuman the 2002 Business
Person of the Year.
Another reason for the accolades and
Contributed photo
Fixed Operations Director Cory Lathrop
oversees service, parts, repairs, reconditioning, collision and facility maintenance.
awards may be the thousands of satisfied
customers through whose loyalty Charlie’s
Motor Mall has grown and flourished for
the past 25 years.
The Anastasio family in Gardiner has
purchased 15 vehicles at Charlie’s Motor
Mall. Andrea Anastasio says that she, her
husband, and their son have each purchased five vehicles there.
“Stephen (Shuman) has been super fan-
tastic with us, a gentleman, courteous,
very fair,” Anastasio said. “Andy Dupont
has been fantastic as well. We think the
world of them. I stop by once in a while
just to say hi. Even the service at Charlie’s
has been wonderful. We’ve recommended
them many times. A lot of friends who
have gone there have felt the same way.”
Dennis Corson has purchased his vehicles from Charlie’s Motor Mall for the
past 11 years, watching Charlie’s son,
Stephen and daughter, Elissa, enter the
business after they completed their education. He dealt first with Charlie and now
with Stephen and salesman, Andy
O’Hearn.
“Charlie’s has always given me the best
trade-in value and they’ve always sold me
the vehicles for the lowest cost possible,”
Corson said. “Cory in service and Stacy in
collision have always taken care of me and
given me the best deal.
“I think it’s really important to form a
relationship with your car dealership like
you do with your doctor. It’s just a great
family business. I like how Charlie is
grooming Steve to take over, and I hope I
live long enough for Brady, Steve’s son, to
sell me a car 20 years from now when he
gets through with school. We’ll always
recommend Charlie’s to coworkers and
family members. In my opinion, if you
live in Maine you buy from Charlie’s,”
Corson said.
A salesperson is usually the starting
point of a relationship at Charlie’s Motor
Mall. Shuman said he hires salespeople
who have the ability to listen, learn and
do.
“They need to listen to what the customer says. They need to listen to what we
say. They need to learn the product knowledge so they know what they’re selling,”
Shuman said. A weekly walk-around contest gives salespeople an opportunity to
display their product knowledge. The ability to say “I don’t know, but I’ll find out
right away” to a customer is another
required sales characteristic.
Each of Charlie’s salespeople is factory
trained and factory certified, says Shuman.
They each complete three weeks of intensive training in product knowledge, customer satisfaction and an ever-expanding
set of proper delivery procedures, so that
when a customer leaves “he’s smiling, he’s
laughing, he’s glad he made the purchase,
and he knows how the car works.” About
120 hours of additional classroom and
internet training is required annually to
maintain factory certification.
Shuman said that cars are altogether different today than they were just three
years ago
“I’m driving a car right now that tells
me if there’s a hailstorm five miles down
the road automatically, or if there’s a traffic jam 10 miles down the road. How they
More on AWARDS, Page 12
Thursday, July 28, 2011
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CHARLIE’S 25TH
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12
CHARLIE’S 25TH
Awards
Continued from Page 10
do it I have no idea,” Shuman
said, shaking his head.
Kevin Baker, the top Subaru
Sales Person in New England for
the past several months, works at
Charlie’s Subaru. Charlie’s
Toyota salesperson, Nick
Chabot, recently won a trip to
Hawaii for his regional sales performance.
Each of Shuman’s nine franchises also requires ongoing
service technician training to
include every new model as
well as older models. With 80
lifts and computerized scan
tools available, the service technicians work with the latest
technology. Tools change daily
to keep pace with model
changes.
A service technician will
devote between 60 and 100
hours annually to training for
each brand of vehicle he or she
services.
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Thursday, July 28, 2011
What is a typical profile of a
Charlie’s Motor Mall service
technician?
“Someone who can work in a
team atmosphere who will also
have a high level of integrity
and skill in the job that we’re
going to interview or hire them
for,” said Cory Lathrop, fixed
operations director. Longevity is
another characteristic, he said,
and a majority of service technicians are longtime members of
the Charlie’s Motor Mall family
of employees.
Service Technician Dennis
Corson has been named 2010
Nissan-ASE Master Technician
of the Year, a national award.
Meanwhile, Charlie’s has been
voted the No.1 Place to Have an
Automobile Serviced in the
Greater Augusta Area for 13
consecutive years.
Years of practice in delving
into the fine print on vehicle
warranties keeps the pros in
Charlie’s Warranty Department
Contributed photo
More on AWARDS, Page 13
Charlie’s Nissan Master Service Technician Dennis Corson, second from left, receives the 2010 Nissan/ASE
Master Technician of the Year Award at a national presentation ceremony.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
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CHARLIE’S 25TH
13
Awards
Continued from Page 12
on top of eligibility requirements, speeding their ability to
answer questions and arrange
for repairs, according to those
responsible.
Experienced parts advisers
with in-depth knowledge of
vehicle systems keep the parts
department humming. A knack
for recalling numbers and polished computer skills help parts
advisers efficiently locate and
produce needed parts. Many
have worked at Charlie’s for 10
years or more, deepening their
product knowledge to customers’ advantage.
When highway mishaps
occur, the nine trained service
technicians in Charlie’s collision
department stand available to
repair any model, often working
directly with insurance companies to expedite repairs.
A special group of 11 techni-
Contributed photo
Nancy Gallagher photo
Charlie’s Honda General Manager/Vice President Elissa Emmons with
the Honda President’s Cup Award.
Darrell Bowie, Service Manager at Charlie’s Jeep Mazda Mitsubishi,
hard at work scheduling service appointments.
cians in Charlie’s
Reconditioning Center restore
used vehicles to like-new
appearance for resale. The dealership has been voted Best
Place to Buy a Used Vehicle in
avoid bad weather upon arrival.
Second is a customer automated
drive-through car wash. An
average of 225 vehicles takes
advantage of this unique service
daily.
Greater Augusta.
Customers at Charlie’s Motor
Mall also find two special fringe
benefits available to them. First
is a drive-through service dropoff bay enabling customers to
Numerous professional, civic
and charitable awards adorn the
walls at Charlie’s Motor Mall,
but his most highly-prized
award, Shuman said, is a happy
customer.
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CHARLIE’S 25TH
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Nancy Gallagher photo
Service Technician Colin Tyler inspects brakes in the Charlie’s Motor
Mall Service Department.
Nancy Gallagher photo
Reconditioning Technicians Derek Cunningham (foreground) and Josh
Norton (rear) restores a vehicle to like-new appearance.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Nancy Gallagher photo
Parts Adviser Jeremy Fairfield is
happy to meet customers’ needs
for parts.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
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CHARLIE’S 25TH
15
“Stephen (Shuman) has been super fantastic with us, a gentleman, courteous, very
fair. Andy Dupont has been fantastic as well. We think the world of them. I stop by
once in a while just to say hi. Even the service at Charlie’s has been wonderful.
We’ve recommended them many times. A lot of friends who have gone there have
felt the same way.”
ANDREA ANASTASIO
SATISFIED CHARLIES CUSTOMER
Contributed photo
Jim, KJ and Andrea (left to right) Anastasio have purchased 15 vehicles from Charlie’s Motor Mall.
Nancy Gallagher photo
Collision Technician Fred Morgan
evaluates vehicle damage.
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CHARLIE’S 25TH
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Thursday, July 28, 2011
Nancy Gallagher photo
A convenient drive-through Service Department drop-off bay protects customers from bad weather.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
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Staff photo by Tallus Miles
In the mid-90s he purchased Toyota from Dave Gove. A former
Grossman’s Hardware building was then purchased and renovated to
house the brand new Charlie’s Toyota.
CHARLIE’S 25TH
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Staff photo by Tallus Miles
Shuman welcomed Honda to his franchises in 2006. He transferred
daughter, Elissa Emmons, from her position in human resources to
that of Charlie’s Honda vice president and general manager.
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CHARLIE’S 25TH
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Thursday, July 28, 2011
Shuman opened the Public Wholesale Division, in a recently purchased building next door, when he
realized there was a market in central Maine for lower-priced automobiles. Rather than take his lowerpriced trade-ins to auction, he would mechanically evaluate them, make sure they were safe and offer
the best of them to the public at low prices.
In response to a perceived lack of used luxury vehicles such as BMW, Mercedes and Lexus available in
central Maine, Shuman created the Luxury Division. Each vehicle undergoes a stringent examination in
the service department, followed by a thorough reconditioning prior to being offered for sale. The
Luxury Division specializes in the BMW, Mercedes, Volvo, Lexus, Acura and Infiniti brands.
Staff photo by Tallus Miles
The Charlie’s Motor Mall Luxury Division features hand-picked, preowned luxury vehicles difficult to find elsewhere.
Staff photo by Tallus Miles
Charlie’s Public Wholesale Division specializes in safe, high-mileage,
low-cost vehicles.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
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CHARLIE’S 25TH
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CHARLIE’S 25TH
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Thursday, July 28, 2011