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Thursday, July 28, 20112 | Kennebec Journal | Morning Sentinel | Sun Journal | Special SupplementCHARLIE’S 25TH

INDEX OF ADVERTISERS

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BY NANCY GALLAGHERCorrrespondent

There’s no mystery in how Charlie’sMotor Mall grew from one franchise tonine in 25 years. It’s a timeline burstingwith expansions, interspersed with educa-tion, interwoven with family and fueledby innovation.

During the 11 years it took CharlieShuman, President of Charlie’s MotorMall, to earn his college degree from theUniversity of Southern Maine, he wasalso earning a degree in practicality. Hespent 17 years working days forAmerican Motors/Jeep, calling on autodealerships. Over the years he has repre-sented New England in developing theToyota Tundra truck, was on the JeepAdvertising Association Board for 15years and on the Toyota Dealers AdvisoryBoard for 12 years.

In 1986, Shuman opened Charlie’sSubaru in the current Charlie’s MotorMall building — then two-thirds smaller

Contributed photo

The second generation of the Charlie’s Motor Mall family. Left to right: son-in-law GaryEmmons, daughter Elissa Emmons, daughter-in-law Stacy Shuman and son StephenShuman.

Charlie’s Motor Mall history highlights aquarter century of hard work and innovation

Contributed photo

Charlie Shuman, President of Charlie’sMotor Mall, celebrates his 25th year in busi-ness.More on HISTORY, Page 3

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

than its current size — with 17employees. A photo of his firstsale still hangs in the Subarushowroom.

A chain of acquisitions andexpansions followed. Afteracquiring a Jeep dealership, headded Nissan and Suzuki fran-chises in short order. In 1991Mazda joined the lineup. In1992 he expanded the MotorMall building to its current size.In the mid-90s he purchasedToyota from Dave Gove. A for-mer Grossman’s Hardwarebuilding was then purchased andrenovated to house the brandnew Charlie’s Toyota.

Shuman next acquired andconverted the former FarmBureau Insurance Building intoa state-of-the-art body shop. AFord dealership in Farmingtoncame next, with Kia andDaeWoo franchises followingaround the turn of the century.

In 2001, Shuman added theFord Lincoln Mercury dealer-ship on the Waterville-Oaklandtown line to his properties, andintroduced his son, Stephen,into the management end of thefamily business. Stephen subse-quently returned to Augusta toexclusively manage the MotorMall.

And the expansions contin-ued. Scion joined the group in2005.

A short time later Shumanwelcomed Honda to his fran-chises. He transferred daughter,Elissa Emmons, from her posi-tion in human resources to thatof Charlie’s Honda vice presi-dent and general manager.

Thus, with his wife and exec-utive vice president, Nancy, twocomplete generations of theShuman family had entered thefamily business.

And soon came Mitsubishi,which rounded out the nine cur-rent franchise offerings.

As a result, vehicle shopperscan enjoy a broad selection ofvehicles at Charlie’s family ofdealerships’ six convenientWestern Avenue locations,including:

• The Subaru Impreza,America’s most fuel-efficient

all-wheel-drive car at 36 milesper gallon.

• The 2011 Jeep Patriot, thecountry’s best-priced SUV,designed with authentic JeepDNA.

• The Kia Forte Koup. A hotride.

• The Mitsubishi Eclipse.Brute power, exotic design,down-to-earth price.

• The Nissan Maxima. Sleekmotion captured in a single fluidline.

• The Mazda MX-5 Miatahardtop convertible roadsterwith more than two decades ofbreezy exhilaration. Zoom.

• Toyotas range from the mus-cular Tundra truck to three sen-sible, sensational hybrid auto-mobiles: Prius, Camry andHighlander.

• The Honda Civic, designedwith freedom, fun and flexibilityinside and out for those whodrive on their own terms.

• The practical Scion tC, a2011 top safety pick and bestbuy award winner.

Two recent innovations havecreated niche buying opportuni-ties at opposite ends of the usedvehicle price spectrum.

The Public WholesaleDivision came into being whenShuman purchased a nearbybuilding and had to decide howto use it. He realized there wasa market in central Maine forlower-priced automobiles. Sorather than take his lower-pricedtrade-ins to auction, he decidedto mechanically evaluate them,make sure they were safe andoffer the best of them to thepublic at low prices. Most willhave state inspection stickers.

Customers are buying thesehigh-mileage, low-priced cars.So why don’t others replicatethis approach? The answer issimple, according to Shuman:they lack access to the volumeof vehicles he controls. Hismonthly sales volume of 600vehicles draws in numeroustrade-ins for consideration.Vehicles are closely scrutinizedprior to being offered as retailvehicles on Charlie’s nine fran-chise lots. Some vehicles thathave potential are offered forsale at Public Wholesale, andthose not meeting Charlie’ssales standards are sent to auc-tion.

In response to a perceived

lack of used luxury vehiclessuch as BMW, Mercedes andLexus available in centralMaine, Shuman created theLuxury Division. Ever the wiseshopper, he located severalclean, used luxury vehiclesavailable in Florida at priceslower than in the northeast. Hepurchased them, and now offersthem for sale in the $20,000 to

$50,000 price range. EachLuxury Division vehicle under-goes a stringent examination inthe service department, followedby a thorough reconditioningprior to being offered for sale.The Luxury Division specializesin the BMW, Mercedes, Volvo,Lexus, Acura and Infinitibrands.

Fundamental to the Charlie’s

Motor Mall way of doing busi-ness is accessibility to cus-tomers. Charlie, Elissa andStephen make a point of beingavailable. Not closeted in anoffice, but out on the sales floor.“We’re the only major dealer-ship in the state where theowner is right there on thefloor,” says Charlie. “We’re outthere meeting people, thankingpeople, making sure things arerunning right.”

Nine franchises, a publicwholesale division, a luxurydivision, a state-of-the-art colli-sion center, a second generationin place and a quarter century ofsteady growth, highlight thecompany’s benchmarks.

“We’ve made a lot of acquisi-tions. And who knows, theremight be more,” Shuman said.

3| Kennebec Journal | Morning Sentinel | Sun Journal | Special SupplementThursday, July 28, 2011 CHARLIE’S 25TH

Contributed photo

Charlie’s first sale, August 1986. Charlie, left, hands the Subaru keys tobuyer Tim Tardiff, a local postman.

1 Franchise in 19869 Franchises in 2011

17 Employees in 1986250 Employees in 2011900 Cars sold in first

year of business7,200 Vehicles sold in 2010$1 in $8 Number of Augusta-

area retail dollars spent at Charlie’s Motor Mall

BY THE NUMBERS

HistoryContinued from Page 2

“We’re the only major dealership in the state where the owner is right there on thefloor. We’re out there meeting people, thanking people, making sure things are run-ning right.”

CHARLIE SHUMAN, OWNERCHARLIES FAMILY OF DEALERSHIPS


BY NANCY GALLAGHERCorrespondent

Charlie Shuman’s family ofdealerships began 25 years agowith 17 Charlie’s Subaru employ-ees. A couple of them are still inthe Charlie’s family of employees.The following year he purchased aJeep dealership with five employ-ees. Some of those employees alsoremain in the family.

Son, Stephen, (Steve) displayedthe family car-selling gene at age16 during school breaks. He con-tinued to sell vehicles through hiscollege years, studying first at theUniversity of Arizona and thentransferring to and graduatingfrom the University of Maine witha degree in business management.

After graduation, selling carsseemed a natural fit, “and here Iam,” Steve said. Moving throughthe ranks from salesperson tosales manager to general salesmanager at both Charlie’s MotorMall in Augusta and Charlie’sacquired Ford dealership inWaterville, groomed him for hiscurrent position of vice presidentand general manager of Charlie’sMotor Mall and Charlie’s Toyota.

Much of Steve’s day consists ofmanaging inventory, hands-oncommunication with sales man-agers, sales training and interact-ing with manufacturers. One thingSteve said he likes about his job ishaving “no idea what’s going tohappen day to day. You neverknow what could hit you,” he said.“The part I enjoy most about myjob is getting to deal with theemployees, the salespeople, theservice people, the parts people.We have a great crew, a greatoperation. Unlike most car dealer-ships, I don’t have a lot ofturnover with employees. Theaverage sales person has been herebetween five and 15 years.”.

Family interaction runs deeply.Each day includes a conversationwith his father. “I’ve alwayslooked up to my dad and whathe’s built here,” Steve said. SisterElissa, he said, “brings a lot ofgood ideas to the table that Iwouldn’t have thought of.”

“A lot of dealerships aren’tfamily-run organizations anymore. A lot of them are bought bybig outfits from outside the state. Ithink people appreciate it whenthey can actually come in and talkto me, my sister or my father. Wetry to talk to every customer thatcomes in here. I try to thankeverybody that comes through thedoor,” Steve said. “We’re notexactly in a heavily- populatedarea, but yet we seem to outsellmost of the dealers around in themore populated areas. I thinkthat’s a big part of it.”

Steve Shuman, age 33, is mar-ried to Stacy Shuman, and hasthree children: Emma, 6, Brady,4, and Sophie, 1.

Daughter Elissa’s high schoolcar-selling gene took a few turnsbefore blossoming. A summer ofhelping people find the rightvehicles at Charlie’s Subaruproved much more enjoyable toher than selling ice cream cones.

After she attended theUniversity of New Hampshireand graduated from theUniversity of Maine with adegree in kinesiology and physi-cal education, she began workingin the human resource departmentat Charlie’s, learning the businessaspect of the dealership. Shesimultaneously traveled toMcLean, Va. for periodic dealertraining. After graduating in 2005from the National AutomobileDealer Association DealerAcademy, she assumed her cur-rent position as vice presidentand general manager of Charlie’sHonda, yet another of Charlie’sacquisitions.

Elissa oversees 35 of theMotor Mall’s 250 employees,spending much time on the salesfloor. “It’s a great group of peo-ple that I work with. Honda issuch a great product that it makesit easy,” Elissa said. She worksclosely with brother Steve andfather Charlie, often discussingadvertising and hiring decisionsaffecting the entire group of fran-chises. “We talk about prettymuch everything,” she said.Elissa is 32, married to Gary

Emmons, and has a 17-month-oldson, Quincy.

More than 30 of Charlie’s 250employees have more than 20years’ service. Theirs are highskill-level, high-paying jobs,Charlie said.

Long-term employees say theyare proud of their connection tothe company.

Business DevelopmentManager Mike Roddy, a 20-yearmember of the Charlie’s family,said he likes coming to work

because the Shuman family“cares about the business, caresabout the employees and theyalso care about the customerswho come in every day. They

Charlie’s dealership thrives on familyconnections and employee longevity

Contributed photo

Executive Vice President/Grandmother Nancy Shuman (rear) holds a poolside board meeting with futureCharlie’s Motor Mall executives (from left) Emma Shuman, Sophie Shuman, Brady Shuman and QuincyEmmons.

More on FAMILY, Page 5


give back to the community andyou can feel it as a whole circlebecause the people keep comingback to buy vehicles here, andthey make them happy. That’sthe major reason I enjoy comingto work every day.”

Office Manager PriscillaMcMillan said she has watched

the Shuman family “use theiremployees extremely well”throughout her 24 years atCharlie’s.

“Charlie’s always helpingemployees and…doing all kindsof charitable things. He’s helpedmany employees who have hadproblems arise,” McMillan said.

About his 21 years withCharlie’s, Toyota General SalesManager Jeff Hansen says:“Every day is a different experi-ence. I like working with the

people, and I’ve never worked atanother dealership because of theway that Charlie and Nancy havetreated me, my wife, my familyand everybody around me.They’re just great people to workfor and I wouldn’t go anywhereelse.”

Subaru Service Manager HiediLaliberte, an 18-year employee,said she enjoys her job because

FamilyContinued from Page 4

Contributed photo

Stephen Shuman, Charlie Shuman and Elissa Emmons lead the Charlie’s family of dealerships.

Contributed photo

Hiedi Laliberte, Charlie’s SubaruService Manager, will soon com-plete 18 years in the Charlie’sfamily of employees.

Contributed photo

Charlie’s Toyota General SalesManager Jeff Hanson, a 21-yearmember of Charlie’s family ofemployees.

Contributed photo

Business Development ManagerMike Roddy, a 20-year veteran ofthe Charlie’s Motor Mall family ofemployees.

Contributed photo

Office Manager Priscilla McMillanhas managed the office atCharlie’s Motor Mall for 24 years.

“Charlie’s always helping employees and…doing allkinds of charitable things. He’s helped many employ-ees who have had problems arise.”

PRISCILLA MCMILLAN,CHARLIE’S MOTOR MALL OFFICE MANAGER

More on FAMILY, Page 6


Contributed photo

Only a portion of the total number of Charlie’s Motor Mall employees.

“it’s a great place to work. The atmos-phere, the co-workers are great. Charlie’s

wonderful; he’s always treated me great.He’s easy to talk to. I love dealing withpeople, so that’s part of it too. It’s a jobthat you look forward to coming to whenyou get up in the morning, and not manypeople can say that. Charlie is very big onloyalty and hard work. That’s how he got

where he is.”New employees absorb the ways of the

Charlie’s family through mentoring byexperienced coworkers. They do morethan just work together; they enjoy spend-ing time together at summer barbeques, ablack-tie holiday party and golf outings,

all emphasizing the personal meaning offamily in the phrase “family of dealer-ships.

“We’re just one big happy family,” saidCharlie Shuman, who has been marriedfor 44 years to his wife and executivevice-president, Nancy Shuman.

FamilyContinued from Page 5

BY NANCY GALLAGHER

Correspondent

The Charlie’s family of dealer-ships is the United Way’s largestemployee group contributor, thefirst to exceed $100,000 in anannual United Way campaign,according to organization records.

In 2005, Charlie, his wife,Nancy; son, Stephen and daughter,Elissa, jointly chaired the 2005United Way Annual Campaign,the first family group to do so.

“They really modeled thenotion of a family working togeth-er, a family succeeding in businessa family valuing the communityand giving back to the communi-ty,” said Rob Gordon, United Wayof Kennebec Valley executive.“They’ve also done a lot of thingsunder the radar and quietly thathave helped many, many people.”

Causes of all sizes benefitthrough Charlie’s family of deal-erships. The Trek across Maine, aCony High School scoreboard, aWinthrop Little League field, andnumerous Project Graduations areamong dozens of Charlie’s Motor

Mall beneficiaries.Chief among the 20 charity golf

tournaments Charlie’s Motor Mallsponsors each year is the Charlie’sMaine Open. That tournamentalone provides about $45,000 ingolf scholarships.

The Children’s Center is espe-cially close to Nancy Shuman’sheart.

“Nancy is really like this forcefor positivity,” said Children’sCenter Executive DirectorJonathan Leach. “She will showup in our parking lot and she willhave with her carloads of thingsshe has purchased for the kids andfamilies of the children’s center.”

Carloads of toys, of clothing

and shoes for the adults and otherchildren in the families ofChildren’s Center clients areamong them. She also funds holi-day meal baskets for Children’sCenter families. Nancy Shumanwas honored as a Friend of theChildren’s Center in 2010.

“The Shumans, in their role ascommunity leaders in the Augustacommunity, were really a drivingforce” in the 2003 Children’sCenter capital campaign to doublethat facility’s size, as well as itsability to impact kids’ needs,Leach said.

That leadership has inspired yetanother example of caring. Thelevel of United Way giving by theCharlie’s Motor Mall employees


The Shuman family legacy embodies a lifetime of giving

Charlie’s dealerships are largest United Way group contributor“Charlie is very respected because he builds the culture of giving as part of his business philosophy. The peoplewho 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 togive back to the community. Charlie has been a leader in helping to bring that message to other businesses inthe community so that the United Way has been able to grow by the example and leadership that Charlie andhis businesses have given to the United Way.”

ROB GORDON,UNITED WAY OF KENNEBEC VALLEY EXECUTIVE

More on GIVING, Page 9

Each year, Toyota Motor Sales recognizes its stellardealerships with the prestigious President's Award. It’sthe highest honor a dealership can receive from Toyota,and is only awarded to those dealerships who havedemonstrated a commitment to maintaining Toyota’shigh standards for customer satisfaction.

Charlie’s Toyota has received this award for 11years running, 13 years overall.

One of Toyota’s primary goals is to emphasize theentire ownership experience. They want to help ensurethat their customers are satisfied not only at the time ofpurchase, but as long as they own their vehicle.Offering top quality cars and trucks is, of course, thefirst step — but only the beginning. Toyota dealershipsstrive to match the quality of their products with thefinest service in the industry. In order to qualify as a

President’s Award winner, dealerships mustexcel in each of a series of categories, includ-ing Customer Sales Satisfaction and CustomerService Satisfaction. Dealerships that meet therequirements in all categories receive namebadge recognition at all dealer events, nation-al recognition in an Automotive News adver-tisement and, of course, the beautifulPresident'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 StudentDay of Caring.

Time Magazine

Right, animal lovers Charlie Shuman, former Kennebec ValleyHumane Society Executive Director Sherri Thompsen and NancyShuman share a happy moment with four-legged animal shelterfriends.

Staff photo by Tallus Miles

Travis Zimba, Finance Manager forCharlie’s Toyota, stands next to thePresident Award in the showroom atthe dealership. He has been anemployee at Charlie's for 19 years.

President's Award


Contributed photo

Nancy Shuman shows her “Friend of the Center”award, presented in recognition of her many effortsat the Children’s Center in Augusta.

MaineGeneral photo

Little Emma Shuman inspects the Shuman FamilySpecial Dietary Kitchen at the Harold Alfond CancerCare Center as aunt, Elissa Emmons, looks on.

has helped Leach raise the stan-dard of United Way internal giv-ing at the children’s center to 100percent participation as well.

“If it wasn’t for Charlie model-ing that, I don’t know if I wouldhave been able to set that samehigh standard with my organiza-tion,” Leach said.

The nursery in MaineGeneralHealth’s planned new Augustafacility will be named after theShuman family. A kitchen at theHarold Alfond Center for CancerCare in Augusta that is dedicatedto teaching cancer survivors toprepare meals that meet their spe-cial dietary needs, also bears theShuman family name.

Animal shelters benefit as well.“The entire Shuman

family…has been amazing sup-porters of the Shelter fordecades,” said Hillary Roberts,executive of the Kennebec Valley

Humane Society in August. TheShumans host the annual Kibbles‘N’ Bids Auction, which raisesmore than $20,000 in shelter sup-port.

“No job is too big or toosmall” for Charlie and Nancy,Roberts said. From sponsoring abake sale table at the Paws in thePark Mutt Strut, to periodicallyarriving unannounced with a van-load of pet food and supplies, theShumans provide support at manylevels. They don’t just drop offsupplies, they spend time visitingwith the staff and the animals aswell. Roberts says she cannotconceive of being able to servemore than 3,000 animals enteringthe shelter each year without theirsupport.

The Shuman family also madesubstantial donations to the build-ing campaigns for the Watervilleand Lewiston-Auburn animalshelters.

Charlie Shuman described inthe simplest terms the Shumanfamily’s approach to giving backto the community: “We believe ingiving to people and animals.”

GivingContinued from Page 7


BY NANCY GALLAGHER

Correspondent

Meet Maine’s No. 1 New Car andTruck Dealer for 12 years in a row:Charlie’s Motor Mall.

Meet the dealership voted the No. 1Place to Buy an Automobile in GreaterAugusta for 13 years running: Charlie’sMotor Mall.

Add to these awards the 15 prestigiousToyota’s President’s Awards, the SubaruStellar Performer Awards, earlier HondaPresident’s Cup and Mazda Elite Awardsand 20 Chrysler Five Star Dealer Awardsand it draws a picture of a dealership thathas been working ceaselessly for 25 yearsto earn, satisfy and keep customers.

Levels of market penetration certifiedfactory-trained technicians, sales efficien-cy, customer satisfaction and proper facili-ties determine which dealerships earnthese awards.

Additionally, Charlie’s was most recent-ly rated New England’s No. 1 ToyotaService Department, based on customersatisfaction.

“Since 1986 we’ve made a majorupgrade or purchase every year,” OwnerCharlie Shuman said.

That growth may be one reason theKennebec Valley Chamber of Commercevoted Charlie Shuman the 2002 BusinessPerson of the Year.

Another reason for the accolades and

awards may be the thousands of satisfiedcustomers through whose loyalty Charlie’sMotor Mall has grown and flourished forthe past 25 years.

The Anastasio family in Gardiner haspurchased 15 vehicles at Charlie’s MotorMall. Andrea Anastasio says that she, herhusband, and their son have each pur-chased five vehicles there.

“Stephen (Shuman) has been super fan-

tastic with us, a gentleman, courteous,very fair,” Anastasio said. “Andy Duponthas been fantastic as well. We think theworld of them. I stop by once in a whilejust to say hi. Even the service at Charlie’shas been wonderful. We’ve recommendedthem many times. A lot of friends whohave gone there have felt the same way.”

Dennis Corson has purchased his vehi-cles from Charlie’s Motor Mall for thepast 11 years, watching Charlie’s son,Stephen and daughter, Elissa, enter thebusiness after they completed their educa-tion. He dealt first with Charlie and nowwith Stephen and salesman, AndyO’Hearn.

“Charlie’s has always given me the besttrade-in value and they’ve always sold methe vehicles for the lowest cost possible,”Corson said. “Cory in service and Stacy incollision have always taken care of me andgiven me the best deal.

“I think it’s really important to form arelationship with your car dealership likeyou do with your doctor. It’s just a greatfamily business. I like how Charlie isgrooming Steve to take over, and I hope Ilive long enough for Brady, Steve’s son, tosell me a car 20 years from now when hegets through with school. We’ll alwaysrecommend Charlie’s to coworkers andfamily members. In my opinion, if youlive in Maine you buy from Charlie’s,”Corson said.

A salesperson is usually the starting

point of a relationship at Charlie’s MotorMall. Shuman said he hires salespeoplewho have the ability to listen, learn anddo.

“They need to listen to what the cus-tomer says. They need to listen to what wesay. They need to learn the product knowl-edge so they know what they’re selling,”Shuman said. A weekly walk-around con-test gives salespeople an opportunity todisplay their product knowledge. The abil-ity to say “I don’t know, but I’ll find outright away” to a customer is anotherrequired sales characteristic.

Each of Charlie’s salespeople is factorytrained and factory certified, says Shuman.They each complete three weeks of inten-sive training in product knowledge, cus-tomer satisfaction and an ever-expandingset of proper delivery procedures, so thatwhen a customer leaves “he’s smiling, he’slaughing, he’s glad he made the purchase,and he knows how the car works.” About120 hours of additional classroom andinternet training is required annually tomaintain factory certification.

Shuman said that cars are altogether dif-ferent today than they were just threeyears ago

“I’m driving a car right now that tellsme if there’s a hailstorm five miles downthe road automatically, or if there’s a traf-fic jam 10 miles down the road. How they

Charlie’s Motor Mall’s service and performance garner a long list of awards

More on AWARDS, Page 12

Contributed photo

Fixed Operations Director Cory Lathropoversees service, parts, repairs, recondi-tioning, collision and facility maintenance.


do it I have no idea,” Shumansaid, shaking his head.

Kevin Baker, the top SubaruSales Person in New England forthe past several months, works atCharlie’s Subaru. Charlie’sToyota salesperson, NickChabot, recently won a trip toHawaii for his regional sales per-formance.

Each of Shuman’s nine fran-chises also requires ongoingservice technician training toinclude every new model aswell as older models. With 80lifts and computerized scantools available, the service tech-nicians work with the latesttechnology. Tools change dailyto keep pace with modelchanges.

A service technician willdevote between 60 and 100hours annually to training foreach brand of vehicle he or sheservices.

What is a typical profile of aCharlie’s Motor Mall servicetechnician?

“Someone who can work in ateam atmosphere who will alsohave a high level of integrityand skill in the job that we’regoing to interview or hire themfor,” said Cory Lathrop, fixedoperations director. Longevity isanother characteristic, he said,and a majority of service techni-cians are longtime members ofthe Charlie’s Motor Mall familyof employees.

Service Technician DennisCorson has been named 2010Nissan-ASE Master Technicianof the Year, a national award.Meanwhile, Charlie’s has beenvoted the No.1 Place to Have anAutomobile Serviced in theGreater Augusta Area for 13consecutive years.

Years of practice in delvinginto the fine print on vehiclewarranties keeps the pros inCharlie’s Warranty Department

Contributed photo

Charlie’s Nissan Master Service Technician Dennis Corson, second from left, receives the 2010 Nissan/ASEMaster Technician of the Year Award at a national presentation ceremony.

AwardsContinued from Page 10

More on AWARDS, Page 13

on top of eligibility require-ments, speeding their ability toanswer questions and arrangefor repairs, according to thoseresponsible.

Experienced parts adviserswith in-depth knowledge ofvehicle systems keep the partsdepartment humming. A knackfor recalling numbers and pol-ished computer skills help partsadvisers efficiently locate andproduce needed parts. Manyhave worked at Charlie’s for 10years or more, deepening theirproduct knowledge to cus-tomers’ advantage.

When highway mishapsoccur, the nine trained servicetechnicians in Charlie’s collisiondepartment stand available torepair any model, often workingdirectly with insurance compa-nies to expedite repairs.

A special group of 11 techni-

cians in Charlie’sReconditioning Center restoreused vehicles to like-newappearance for resale. The deal-ership has been voted BestPlace to Buy a Used Vehicle in

Greater Augusta.Customers at Charlie’s Motor

Mall also find two special fringebenefits available to them. Firstis a drive-through service drop-off bay enabling customers to

avoid bad weather upon arrival.Second is a customer automateddrive-through car wash. Anaverage of 225 vehicles takesadvantage of this unique servicedaily.

Numerous professional, civicand charitable awards adorn thewalls at Charlie’s Motor Mall,but his most highly-prizedaward, Shuman said, is a happycustomer.


Nancy Gallagher photo

Darrell Bowie, Service Manager at Charlie’s Jeep Mazda Mitsubishi,hard at work scheduling service appointments.

AwardsContinued from Page 12

Contributed photo

Charlie’s Honda General Manager/Vice President Elissa Emmons withthe Honda President’s Cup Award.



Reconditioning Technicians Derek Cunningham (foreground) and JoshNorton (rear) restores a vehicle to like-new appearance.


Service Technician Colin Tyler inspects brakes in the Charlie’s MotorMall Service Department.


Parts Adviser Jeremy Fairfield ishappy to meet customers’ needsfor parts.


“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.


Collision Technician Fred Morganevaluates vehicle damage.



A convenient drive-through Service Department drop-off bay protects customers from bad weather.



In the mid-90s he purchased Toyota from Dave Gove. A formerGrossman’s Hardware building was then purchased and renovated tohouse the brand new Charlie’s Toyota.


Shuman welcomed Honda to his franchises in 2006. He transferreddaughter, Elissa Emmons, from her position in human resources tothat of Charlie’s Honda vice president and general manager.



The Charlie’s Motor Mall Luxury Division features hand-picked, pre-owned luxury vehicles difficult to find elsewhere.


Charlie’s Public Wholesale Division specializes in safe, high-mileage,low-cost vehicles.

Shuman opened the Public Wholesale Division, in a recently purchased building next door, when herealized there was a market in central Maine for lower-priced automobiles. Rather than take his lower-priced trade-ins to auction, he would mechanically evaluate them, make sure they were safe and offerthe 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 incentral Maine, Shuman created the Luxury Division. Each vehicle undergoes a stringent examination inthe service department, followed by a thorough reconditioning prior to being offered for sale. TheLuxury Division specializes in the BMW, Mercedes, Volvo, Lexus, Acura and Infiniti brands.

2 charlie’s 25th | kennebec journal | morning sentinel...

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