York’s of Houlton completes two-year expansion

By Karen Donato
Staff Writer
    It has been two years from the planning stage to completion. York’s of Houlton will start the new year bigger and better than ever.
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Karen Donato
YORK’S OF HOULTON EXPANDS — York’s of Houlton has completed their most recent expansion which includes a new service center, waiting area, offices, meeting rooms and much more.
    “We needed more space,” said co-owner Jerry York, “so a decision was made in 2006 to increase the size of our building.”
    The company employs nearly 50 people now and they have added additional dealerships since Gerard York bought the original Ford dealership in 1968. At that time the business was located on Bangor Street where the Ward Log Home Office building is now and they had six employees.
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Karen Donato
STATE OF THE ART — Workers are finding their way around the new service area with light painted interior, radiant heat flooring and the most modern diagnostic equipment and tools.
    York sold cars and trucks from that location until 1979, when his two sons Dick and Jerry joined him in the business. At that time they decided to move to the North Road and construct a new building with more land to display their inventory.
    During the next 30 years the dealership continued to expand, but the latest addition has all the bells and whistles.
    The north side entrance wall is totally illuminated at night advertising the Toyota division of York’s. Once inside the showroom several new offices have been designed and an entirely new service center and waiting room. Customers have a comfortable waiting area with leather furniture and a large flat screen TV to pass the time. York’s also provides a Courtesy Van to transport their customersaaaaj back home or to work while their car or truck is serviced.
    The most significant feature of the service center is that the customer drives his vehicle into the building, exiting it inside rather than leaving it in the parking lot and braving the elements. Each service is completed with a new automatic car wash. This provides a quicker return to the customer replacing the previous car wash done by hand.
    The new service area more than doubled the previous work area. There are 23 service bays. This part was designed with radiant heat in the floor and has a special epoxy surface with a rubber coating for better traction. It is also easy to clean. The entire area is painted with light and bright colors to make a pleasant work environment. The employees have a comfortable break room on the second level and there is a conference room with additional meeting rooms. The employees participate in on-line training, and now have a place more conducive to learning.
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Karen Donato
ALL IN THE FAMILY — The York family continues to provide quality service, sales and community support. From left, Jamie, Gerard, Dick and Jerry. Jamie, Dick’s son is the most recent addition to the York’s sales team.
    This project took a lot of pre-planning, designing and then the actual execution. The pre-planning included the employees. They were included because they are the ones that knew best how the service area should work and what best fit their needs and the needs of the customers.
    Jerry said, “We had an employee committee and Dick and I met with them once a month to go over their suggestions.” “We wanted their input because they are the ones that have the most experience in the service center and the shop area,” he added.
YORK EMPLOYEES — If you have your car or truck serviced at York’s you may see one of these four service technicians. From left, Marty Birmingham, Ritchie Lynds, Brian Howe and Steve Beaulieu.
    “Once we had their suggestions we met with Pete Chase of Buildings Etc. Then it took several more months for the actual design to be put on paper,” he added.
    “Once everything was in place, the construction began and it went very smoothly,” said Jerry. “We didn’t hit any major snags. It was a bit hectic continuing to run the business day to day, but everyone worked together and we are ready to better serve our customers.”
    Dick York is also excited about the expansion and is looking toward increasing business because of the new state of the art facility. The service area is now an inviting place to handle their day to day operation and customers will be accommodated in a much more efficient way.
    Jerry went on to say, “We used local businesses for various parts of the construction.” “ McPartlands did the plumbing and Swallow Electric took care of the wiring.” “We also used several other local sub contractors,” he added.
    When asked if he had seen a slowdown in the car business. York replied that they had stayed pretty consistent. There was an influx of the gas-guzzlers at first when the gas prices went up, but it has leveled off.
    Customers coming in to look at new vehicles are definitely looking for fuel-efficient automobiles. The most popular are Toyota Camry and Corolla.
    They have customers from Ft. Kent to Calais with the occasional ones from down state.  “Our customers can also go to our YorksofHoulton.com Web site. This carries our entire inventory, new and used vehicles. It is updated daily,” Jerry said.
    “We are also very busy with our Fresh Start car sales,” said Jerry. “John Haskell is the manager of this department and it is a service that helps those individuals that cannot get bank financing.”
    When speaking with Gerard York I asked him when he retired and he replied with a grin, “The day the boys joined me in 1979, I took a ‘back seat’.” “They had good ideas and the energy, so I just eased out of the day-to-day operation.”
     As I shared this previous conversation with Jerry regarding his dad’s comments, Jerry said that was just how it happened.
    He and his older brother Dick have great admiration for their father. Jerry went on to say that their dad never questioned their decisions and has always been very supportive, never being critical. Jerry admitted that not everything they have done has been right and that he and Dick have made lots of mistakes, but their father has never criticized them.
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Karen Donato
IN LIGHTS — York’s of Houlton is in lights. The impressive north entrance invites you into the Toyota showroom.
    Veteran employee Shane Gallop, with York’s for 21 years says, “I have always enjoyed my job here and working for the York family. They are very family oriented and take good care of their employees.”
    Gallop likes the new work area and says that they have the most modern up-to-date diagnostic equipment and tools to work with.
    York’s of Houlton also has a separate body shop located just behind the main facility. Roger Graham is the manager. This portion of the business offers fast and free computerized repair estimates, discounted rental vehicles and other services.
    The Houlton Chamber of Commerce held an after hours open house at York’s of Houlton last Wednesday and local business people toured the new facility, and enjoyed light refreshments. Door prize winners were: Matthew Nightingale, Peter Fitzpatrick and Pete Chase. Each guest also received a coupon for a free car wash.