Rowell’s Garage provides ‘local’ sales and service

By Stuart Hedstrom 
Staff Writer

    DOVER-FOXCROFT — For over 65 years Rowell’s Garage has provided the region with quality vehicles along with trustworthy and excellent customer service. The staff, which includes the sales and services departments along with the business providing school bus transportation for area schools, all live in the region with many having grown up in the area.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
    ROWELL’S SALES TEAM — The sales team at Rowell’s in Dover-Foxcroft is comprised of, from left, Harold Chase, Randy Herring, business owner Karen Pomeroy, Gloria Perry, Scott Moulton and Kimberly Moore.

    Karen Pomeroy is the proud granddaughter and third generation owner of Rowell’s Garage. Her grandfather Amos B. Rowell and grandmother Gladys E. Rowell started the business on June 1, 1946. He bought the old American House Hotel in Merrick Square and then replaced it with a new 11,000 square foot building for the Pontiac-GMC franchise. Today Chief Pontiac’s symbol still resides on the side of the building.
    In the early 1950s Amos B. Rowell fashioned some seats inside a yellow panel van and started the school bus fleet, a service that continues today for both RSU 68 and Foxcroft Academy students.
    Pomeroy’s father Gene Gammon joined the business in 1953 as the sales and service department manager. Her mother joined him in 1963 as the bookkeeper and they purchased the business in 1971. They both retired in 1995 after 42 years in the business, selling it to Karen and her husband Bob.
    “It is important to continue to employ people within Piscataquis County and to provide excellent customer service for the people of this region,” Pomeroy said. “We are all local and proud of it.”
    “We are just a local company, in business since 1946, and we try to buy locally and hire local contractors,” General Manager Scott Moulton said. He said Rowell’s tries to further emphasize its support of the area by making as many local purchases of goods as possible.
    As the largest automobile dealership in Piscataquis County, Rowell’s “specializes in late model, pre-owned low mileage vehicles,” Sales Manager Randy Herring said about the inventory of a pair of lots on either side of East Main Street with a variety of cars, SUVs and trucks for sale. He added that the sales staff can find nearly any vehicle that customers are looking for.
    “We have a wide selection of inventory, not just domestics but imports as well,” Herring said, saying Rowell’s has a number of different lending options to help customers finance. “We emphasize customer service, one-on-one interaction with the customer,” Herring said. He said Rowell’s builds relationships with its customers through the sales and service.
    “Our reconditioning department takes care of preparing all our vehicles for sale, making sure they are clean, serviced and dependable,” Herring said. He said Mike Daggett handles the vehicle reconditioning and he has been doing so since 1987.
    Herring has been in the automobile sales industry for a decade and a half and said, “It is nice to come back home where you are no longer a number either as an employee or a customer.” He grew up in Dover-Foxcroft, graduating from Foxcroft Academy in 1991, and now is back working in his hometown.
    Joining Herring in the sales department is Harold Chase, a native of the area and Foxcroft Academy graduate, who has been with Rowell’s since 1983.
    Gloria Perry, office manager who is a resident of Dover-Foxcroft, said she has been at Rowell’s for 19 years and has been working for over 30 years in the automobile industry. Kimberly Moore began working at Rowell’s at the start of 2013 and she grew up in Parkman, graduated from Piscataquis Community High School (PCHS) in Guilford and Thomas College in Waterville and resides in her hometown today.
    “I have been here for three years and I had been in the car business 16 years prior to that,” Moulton said. with 13 of the 16 years in sales management “I have 19 years in sales, sales management, finance and insurance.”
    Moulton lives in Abbot with his wife Trisha and their two sons, and graduated from PCHS in 1981 and the Eastern Maine Vocational Technical Institute in Bangor in 1983.
    The staff of the Rowell’s service department are dedicated to solving customers’ vehicle problems by providing everything from four-wheel alignments and engine work to brake and exhaust service and tires and accessories to state inspection for most makes and models for automobiles, motorcycles, commercial vehicles, buses and trailers and batteries and air conditioning service.
    Rowell’s offers genuine ACDelco parts, as well as parts from local sources. Moulton said being an ACDelco professional service center — the only such center for nearly 100 miles — enables the service staff to have “access to all the latest training and tools available.”
    “From state inspections to tire repairs to changing engines and transmissions they pretty much do it all,” Moulton said. “The technicians have ongoing training through ACDelco and (Automotive Service Excellence) training.”
    The business has a full line of Wynn’s products for professional quality engine, transmission, brake system, power steering system and fuel system flushes. Rowell’s sells and applies Fluid Film protectants, which are solvent-free and lanolin-based to prevent rust and corrosion for the long-term protection of metal vehicle parts.
    The parts department has a large inventory of accessories for every need, from air filters to bedliners. Appointments can be scheduled through a service request on the business website in which date and times can be requested and information on the problem and types of service sought can be provided before the vehicle pulls into the garage. While customers wait they can relax in a comfortable waiting area equipped with both wireless Internet and satellite television.
    Another service option is with snowplows, as Rowell’s Garage is the only local authorized Boss Plow dealer, offering sales, service, parts and professional installation, as well as Boss tailgate sanders. Installation and repairs on Fisher Plows are also offered.
    The service staff at Rowell’s has over 100 combined years of experience in the industry. Service Manager Tim Packard, a graduate of PCHS who lives in Abbot, has been with Rowell’s for three years and has over 19 years’ experience in the auto service business. Parts Manager Michelle Burnett has been with Rowell’s for seven years and she grew up in Dover-Foxcroft, graduated from Foxcroft Academy in 2000 and lives in Corinth with her family.
    Service technician Steve Chambers, a Dover-Foxcroft native, has been with Rowell’s for 13 years, and in the industry for over two and half decades specializing in general service and snow plow installation and George Clark has 33 years as a technician in drivability and electrical diagnosis.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
    ROWELL’S SERVICE TEAM — The service team at Rowell’s is comprised of front, from left, Michelle Burnett, Mike Daggett and Steve Chambers. Back, Clay Lane, Tim Packard, Dustin Plummer and George Clark.

    Service technician Dustin Plummer, who grew up in Dexter and lives in Exeter, has been with Rowell’s for four years and specializes in front end work and alignments. Clay Lane has been with the business for nearly a year and the Guilford resident and PCHS grad works with diesel and heavy equipment, including the fleet of school buses. Tal Lyford is Rowell’s transportation department specialist and he has been with the business for six years and is a 1985 graduate of Foxcroft Academy and lives in Dover-Foxcroft.
    For over 60 years Rowell’s has been providing school bus service for the region and the team of drivers has approximately 125 combined years of experience transporting the area’s children to and from school daily as well as to extracurricular and summer activities. Rowell’s can provide transportation for events for the general public, including once providing transportation for a wedding.
    “We have very dedicated professional drivers,” Moulton said.
    “I’m very pleased to be working with some of the best bus drivers, they are really committed to the kids,” Transportation Director Jenny Chase said. Chase, who grew up in Dover-Foxcroft and attended local schools, has been with Rowell’s for 26 years. She began as a driver and for the past 16 years has been the transportation director.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
    ROWELL’S BUS DRIVERS — For over six decades Rowell’s has been transporting students in the Dover-Foxcroft area to and from school and to extracurricular events. The current fleet of drivers has over 125 combined years of experience and includes front, from left, Mary Bromiley, Robin Hill, Ed Conroy, Lynn Landry, Bonnie Brawn, Dan Cumming and Randy Bent. Back, Ron Richardson, Transportation Director Jenny Chase, Tal Lyford, Lester Narowski, Steve Mace and Galen Shannon.

    Rowell’s school bus drivers are Randy Bent, Mary Bromiley, Bonnie Brawn, Pat Brown, Ed Conroy, Dan Cumming, George Dever, Robin Hill, Lynn Landry, Clay Lane, Tal Lyford, Steve Mace, Lester Narowski, Ron Richardson and Galen Shannon,
    “Anything that is community-minded we do,” Moulton said about Rowell’s efforts to be active and give back to the region. The business supports area events, such as lending use of cars for parades and providing bus transportation for the fireworks over Sebec Lake during the annual Dover-Foxcroft Shiretown Homecoming, schools, the Center Theatre, Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce and more.

Observer file photos/Stuart Hedstrom
    COMMUNITY-MINDED — Rowell’s gives back to area communities in many ways, including lending use of its cars to drive the Miss Shiretown Pageant winners during the annual Dover-Foxcroft Shiretown Homecoming parade in early August.

    “We try to be very good corporate citizens,” Moulton said.
    Rowell’s Garage is located at 191 East Main Street (Route 15) in Dover-Foxcroft, near the intersection with Essex Street. Sales hours are Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to noon. Service hours are Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
    The business can be reached at 564-3434 or 1-800-564-1264, or online at www.rowellsgarage.com or on the Rowell’s Facebook page.