Stanley Subaru earns Ellsworth chamber’s top award
Courtesy / Stanley Subaru Facebook Post
Seen here is an SPCA charitable event hosted by Stanley Subaru in Trenton last October.
Under two decades of stewardship by two generations, a Trenton car dealership with a commitment to philanthropy will receive the Ellsworth Area Chamber of Commerce 2021 "Top Drawer Award."
Since opening in 1999, the business has gone from seven employees to 45 employees today, with 30,000 square feet of showroom and service space in two structures on both sides of Route 3. Services have grown over the years to include used car sales, scooters, express service and a fleet of loaner vehicles.
The chamber cited Stanley Subaru's commitment to the community, including donations and volunteer efforts.
Top Drawer has been awarded for 40 years by the chamber.
“Stanley Subaru is the epitome of what the Top Drawer Award stands for,” Tom Wheeler, president of the chamber’s board of directors, said in a news release. “There is no doubt that they are connected to their community at the highest level. They continue to find new and unique ways to get involved, which makes our area a better place to live and work.”
Counting Subarus
In the late 1990s, Dick and Karen Stanley, and their daughter and son-in-law, Samantha and Mark Politte, were looking to open a car dealership together. The family was offered the Seacoast Subaru site on Route 3 in Trenton. Both Dick Stanley and Mark Politte had careers in the automobile business, Dick with General Motors and Mark with Ford. The Seacoast Subaru location was in less than desirable shape and sales were not hardy for a new business.
The family set up lawn chairs on the site to count the number of Subarus going by to try to justify the location. Through work with a New England distributor for Subaru, the Stanleys and Polittes were able to secure a dealership for the old Seacoast site.
Dick and Karen Stanley opened Stanley Subaru in October 1999. The business was a challenge the first two to three years, but by the fourth year, it hit its stride and has been successful since then.
In 2004, Dick offered to sell the business to the Polittes. Mark and Samantha moved their young family to Maine from Atlanta and became owners of Stanley Subaru in 2005.
Dick Stanley stayed on as general manager. He kept a hand in the business until he passed away in 2012.
Karen Stanley has been a prominent business leader as well. She served as chair of the Camden National Bank board from 2010 to 2017, and has been on boards of the Northern Light Foundation and Maine Community Foundation.
In 2020, the Polittes purchased Dutch Chevrolet in Belfast. Greg Dutch, the owner, had reached out to Mark Politte to ensure his family dealership would be led by someone who understood and respected their 94-year-old legacy.
Giving back
Stanley Subaru has been active with donations and volunteer work offered to Acadia National Park, Woodlawn Museum, health care, education, the arts and humanitarian organizations such as Hospice of Hancock County, Loaves and Fishes and Bar Harbor Food pantries are just a small number of organizations they have assisted.
Philanthropic activities have included “Test Drives for the Cure,” a program to assist women with mammography scholarships and adoption events for the Hancock County SPCA.
In 2014, the company provided a decade-long commitment of financial support to the Grand Theatre in Ellsworth, to help establish an endowment and create a debt-free, renovated building. The Grand named its stage in honor the gift.
Teacher appreciation events recently included working with another local business, the Bud Connection, to deliver a bouquet to all teachers returning to school during the pandemic.
The chamber’s executive director, Gretchen Wilson, recalled that Mark Politte was present during a chamber board meeting when discussion turned to Ellsworth nonprofit Community Closet and its founder Jackie Wycoff; the nonprofit donates goods to people in need.
“Mark had never heard of the organization or Jackie but was asking questions and taking notes,” said Wilson. “The next thing I know, he has arranged for his staff to go over and move and sort her large supplies of donations, provide her with a delivery van, with the assistance of Brown Appliance, and keep it running.”
The chamber also noted the high level of customer service provided by the Polittes and their staff. Among its accolades, the company has been recognized yearly with the Subaru Share the Love Customer and Community Commitment Award, and as an Eco Friendly Dealership.
“Stanley Subaru’s connection to the Ellsworth area is pretty amazing,” said Wilson.
The Ellsworth Area Chamber of Commerce will host its 65th annual awards in late spring/early summer at a location to be announced. Stanley Subaru will be the 41st recipient of the chamber’s Top Drawer Award — a custom-designed “chest of drawers.”
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