Volvo Volkswagen of Lebanon has been part of the Upper Valley for over 137 years.
1880:
Henry Miller
constructed a building in Hartland, Vermont, establishing the Excelsior
Carriage Company where a variety of carriages were sold. Henry became an
exclusive agent of the Excelsior Carriage Company of Watertown, New York.
This being the era of railroad dominance, the Excelsior insisted that
Henry find space in White River Junction, Vermont, a regional hub and fast developing
trade center. The move was made in 1895.
In 1902 when Henry
Miller was away, his 18-year-old son, Garfield "Dusty" Miller, signed
an order for a carload of Jaxon Steam Cars. This thrust the Excelsior
Carriage Company into the car business! One of the first transactions was
to exchange a Jaxon for a one-cylinder Cadillac owned by a man in New
Hampshire. A year later, Dusty had made ten trips to Boston's Cadillac
dealer to purchase vehicles which he then drove to Vermont and sold. Dusty soon decided he wanted to become a full-fledged dealer.
Dusty Miller signed
his first order for Cadillac Motor Cars just months after the first models had
been released in Detroit. It is hard to imagine what a bold step Dusty
took in 1903. Keep in mind that at
the turn of the century there were few paved roads, no gas stations and a small
number of drivers. With a car sale also came instruction of operation:
Electric starters did not arrive until 1910; drivers needed to learn how
to crank, stoke, adjust and repair these mechanical novelties. Cadillac
sold all cars to dealers on a C.O.D. basis; the fact that Dusty sold all cars
purchased indicates that he was no ordinary salesman.
1910:
The thriving
business dictated that new buildings be constructed that were especially
designed for auto sales and repair. Miller Auto now boasted 28 employees
and was New England's largest Cadillac dealer.
1920: Pontiac was added to the company lineup.
1933: Miller Auto began selling Chevrolet
1970s & 1980s:
William "Bill" Miller, a third-generation operator of Miller Auto,
added Fiat and Isuzu vehicles to the lineup.
1986:
Bill Miller
hired 20-year-old Jo Cicotte as a car sales person.
1987:
1987:
The Miller
Auto Tradition continued when Bill Miller passed the management of Miller Auto
to his stepson, Cam Eldred.
Like Bill Miller, Can
Eldred grew up very interested in automobiles. Bill encouraged Cam to
operate the Miller Automotive Company into the next century, acting as his
advisor. Cam joined the family business and eventually took over ownership.
1991:
The Miller
Automotive Company bought Phil Mann's McNamara Motors, a Nissan-Jeep-Eagle
dealership. Jo Cicotte was moved to the finance department at that
dealership, and then became Sales Manager and eventually, General Manager.
1995:
The Miller Automotive Company bought the Car Store's Route 120 dealership in Lebanon, N.H., selling Mazda and Dodge cars.
1996:
Jo Cicotte
left The Miller Automotive Company and bought Green Mountain Lincoln Mercury in
Barre, Vermont, a troubled business that was selling just 13 cars a month.
In the first year under Jo Cicotte's ownership, Green Mountain Lincoln
Mercury became the top Lincoln Mercury dealer by volume in Maine, Vermont and
New Hampshire. "Implementing systems, managing inventory correctly
and being aggressive just turned the business around in those first four
years." Within five years, Green Mountain had grown to 30 employees.
2001: On January 2, 2001, at Cam Eldred's request, Jo Cicotte retuned to The Miller Auto Company with 51% ownership in the company. Cam knew Jo's business was doing well; Cam also knew Jo to be energetic, smart and a quick study.
2005:
Jo Cicotte became the sole owner of The Miller Auto Group.
2006:
The Miller Auto Group bought the former Dean Hill Buick Pontiac GMC dealership in Lebanon, bringing holdings to five dealerships - four in Lebanon, NH and one in White River Junction, VT.
2007:
The Miller Auto Group won bidding to buy former Dean Hill Motors' Saab dealership in White River Junction, VT. Later that year, The Miller Auto Group signed a purchase and sales agreement for Hartford Motors' Chrysler franchise.
2008:
The Miller
Auto Group's holdings were contained under five rooftops:
Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge, Cadillac-Chevrolet, Volkswagen-Volvo,
Buick-Pontiac-GMC, and Nissan.
Johanna says:
"Since 1880 The Miller Auto Group has been obsessed with serving our customers. During the First World War, the Great Depression, World War II and the 70's Oil Embargo, our business adjusted to the market and continued to grow.
The great recession of the 21st century is no different - The Miller Auto Group is a cornerstone of the local business community, strong and committed to providing our clients with great service, top quality, and excellent value - today and every day.
We're grateful that the community has entrusted us with their automotive needs for the past 135 years, and we look forward to being able to serve the community over the next 100 years!"
Ever a savvy
business person, Johanna Cicotte recognized the signs of financial crisis within the
automotive industry, and understood the necessity to streamline and consolidate business holdings in order to weather the economic climate of 2008-2009.
The ability to think and move quickly allowed Johanna to position The
Miller Auto Group as a stable, well-capitalized entity, able to not only
survive, but to thrive in today's economy.
"Since 1880 The Miller Auto Group has been obsessed with serving our customers. During the First World War, the Great Depression, World War II and the 70's Oil Embargo, our business adjusted to the market and continued to grow.
The great recession of the 21st century is no different - The Miller Auto Group is a cornerstone of the local business community, strong and committed to providing our clients with great service, top quality, and excellent value - today and every day.
We're grateful that the community has entrusted us with their automotive needs for the past 135 years, and we look forward to being able to serve the community over the next 100 years!"
