[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 51 (Wednesday, March 25, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S3781]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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               HONORING HARTLEY'S CHRYSLER DODGE JEEP GMC

 Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, as we heard in testimony before the 
Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship last week, auto 
dealerships are struggling to sell cars in this difficult economy. One 
of our witnesses remarked that in a healthy economy, auto sales make up 
approximately 20 percent of our country's retail spending. Clearly, a 
healthy automobile industry is critical to our economic success. I rise 
this week to recognize Hartley Chrysler Dodge Jeep GMC, an outstanding 
auto dealership from my home State of Maine that has remained true to 
its longstanding commitment to serving its customers and its community, 
regardless of economic conditions.
  Located in the central Maine town of Newport, Hartley's Chrysler 
Dodge Jeep GMC is a second-generation family-owned small business. 
Hartley's opened its doors in 1946, when Perley Hartley began selling 
used vehicles from a filling station in the neighboring town of 
Corinna. In 1960, the dealership started selling new cars, adding 
Chrysler and Plymouth as its first automobile lines.
  A year after graduating from Eastern Maine Community College in the 
early 1970s, Steven H. Hartley, now the company's president, went to 
work for his father in the sales department at Hartley Motors in the 
town of Dexter. He eventually bought the original dealership from his 
uncle Perley and took over operations in 1983, when he moved the 
business to its current location in Newport. Since then, Steven Hartley 
has ensured that the dealership is profitable every year. For the 
company's dedicated work, Hartley's received Daimler/Chrysler's five-
star elite dealership status in 2005, an honor held by only two 
dealerships across Maine.
  Mr. Hartley donates his time to promoting the well-being of the 
entire auto dealer industry throughout Maine and New England. He is a 
former director of the New England Chrysler Ad Association, and 
presently serves as a director on the New England Dodge Ad Association. 
Mr. Hartley also contributes his time and talents as a Director at the 
Maine Auto Dealers, and a trustee for the Maine Auto Dealers health and 
insurance trust.
  In addition to his business and professional accomplishments, Steven 
Hartley is a Master Mason and a member of the Shriners. Additionally, 
Mr. Hartley has served for 20 years as a volunteer firefighter for the 
Corinna Fire Department, even attaining the rank of department chief. 
Late last year, he was one of just 49 automobile dealers out of more 
than 19,500 nationwide that were nominated for the TIME Magazine Dealer 
of the Year award. Through this nomination, he garnered national 
recognition at the National Automobile Dealers Association Convention 
and Exposition in January, where he was honored by TIME and the 
Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company for his honorable community 
contributions and his service to the auto dealer industry.
  Driving his dealership to a whole new level of success, Steven 
Hartley has led Hartley's Chrysler Dodge Jeep GMC to the top of the 
industry and the forefront of the community. Entrepreneurs like Mr. 
Hartley are striving to ensure that our Nation's auto dealerships are 
here to stay, and we owe them a debt of gratitude. Congratulations to 
Steven H. Hartley on his most recent accolades, and I wish everyone at 
Hartley's Chrysler Dodge Jeep GMC a prosperous year.

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