HOULTON, Maine — The Eastern portion of Eric Gill's dealership has grown, adding Maine to the Point S dealer's footprint.
Gills Point S Tire & Automotive Service, headquartered in Portland, Ore., has acquired Hogan Tire Co. and its five locations in northern Maine.
The acquisition brings to 41 the number of locations operated by Gills Point S. The dealership already operates 10 other locations in New England, all formerly Vianor-branded stores acquired in August of 2021 from Finnish tire maker Nokian Tyres P.L.C.
The purchase price was not disclosed.
Family-owned Hogan Tire operates two locations in Houlton and one each in Lincoln, Caribou and Presque Isle, Maine. Caribou is the most Northeastern city in the U.S., situated just 10 minutes from the Canadian border.
One location in Houlton is a retail shop while the other serves the commercial market.
Hogan Tire was founded in 1956 by Justin Hogan. Galen and "Cork" Hogan then operated the dealership upon their father's retirement, and in 2002 it was purchased by longtime employees Bill Higgins and Jody Anderson.
Higgins and Anderson will remain with the company, two of the 50 to 60 employees who work at the five locations.
Nicole Ferriter, director of marketing & customer experience for Gills Point S, said the stores were a nice fit for the model Gill seeks when considering an acquisition.
"Hogan Tire has a strong name in the communities they are in," she said. "They are really well known and well-run stores. Bill and Jody have done a fantastic job."
Ferriter said the issues from running a dealership from eight states away aren't as difficult as they were more than two years ago when the dealership acquired the Vianor stores.
"That was really a big jump," Ferriter said. "Now there's a lot more infrastructure built up over there to really support stores with what we built in New England. (Hogan is) coming in with strong locations, really strong infrastructure, too."