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| Aroostook Republican Photo/Lisa Wilcox Current Leo & Sons Citgo owners, from left, Scott and Dale St. Peter, pose with their parents, Jeanette and Leo, by the new flatbed tow truck the brothers purchased to enhance the family garage’s AAA 24-hour towing service. |
By Lisa Wilcox
Staff Writer
CARIBOU — The recent frigid temperatures in Aroostook County bring with them many challenges, especially for vehicles. An engine that refuses to turn over when it’s well below zero is not uncommon and may require assistance. For one Caribou garage, helping car owners get their motors running has been a major part of their business for the past 40 years.
Leo & Sons Citgo is a landmark on South Main Street. Formerly a Mobil station, Caribou native Leo St. Peter was approached by a Mobil representative to run the business. Leo, who had worked at a filling station and as a mechanic for several years beforehand, decided to accept the offer, and within a matter of days, he and his wife, Jeanette, were operating the business on their own.
As is required with any successful family-operated business, the couple devoted the majority of their time to running Leo’s.
“The school bus would drop our four kids off right here,” Leo said, indicating an area in the garage’s small office. “They would stay here and do their homework until we closed.”
Eventually, as the children became old enough, they began working at the station as well. About 10 years ago, two of the St. Peters’ sons, Scott and Dale, took over ownership.
Despite Leo’s recent health problems, he and Jeanette can still be found there every day, helping out with the day-to-day operation of the garage. Leo still pumps gas and does mechanic work, and Jeanette takes care of the office, not afraid to bundle up and battle the cold to help pump gas when needed.
Leo’s has remained true to its “full service” proclamation with friendly attendants on hand to provide basic services such as pumping gas, washing windshields and checking oil and tire pressure. The garage also has a three-bay repair shop with a staff of mechanics capable of performing any type of service from tire rotation to a transmission overhaul.
The St. Peters also operate two tow trucks, a flatbed and a wheel-lift, offering 24-hour AAA towing service for those who find themselves off the road, broken down or in need of a boost.
While a new digital street sign displays the price of gas, customers pulling up to the pumps will notice that they are of an old-fashioned variety, complete with a mechanical rolling index of numbers for cost and gallon count.
“According to our distributor, those are the best pumps to have,” Dale St. Peter commented. “They work just fine. We won’t change them until we have to.”
Over the course of 40 years, the garage has seen many changes, the biggest, of course, being the astronomical rise in the price of gas. Automobiles have also evolved considerably over time, forcing the service crew to keep up to date with their mechanic skills.
A well-respected staple of Caribou’s business community, Leo’s has established a loyal customer base over its 40 years of operation, as is evidenced by the usual lot full of vehicles awaiting service. It is uncertain whether a third generation of St. Peters will take over the business in the future, but for now Scott and Dale are comfortable at the helm of their thriving family business.
To make an appointment for repair or if in need of a tow or boost, Leo & Sons Citgo can be reached at 498-3425.
