Beaulieu’s Garage celebrates 75 years of service

9 years ago
BUSINESS TRIBUTE
     CARIBOU, Maine — 75-year milestones are rarely achieved by small businesses, and the staff of Beaulieu’s Garage in Caribou have no intentions of slowing down. Operated by Jeff Robertson and his family, the business encompasses four generations of a family.

     Beaulieu’s Garage is a complete autobody repair facility that works directly with a number of insurance companies. They also offer 24-hour towing for vehicles that range from small cars to big trucks.

     The business was started by Robertson’s grandfather Peter Beaulieu in 1941, was passed to Robertson’s father in 1983, and then down to Robertson in 1990 when his father passed away.

     “My grandfather was working in Grand Falls and left and crossed over to his own business,” said Robertson. ”He started a salvage yard, wreckers, and a garage repair business. We’ve continually grown and evolved through the years with the family.

     “Peter’s son Terry took over the salvage part of the business when father purchased the mechanical side of the business, which was a single-man body shop. We’ve just been on a continual growth pattern since then.

     “My wife works with us as well and I have two sons who work here. It’s definitely a family business. The next generation of boys are here, and they would be fourth generation. They’re hard workers and understand the importance of doing the best for your customers,” he said.

     Before purchasing the business from his father, Robertson studied mechanics and car repair at the Wyoming Technical Institute.

     “You have to keep evolving,” said Robertson, “because cars and vehicles change, and we have to change with them. Technology is changing, and how you communicate with the customer is changing. As the tech of the cars change, you have to study up and keep up with it.

     “What we were doing in the summer of 1981 when I came back from school is nowhere near what we’re doing in 2016. It’s completely different, so you have to constantly read articles, study, and prep yourself so you’re ready to work on the next generation of vehicle coming out,” he explained.

     To Robertson, the key to success and longevity in the business world can be boiled down to treating customers with respect.

     “I think the biggest thing is doing the best you can to just treat customers right,” said Robertson. “It’s important to be honest with them and own up to any mistakes you make and then make it right. You need to treat people how you want to be treated.

     “We always try to give back to the community. For instance, we’ve been hauling people home on New Year’s Eve for 27 years to make sure they don’t get in an accident. We also help out local churches and civics groups. The community, at its core, is everyone gathering together working together to make it better for everybody involved, and we just want to be a part of that and treat everybody right.”