Nancy Phillips Associates is pleased to announce the sale of Cantin Chevrolet to Chris Irwin of Irwin Automotive Group. Both the Buyer and Seller are located in Laconia, New Hampshire.
Cantin Chevrolet, operated by 3 generations of the Cantin family, has prospered in Laconia since 1929 surviving The Great Depression, World War II, The Korean Conflict, The Vietnam War, the Auto Bail Out of 2009 and the Pandemic. Chris Irwin, the third generation in his family to operate franchised auto dealerships in Laconia, is the new owner. A sale of the dealership was carefully considered by Tom Cantin with the goal of securing the future of both his employees and his customers. The merger of equals represents the continuation of a legacy in a market area where community values, customer goodwill, loyalty and longevity rein. Customers, employees and the dealership owners, both past and present, applaud the transaction and the guarantee of the continuation of outstanding business as usual in Laconia.
What Tom Cantin Says about NPA:
"My grandfather and father were both car dealers before me and my dealership has been in my family for 95 years. When it was clear that my children were not going to follow me into the business, I started to think about my own exit strategy. I’ve always known of Nancy Phillips because of her excellent reputation in the industry and so when I was ready to sell, I reached out to her.
I had a specific buyer in mind but didn’t have a sense of what a fair price was. Nancy helped with two big pieces: valuing the business and handling the transaction. I’ve been asked by several of my dealer contemporaries ‘Did you really need to have someone handle the sale?’ And I told them ‘Yes because of the things you don’t know about selling a dealership. There was a huge benefit in having a sounding board in Nancy, someone to ask questions like, should this part be happening? Is this right? She handled everything from the factory to the buyer which made this a smooth transaction. Her rapport with General Motors was an enormous advantage in and of itself.
Nancy knows the process and was a liaison for us as we worked through the sale. Her office was great at keeping everything flowing and letting me know when I needed to get paperwork back to them or giving me a heads up about what the buyer would need down the road. Terry in her office would politely check back in to make sure our homework was done in time.
Yes, you could do it yourself, but it would be with a lot more pain and very possibly, less money in your pocket when all was said and done."
The private confidential sale was orchestrated by Nancy Phillips Associates and the company’s team of automotive professionals including attorneys, accountants, and environmental and parts experts. Preserving the legacy of Cantin Chevrolet under the banner of Irwin Automotive Group is a proud accomplishment for all.