RANGELEY – Saddleback Mountain and The Hight Family of Dealerships have partnered to help drive a growth in jobs and services for the Rangeley community.
Saddleback, which is slated to reeopen in December after being closed since 2015, will once again be the largest employer in the region and is owned by Boston-based Arctaris Impact Fund. The owners are looking to leverage a successful mountain to help solve many of the challenges in the region, including affordable housing, affordably, quality day care, workforce development and transportation.
The Hight Family of Dealerships and Saddleback Mountain will work to identify opportunities to work together on these challenges, said a news release from the two businesses.
“There has always been a very special sense of family at Saddleback,” said Saddleback General Manager Andy Shepard. “With the Hight Family of Dealerships, we have found a partner who shares this commitment to the community. With Sam and his team, it has been clear this is about more than selling cars; it has been about making a difference and I’m looking forward to a long relationship.” Sam Hight, dealer principal of Hight Ford in Skowhegan and Hight Chevrolet Buick GMC in Farmington, said that when the possibility of Saddleback reopening became more promising, the company “wanted to be part of the movement and the growing opportunities it would create.”
“The Hight Family of Dealerships has been a family owned business since 1911. We have established our brand based on a dedication to our customers, employees and community,” Hight said. “My family has served the central and Western Maine region for 109 years, with a focus on the health and growth of our communities.”
“Rangeley is an incredible area and we have been proud supporters of the area’s outdoor recreation for years,” he said. “Its people are friendly, loyal and resourceful. What they have been able to achieve even without the mountain for five years has been truly admirable. Now, with the Saddleback back, and many jobs being restored, the area will be in the best possible position to succeed, even under pandemic conditions. This partnership between Maine’s mountain and New England’s oldest dealership family just seems to make sense.”
