ELLSWORTH — Cooper F. Friend, vice president of Friend & Friend, Inc. announced that Thomas J. Schaefer of Ellsworth has been named president of the company as well as a 51 percent stockholder. He has previously held the company positions of vice president and general sales manager. “The entire company is delighted that TJ has successfully executed the plan over the past six years to become the owner,” Friend said. “He has shown exemplary leadership along with a contagious competitive spirit to the entire team. He will continue to play the key role to help this organization continually reach our goals. His passion for this industry is very evident, both within the team and to the end user.”
Friend & Friend, Inc. is located at 227 State Street. It is one of New England’s largest dealers in the power sports industry. Thomas J. Schaefer is the company president and owner. The company has been a power sports dealer since 1964. During the year 2016, Friend & Friend, Inc. celebrated 100 years in business. It was started in 1916 by Harry Friend (Cooper’s great grandfather) in Newport, selling Ford automobiles. Peter C. Friend (Cooper’s father) started the motorcycle business in 1964 with a Honda franchise in Newport. The company then relocated to Ellsworth in 1976 with Cooper becoming President. The company’s franchises include Polaris, Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Bobcat.
