Six years ago, Frenchville native Dan Daigle launched a Wilton motor sports shop after decades in the automotive industry. You might say it snowballed.
He’s now opened a second location, closer to his and wife Kristin’s Aroostook County roots: Mountain Side Powersports of Presque Isle, formerly the Sled Shop.
The purchase expands Mountain Side’s footprint to Aroostook County, where lakes, rivers and 2,300 miles of trails draw four-season recreation. The move also preserves a 33-year-old staple of the Presque Isle business scene as its founder, Kevin Freeman, retires.
As a longtime snowmobiler and ATV rider, outdoor recreation is in his DNA. That’s why when he wanted to expand, he looked north.
“Everyone talks about it. If you want the best trails, go to The County. I hear it in Wilton,” he said. “So guess what? I’m in The County.”
While snowmobiling has always been big in Maine, pumping more than $700 million into the economy in good years, warmer winters have diminished chances to ride. But on the other hand, that’s why ATV and side-by-side sales are steadily increasing, Daigle said.
Daigle opened his first business in 2020, after 32 years working at Lee Auto Mall. He bought what was then Frechette’s Skidoo & Off-road, starting with three employees. The business boomed, and the staff has grown to 17.
He and his wife, who hails from Woodland, have family in The County and wanted to spend more time there. The Sled Shop’s location on Route 1, the major artery through Presque Isle to the St. John Valley, seemed to be a prime location.
He approached Freeman a couple of years ago with the idea to buy the shop, and they closed the deal on April 23, he said.
Daigle bought the business and the 4.75-acre parcel it sits on for $575,000, according to records from the Houlton registry of deeds.
Freeman opened the shop, which sells and repairs snowmobiles, ATVs and other motor sports vehicles, in April 1993. He’s ready to retire, but he wanted to find the right person.
“After 33 years of running the Sled Shop, it was time to find somebody that could take it to the next level,” he said. “It was very important for me to find someone who was willing to invest in Aroostook County.”
Though he plans to retire from business, the former Presque Isle city councilor intends to stay busy in other pursuits, including the Presque Isle Snowmobile Club, of which he is president, and Aroostook County Tourism.
Freeman will serve as a consultant and adviser for the next two or three months.
“Whatever I can do to help Dan transition from our business to what he is setting up here, I’m happy to do that for him and I wish him all the best,” he said. “I’m sure he’ll be very successful here.”
Mountain Side will service, repair and carry largely the same inventory of snowmobiles, ATVs, side-by-sides and personal watercraft, along with some gear. Daigle doesn’t plan to add anything new right away, but may later add other power sports lines, he said.
He will add some service equipment and refresh the building’s exterior, and has already doubled the staff of three.
The newly hired include Austin Hatch, service and parts adviser, manager Anthony Cugno and salesperson Patrick Saucier. They join technicians Tyler Tapley and Chris Weeks.
His first Mountain Side Powersports location built trust within the community, and he wants to do the same in Presque Isle, Daigle said.
“I want it to be known as a good place to do honest business that and that has good people working here,” he said.
The Wilton store made its mark because of the employees, he said. The whole team united to help the business succeed. He aims to create that kind of atmosphere at the new location.
“I have a staff that’s loyal, they’re committed, they’re caring. They’re just fantastic people,” he said. “I want to do the same thing here. And I’m off to a hell of a start.”
