SKOWHEGAN — Demonstrating its commitment to exceeding customer expectations, Hight Ford has been certified in the J.D. Power 2025 Dealer of Excellence ProgramSM, which recognizes a select number of vehicle dealerships throughout the United States that provide exceptional customer service.
“This certification sets us apart, especially coming from such an authority as J.D. Power,” said Sam Hight, fourth generation owner and dealer at Hight Ford in Skowhegan. “In one way or another, everyone in this dealership contributes to making our customers happy, and every member of our team shares in this achievement.”
Founded in 1911 by Walter H. Hight, the Hight Family of Dealerships have been serving central and western Maine for over 100 years and now consists of four dealerships—Hight Ford in Skowhegan, Hight Chevrolet Buick GMC in Skowhegan, Hight Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Madison, and Hight Chevrolet GMC in Farmington.
The Hight Family of Dealerships are the only National Automobile Dealers’ Association (NADA) Century Award winner in New England, an award given to automobile dealers that have held their dealerships under one family for 100 consecutive years. They are also proud to have seen Hight Chevrolet Buick GMC in Farmington recently voted as Best Automobile Dealership in the Greater Franklin County Reader’s Choice Awards.
Known for its “Voice of the Customer” research for more than 50 years, J.D. Power and, subsequently, its Dealer of Excellence Program help consumers identify leading retailers that will go the extra mile.
According to J.D. Power, buying a vehicle is a significant financial transaction and can be stressful because there’s so much information to digest. The Dealer of Excellence Program assists auto buyers who are looking for an exceptional dealership where they can confidently buy a vehicle.
Dealer of Excellence is an exclusive program and not all dealerships can qualify. Those that do must pass a three-step process.
As the first qualification criterion, J.D. Power limits the percentage of eligible dealerships by nameplate based on each brand’s performance in the most recent J.D. Power U.S. Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) StudySM. Thus, proportionally more dealerships from top-performing brands can become a J.D. Power Dealer of Excellence.
Second, dealerships must rank among their brand’s top performers in key customer satisfaction areas consistent with measurements found in the SSI Study.
Finally, qualifying dealers must pass an audit to show they meet or exceed J.D. Power sales best practices. Those best practices include, but are not limited to, listing vehicle inventory and pricing on the dealership website, negotiating in an efficient and transparent manner, offering a fair trade-in value, and presenting a clear and easy-to-understand menu of finance and insurance products.
“We at Hight Ford, and the greater Hight Family of Dealerships, thank J.D. Power for recognizing what we practice every day,” Hight said. “A high level of customer service, low-pressure sales, and a multigenerational focus on the health and success of our community.”
