About Us

Almartin Volvo was founded in 1961 by Allen Martin as Almartin Motors, a Mobil service station and Renault dealership on Shelburne Road in South Burlington, Vermont. Mr. Martin and his mechanic, Donald Place soon outgrew their establishment and in 1964 Almartin Volvo relocated to a larger location on Williston Road. In 1965 and 1966, respectively, the new facility helped attract Peugeot and British Leyland to join the line-up at Almartin Volvo, establishing Almartin as a prominent foreign car retailer in the State. In 1967, the size and reputation of Almartin Motors attracted Bruce Thibaud to the staff of Almartin Volvo initially as a salesman and subsequently as General Manager. In 1972, Mr. Thibaud made the fortuitous decision to pick up the Volvo franchise, retiring the sagging Peugeot line. Soon after adopting the Volvo lineup, Mr. Thibaud decided the improved line of cars deserved a better display area and invested in showroom improvements. While this helped increase Volvo sales, sales of the British Leyland line began to decline. Mr. Thibaud relinquished the British Leyland line in 1978. With two of the less productive lines no longer impeding Almartin's growth, sales steadily improved through 1981.

At this point Mr. Thibaud, excited about the prospects Almartin offered, invested in the dealership to claim his stake as a partner in the business. Under Mr. Martin's and Mr. Thibaud's guidance, Almartin Motors continued to grow and in 1984 Mr. Thibaud was able to buy out the remaining ownership, establishing himself as principal of Almartin Volvo. Mr. Thibaud's first order of business was to sell off the Renault line and change the name of Almartin Motors to Almartin Volvo, preferring to operate as a dedicated Volvo dealership. With Volvo as its sole line and Mr. Thibaud at the helm, Almartin Volvo focused on the Volvo brand and began investing in the training and equipment required to provide Almartin's customers with a superior Volvo ownership experience. In fact, many of the employees who were employed when Almartin Volvo entered its exclusive partnership with Volvo, are still here today and are the foundation of our present success.

The investment in employees and facilities paid off as Almartin soon established itself as a leader in the Northeastern regional sales. With sales continuing to expand beyond the capabilities of the Williston Road facility, the decision was made in 1990 to relocate to our present premier location on Shelburne Road in Shelburne, Vermont. After extensive consultation with Volvo, the Shelburne town fathers, and our architects and accountants, the decision was made to invest in the award winning showcase facility we inhabit now. However, we would not be here today if it was not for the efforts of our dedicated, experienced and friendly family of staff members.

Almartin Volvo is pleased to be a member of the Vermont Green Business Program, an organization committed to greening up business operations. Currently we have installed 2 waste oil furnace. Both of these units will heat 2/3rds of our building. We also recycle significant volumes of paper, plastic, cardboard and metals for re-use.