A change of ownership has been announced for an iconic Bancroft business. But the switch won’t impact its deep roots with the community, the new owner says
Matthew and Lianne Sauter are the new owners of Vance Motors. The car dealership has been a fixture downtown for more than 80 years. The original owner Hugh, passed it down to his son Joe, who passed it down to his son Kevin.
The dealership announced that Kevin is semi-retiring. He sold the business to the Sauters, a natural transition given that Matthew had been the general sales manager since 2013.
Matthew tells Moose FM that he’ll keep the Vance brand – and its way of doing business.
“One hundred per cent,” he says. “It has a long-standing tradition. There’s no need to change the name by any means. Yes, it’s changing families, but it’s going to have the same traditions that the Vance family has always had.”
While Matthew grew up in Ottawa, Lianne is a Bancroft native. They moved, as a couple, to Bancroft in 2011.
Sauter tells Moose FM he understands how important the business is to Bancroft, given that it’s one of the longest-active businesses along Hastings Street.
He adds that Kevin Vance was a great business role model and built a successful business by hiring great people.
He says the businesses longevity is a testament to having great staff.
“It’s 100 per cent the staff,” he says. “Everyone here doesn’t think of it as selling something to somebody. They treat you with respect and courtesy.”
An expansion is also in the works for Vance Motors now. Sauter says the business hopes to build a new location on Y Road in Bird’s Creek in the near future.