At Marcotte Ford, supporting our community is contagious. For our staff, each event and interaction fuels the desire to get involved. Our slogan “We’ve Got Your Back” extends beyond writing a check because helping the community is a benchmark of our culture, what we do and who we are.
That mindset started in the 1960s with our founder, Al Marcotte, who believed in using the dealership’s success to give back. Al’s son Bryan Marcotte, built on that foundation by making community service a team-wide effort. Today, we’re proud to carry that legacy forward with the same focus: meet the needs we see, stay connected to the people doing the work, and involve as many hands as we can.
Community Giving Starts with Our Team
We meet twice a month as a family to review the requests we receive. Youth organizations are a top priority because we believe in strengthening the next generation of Holyoke. When we say We’ve Got Your Back, we mean students, families, local nonprofits, and the people doing the work to keep this community moving forward.
The energy at our events is contagious. People sign up early. They bring their kids. They come back after and share stories. Staff members talk about how good it felt to help, how proud they were to be part of it, and how they’re already thinking about what’s next. That’s the culture we’ve built, and it’s something we’re proud of.
Memorable Milestones:
Our new and annual traditions of community service represent the heart of what drives us: giving back in ways that matter and staying connected to the people around us.
300 Sneakers for the Holyoke Boys & Girls Club
A six-month effort in partnership with Adidas to size and deliver 300 new pairs of sneakers to kids before the start of school. Our managers surprised the campers by handing each camper a pair of new sneakers. It was incredibly meaningful to get thank-you notes from the kids themselves and to hear parents tell us how much it helped to not have to worry about new shoes for school. That feedback brought everything full circle and reminded us how much these moments matter.
Holiday Giving
We gave our managers shopping carts and let them fill them with toys—$10,000 in total—donated to Toys for Tots. We also fulfilled the holiday wish lists of 14 families. Our managers said Christmas morning felt different this year, knowing the kids they shopped for had presents under their trees.
Annual Kate’s Kitchen BBQ
What started with 10 volunteers is now a 40-person team effort. Staff and their children come together for a day of service and fun, and every year ends with the same question: What more can we do?
Children’s Museum at Holyoke Exhibit
We created a bilingual exhibit at the Holyoke Children’s Museum honoring our dad, Bryan Marcotte. Seeing it on the news and getting photos from friends who visit is a powerful reminder that giving back doesn’t always end with a donation. We are proud to be part of a place that continues to make a difference in Holyoke.
LugNutz Café Guest Chef Series
Every month we bring in a local guest to serve as chef for the day - past participants have included the mayor, fire department, and police chief. Two dollars from every order placed goes to their chosen charity. It’s a little messy, always fun, and opens doors to new causes our team is excited to support.
Ongoing Support for Key Community Partners
We continue to stay involved with Providence Ministries, the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Holyoke, Kate’s Kitchen, and the Children’s Museum at Holyoke. This year, we’re also expanding our efforts to include the Holyoke YMCA.
Caring That Goes Beyond the Dealership
We’ve seen firsthand how this commitment has shaped the culture at Marcotte Ford. People here take pride in showing up - not just to work, but to give back. Some of our employees have started their own community projects. Other local businesses have come to us looking for advice on how to get started with service. That ripple effect is something we never planned for but deeply value.
Starting small can make a big impact. If you mentor one student, help at an event, or donate a meal, the difference you can make is palpable. Volunteering your time can be just as valuable as writing a check.
We recap after every event, to reflect on what went well and think about what we can improve next time. And before the next opportunity even rolls around, our team is already asking: What are we doing next?
The Road Ahead
We’ve got a few exciting plans in the works, and we’re always listening to where the need is greatest. The stronger our team becomes, the more we can take on and the more impact we can make for the people and organizations who rely on community support to keep going.
At Marcotte Ford, we don’t separate business from service. Taking care of our customers and taking care of our community go hand in hand. It’s how we’ve operated for decades, and it’s how we plan to keep going.
We’ve Got Your Back—in the showroom, on the road, and everywhere in between.
