Gates GMC Nissan Celebrates 40 Years
A history of the North Windham dealership and the family behind it
December 1986 to December 2026
On December 1, 2026, Gates GMC Nissan will celebrate 40 years in business, a milestone that began with two gas pumps, 12 vehicles and nine employees in North Windham, Connecticut. What started as Craig Gates’s purchase of a small GMC truck dealership became the foundation of a family business whose reach would extend across automotive sales and service, real estate, hospitality and community philanthropy.
The anniversary belongs first to the dealership where that story began. It also reflects the people who helped build it: the family members who supported Craig’s first venture, the employees who made their careers there, the customers who placed their trust in the business, and the communities that grew alongside it. Over four decades, Gates GMC Nissan became both a business in its own right and the starting point for a much larger Gates family enterprise.
Craig Gates and the road to North Windham
Craig’s connection to the automotive business began before he owned a dealership. His father, Gary Gates, had a successful career in automotive sales, exposing him to the industry and its possibilities while he was growing up. Craig developed his own contacts and an appetite for business opportunities, auctions and the fast pace of buying and selling.
At Putnam High School, where he was a member of the Class of 1980, Craig parked a cattle truck in the student parking lot. In his high school class will, Craig Gates wrote, “I, Craig Gates, leave my parking place to anybody who drives a cattle truck or a Cadillac.” The detail captures a young man already comfortable moving between practical work and bigger ambitions. Craig was also nominated and inducted into the Putnam High School Wall of Honor in 2019, earning a lasting place among the school’s distinguished honorees.
Craig began his automotive career at Cargill Chevrolet in Putnam, where he demonstrated ability in both sales and management. The business suited him: it rewarded energy, confidence, personal relationships and an eye for opportunity. Before long, he was ready to take on the responsibility of ownership while raising a young family of his own.
In 1986, Craig’s stepfather, Al LeSage, introduced him to the Bousa family, who were interested in selling their North Windham dealership. Craig purchased Joe Bousa’s Garage, establishing the business that became Gates GMC. His family, close friends and then father-in-law, Maurice Hamel, provided important support during those formative years.
That purchase was the beginning of the Gates dealership story. The operation was modest, but Craig had found a business in which his experience and ambition could take root.
The original dealership and the addition of Nissan
The earliest Gates operation sold GMC trucks. Its two gas pumps, dozen vehicles and nine employees provide a striking measure of how small the business was at the start. Building it required the daily work of selling vehicles, maintaining them, serving customers and earning the next referral.
The business grew through honest work, personal attention and care for both customers and employees. Those principles mattered particularly in a dealership serving the towns and communities of northeastern Connecticut, where a customer’s experience could influence friends, relatives and neighbors.
A defining expansion came in 1992, when Craig added Nissan to the business. The acquisition brought GMC and Nissan together and established the combination of brands at the center of the Gates GMC Nissan identity.
Adding Nissan broadened the dealership’s offerings beyond its original GMC truck business. The North Windham operation developed into a dealership selling and servicing new and used vehicles, supported by technicians, parts personnel, salespeople and an office staff responsible for the work behind each transaction.
The business operated as Gates GMC Nissan, with its dealership address at 143 Boston Post Road in North Windham. That location became the base from which the Gates name reached a wider market.
Building a destination dealership
Growth in North Windham came with a practical challenge. The dealership was outside a major metropolitan area and was not directly off a major highway. Attracting customers from greater distances required a deliberate investment in marketing and the customer experience.
Gates developed a recognizable advertising voice through television, radio and online media. “Gates Gets It” and “We take anything in trade. Goats, boats, trains and planes. You name it, we trade” gave the business a personality and made its name easier to remember beyond its immediate neighborhood.
That attention to the customer extends beyond advertising. The North Windham dealership offers factory-trained service technicians, covered service valet parking, a local shuttle, rental options and a parts department with delivery service. These conveniences support the everyday work of keeping customers and their vehicles on the road.
A family business grows beyond its first location
Gates GMC became the starting point for the dealerships that followed. The North Windham business laid the foundation for expansion into additional automotive brands, locations and related services.
Columbia Ford began serving customers in 1991, adding another early chapter to the family’s automotive growth. Over time, the Gates family’s automotive businesses expanded to include Columbia Ford Kia, Putnam Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Kia, Spotless Auto Wash & Appearance Center, Columbia Collision Center, Putnam Body Shop, and Jolly John’s Truck & Equipment.
The next generation also helped extend that history. Craig’s son, Denny Gates, purchased Capitol Garage Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in 2017 and Wile Hyundai in 2020. The family’s presence expanded into New London with Capitol South Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in 2024, following the acquisition of the former Secor Chrysler Dodge Jeep business. Kia of Groton joined the family’s automotive operations in 2026, extending that presence into Groton.
The expansion reached beyond vehicle showrooms to include three body shops, a heavy equipment repair center and a 32,000-square-foot automotive parts warehouse. The parts distribution network extended into New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York. Commercial vehicle and fleet services added another way to support the businesses that depended on reliable transportation.
Craig’s interests also expanded into real estate and hospitality. He saw possibilities in properties ranging from restaurants to an abandoned alpaca farm. Those interests grew into wedding venues, including StoneHurst at Hampton Valley, as well as the Black Dog Bar & Grille and the Thunderbird Café at Columbia Ford Kia. Real estate holdings also provided locations for other automotive and restaurant businesses.
One particularly personal connection involved the Black Dog Bar & Grille. Years before Craig owned the property, it was the Stables Restaurant, the site of a community award ceremony at which he had been honored. Its later place in his business story linked an early recognition of his community service with his interest in restoring and developing local properties.
The next generation and the people behind the business
Denny Gates grew up around Gates GMC Nissan and has worked in every department. That experience gave him an understanding of the dealership from several perspectives and reinforced the importance of caring for the people on both sides of the service counter and sales desk.
The company encouraged promotion from within, valued employees who had been there since its earliest days and included multiple generations of working families. From its original nine employees, the wider family enterprise grew to employ hundreds of people across its automotive, hospitality and other operations.
Company picnics and Christmas gatherings became opportunities to thank employees and bring people together. Craig would observe the events and make notes about how they could be improved the following year. He placed value on saying “please” and “thank you,” and wanted employees to feel appreciated.
A nickname that followed him for years was “Craig Gates—The Working Man’s Friend.” It reflected the importance he placed on relationships with employees and the working families who depended on the company.
The family placed a high priority on retaining employees and providing opportunities to build long careers. Its staff remained central to the company’s success, and the family looked toward future generations continuing the business.
Adapting when the automotive business changed
The history of Gates also includes periods when the industry required a different approach. During the pandemic-era supply chain disruptions and semiconductor shortages, the availability of new vehicles declined sharply, changing the way dealerships and their customers approached buying and maintaining vehicles.
The company responded with stronger pre-owned vehicle sales and increased activity in its parts and service departments. Customers who delayed replacing their vehicles needed help maintaining and repairing the ones they already owned. The business continued adding employees during that period.
That experience illustrates the value of the dealership’s development into a full-service operation. Sales remained important, but service, parts and the ability to respond to changing customer needs also supported the business through a difficult market.
Community involvement that began before the dealership
Craig’s commitment to local causes predates his ownership of Gates GMC. In 1985, the Putnam Area Chamber of Commerce presented Craig and Kevin Foley with a special Community Service Award for their efforts in the “Light up Putnam” campaign. The recognition came a year before Craig purchased Joe Bousa’s Garage.
Craig supported charities, children’s programs and community organizations in ways that went beyond writing a check. One substantial effort involved the Willimantic Elks Lodge No. 1311, where he helped lead a building improvement project. He advanced approximately $250,000 and worked with the lodge on fundraisers, raffles and other events to repay the advance and support the organization’s renewal.
Another project honored his father, Gary Gates, who died in 2010. Craig helped facilitate the Gary Gates Barn Renovation Project for the Windham County 4-H Foundation. Funds supported repairs to Horse Barn No. 1 for the organization’s horse camp program, connecting a family remembrance with an investment in opportunities for young people.
The family has supported veterans’ causes, canine sponsorships, Little League, 4-H, hospitals, emergency response organizations and community programs. Organizations and events supported over the years include the Woodstock Fair Horse Show, Friends of Plainfield, Putnam Science Academy, Windham Theatre Guild, Northeast Opportunities for Wellness, Day Kimball Hospital, Thread City Dance Company, Boy Scout Troop 27, Guardians of the Flame, The ARC and the Northeast Chamber of Commerce.
Denny’s community involvement has included board service with Jolly John’s Keep You Truckin Foundation and the Chamber of Commerce Northeastern CT, service as a Windham Hospital corporator, and board service with Make-A-Wish Connecticut. These commitments placed members of the family in ongoing community roles as well as fundraising and donation efforts.
Jolly John’s Keep You Truckin
One of the most personal chapters in the Gates family’s history began with the loss of John Bellavance on July 19, 2012. John was Craig’s cousin, confidant and best friend. During his battle with leukemia, he became concerned about how other patients and their families managed a serious illness while also struggling to meet everyday financial obligations.
The Jolly John’s Keep You Truckin’ Fund was established in 2012 to carry that concern forward. With Craig helping lead the effort and volunteers contributing their time, the nonprofit provides financial relief to cancer patients and their families, helping pay bills and easing some of the pressure that accompanies treatment.
By August 24, 2026, the fund had helped 396 families and distributed $1,044,760.41 directly to recipients. Its work serves cancer patients in Windham, Tolland and New London counties, turning the generosity of donors and volunteers into practical assistance for local families.
In 2026, the fund marked 14 years of helping families. It operates through volunteers and donations, with no paid staff. Its annual fundraiser brings together supporters, local businesses and the dealership community for auctions, entertainment and a shared effort to help neighbors facing cancer.
The fund gives a particularly clear picture of the connection between the Gates family and its community. A family member’s wish became an organization, and the resources and relationships developed through years in business helped give that wish practical effect.
Forty years from a small beginning
As Gates GMC Nissan approaches its December 1, 2026 anniversary, the original scale of the dealership remains one of the most telling details in its history. Two gas pumps, 12 vehicles and nine employees were enough to begin a business that would support careers, introduce a new generation to dealership leadership, and help launch an expanding group of automotive and other enterprises.
Craig Gates’s story runs through each stage: learning the business in Putnam, taking the opportunity in North Windham, adding Nissan, investing in people and properties, and using the relationships built along the way to support local causes. Denny and other members of the family became part of that story, alongside employees whose work made the business possible.
The 40th anniversary is an opportunity to recognize all of them. It marks the years of service provided to customers, the trust that brought people back, and the contribution of employees and neighbors whose involvement turned a small dealership into an enduring local institution.
On December 1, 2026, Gates GMC Nissan will celebrate the business Craig began in 1986 and the community that has been part of its history ever since.
