Returning to the family foldA Family Affair

Returning to the family fold

A Family Affair

Three years ago, Mike Tilleman picked up the phone after deciding he wanted to keep his car dealership in the family.

He called his oldest son, Craig, who was working as a chemical engineer in Washington, with the request.

"I looked at the downside of selling it," said Mike Tilleman, owner of Tilleman Motor Co. in Havre since 1979. "There was no question in my mind that I wanted to pass it on. I thought it was an opportunity for him and an opportunity for us."

Mike and Craig Tilleman work side by side for one several family-owned businesses in the p...