2013 Business Class Honoree: Rick's Automotive Inc.

In a year when Rick’s Automotive Inc. shelled out $3 million on the final 12,000 square feet of a 10-bay expansion project, the Springfield company remained profitable, tallying 4 percent growth in 2012.

“That was a big expense, but we kept the bottom line in check and even saw a profit,” says President Rick Hughlett. “I consider that a huge success.”

Adding eight employees during the last three years, Hughlett attributes the auto repair and maintenance company’s success in part to the economy, saying the industry thrives in both highs and lows.

“When times are good, people want new tires and tune-ups before they take a vacation, so we do well,” he says. “When times are down, people need to maintain their cars and hold on to them as long as they can, so we do well. This industry is lucky like that.”

Rick’s Automotive staff also keeps busy servicing 119 business fleets across 16 counties, including all ambulances and first responder vehicles for the area’s two major hospitals.

“Our fleet work started with Howard and Jan Fisk and three limos and grew from there,” Hughlett says.

Named an Automotive Service Excellence Blue Seal facility, Rick’s is no stranger to awards. Last year alone, the 33-year-old company garnered the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce’s W. Curtis Strube Small Business of the Year Award, the Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Marketplace Excellence and was included on the Motor Age list of top ten shops in the nation.

A fourth-generation Springfieldian, Hughlett says he knows the importance of keeping his dollars local, utilizing local vendors and suppliers for 95 percent of the shop’s tools, equipment, parts and suppliers.

“Especially in a down economy it’s important for business owners to keep money local,” he says. “When we buy tools, they are not always the best price, but they are the best price in this area.”

With 89 percent of company employees owning their own home, Hughlett says the local community matters to everyone at the shop – the primary reason employees volunteer for numerous events throughout the year, including everything from Bike MS 150 to Rock ‘n Ribs. The company estimates time volunteered at a value of about $150,000 a year. Couple that with donations such as $50,000 to Mercy for phase two of the neonatal intensive care unit and $15,000 toward the new Missouri State University student center and Hughlett says giving is part of the company’s DNA.

“In the Ozarks, it’s not all about the profit,” he says. “Love your neighbor and be a good member of the community. That’s what the Ozarks is all about.”[[In-content Ad]]