In 1980, Rick and Karen Hughlett founded Rick’s Automotive, Inc., as a small operation with two employees and a three-bay shop. The company has grown exponentially over the years and now occupies a 28,000 square foot campus, complete with a tire shop and lube facility. That steady and continuous growth was due in no small part to the acquisition of the Mercy ambulance fleet when Rick himself fixed an issue that was affecting operations for one of the ambulances. Rick’s now has an entire building dedicated to working on the hundreds of fleets the company regularly services. The last expansion included quick service bays, a new lobby and turning the former offices into an employee gym complete with locker rooms and showers.
Employee retention is high at Rick’s
The automotive repair industry typically sees a high rate of employee turnover, but that’s not the case at Rick’s. Three employees have been with the company for more than 30 years, 11 have been at Rick’s Automotive for more than 20 years, 20 employees have been there for over 10 years, and several are about to reach that 10-year milestone.
“We offer very generous benefits, and we pay our people well because they work hard,” said Vice President Travis Comfort. In addition to an expansive health care coverage offerings, the company also offers a 10% match for employee 401k plans, an amount that is considered high by today’s corporate standards. “Anything we do, we try to go above and beyond,” said Comfort. “We want to be the best and we know if we have happy employees then we have happy customers. Customers can see when employees are stressed out or disgruntled and we don’t want any of our employees to feel that way.” Comfort said being at Rick’s is like being part of a family. “We work hard but we also have a lot of fun together.”
Hire for personality, train for ability
Comfort also mentioned that disposition goes a long way in getting hired at Rick’s. “Anyone we hire has to have a great personality. We’re not just fixing cars here, we’re fixing problems for our customers who rely on their cars to get to work or get their kids to school.” Comfort said employees routinely help customers whose cars are in the shop get to work so they have one less thing to worry about while their vehicle is being serviced. “It’s back to going above and beyond and making that customer’s life easier however we can.” That means employees at Rick’s are people who are willing to go that extra mile to give customers the best experience.
Comfort said Rick’s philosophy is that if the employee is taken care of and feels valued, then that will translate into how they take care of customers, with the ultimate goal of keeping everyone happy.
Community Ties
Rick’s Automotive also plays an integral part in the Springfield community as a whole, contributing to numerous local nonprofits and causes. Most recently, Rick’s donated $100,000 for a new automation and robotics center at Ozarks Technical Community College, with another $50,000 on the way to go toward the new student lobby. “If it wasn’t for this community, we wouldn’t be where we are today,” said Comfort. “If we can help make any part of the community better, that just makes it better for all of us.”
