Meet Rick Hudak of Village Auto Body

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Rick Hudak.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started? 
The path that led me to where I have wound up involved a considerable amount of work, associating with really good people, networking on many levels, as well as no small amount of luck. Having been involved with several local organizations and governmental entities led to me being asked to serve on two Richfield Citizen of the Year committees. I was fortunate to serve for six years on the Richfield Village Board of Zoning Appeals (three as chairman), have been appointed to two separate Revere scholarship committees for many years (and been a supporter and fundraiser for both), and have served as a local Boy Scout co-leader and supporter. Through community involvement and contacts made by having a business in Richfield I became a charter (founding) member of the Richfield Chamber of Commerce as well as a past president. I have been elected five times to Richfield Village Council- currently in my eighteenth year (three of those as vice president and five as president). Through my business, Village Auto Body, I have been an annual supporter of the local police D.A.R.E. Program, been a member in excellent standing with the Better Business Bureau since buying the business in 1982 supported both the Bath Richfield Kiwanis and the Brecksville Broadview Heights Kiwanis fundraising events, sponsored local youth football and baseball teams for decades, and been a donor to the annual Richfield Police and Fire Department fund raising events. 

My interactions within the community exposed me, early on, to a group called The Friends of Crowell Hilaka. Started by people, mostly women who had been Girl Scouts and had gone to Camp Crowell Hilaka in their youth, who wanted the camp to be preserved as a park rather than some sort of development. Mostly through their efforts, the camp eventually became the 336-acre park in Richfield, which exists today. My wife, Kevan, and I have been members of the “friends group” since its inception in 2012. First called the Friends of Crowell Hilaka and then the Friends of Richfield Heritage Preserve (what became the name chosen for the park), this extremely dedicated group of individuals has become the largest proponent of the park both in hours of volunteerism and financial support. 

My business involves advertising in Richfield as well as the surrounding communities. I typically run full-page color ads that feature historical and other interesting topics, including the Richfield Heritage Preserve and the achievements of the Friends group. This “dovetailing” has helped my business to grow, and spotlighted interesting area attractions- including the park. I had an individual who has lived his whole life here inquire as to the location of Kirby’s Mill (built by James Kirby of vacuum cleaner fame to supply hydroelectric power to his buildings on the property), which was restored entirely by the efforts of the Friends of Richfield Heritage Preserve. He had seen a photo of the mill in one of my ads but had no idea of where it is. 

There is so much rich history in Richfield, which was founded in 1809. Situated almost exactly halfway between Akron and Cleveland, there was considerable support for “conductors” of the Underground Railroad. John Brown, the famed abolitionist, lived for four years in Richfield, and four of his children are buried in the cemetery across the street from my house. Through a rather convoluted series of events, I became interested in the period of time Brown lived in and around Northeast Ohio and his activities. I ended up writing a book about the early history of the arsenal at Harpers Ferry primarily due to the interest created by what I learned about John Brown. 

Sales of the book about Harpers Ferry led to my making the acquaintance of an early American flintlock arms collector who asked me to inspect a collection of Harpers Ferry flintlocks. I have an early Cadillac, which was restored at Village Auto Body, displayed in my office. When he saw it, he exclaimed, “That is a Cadillac, 1912!” I responded that it was. To that, he added, “First year of electric start, Kettering!” These were not questions; they were statements. Of all the people who have seen the car in my office, that was the only time I ever had such a reaction. I later found out that he had a car designed by the same person who created the milestone 1912 Cadillac, Henry Leland. I ended up purchasing an extremely rare 1921 Lincoln from that early arms collector. The Lincoln was designed and manufactured during the only full year that the company was controlled by Leland- the next year,1922, Lincoln Motor Car Co. was acquired at auction by Henry Ford. The man who knew so much about the Cadillac became a friend and decided that the two milestone “Leland” autos should be together. They now both reside, side by side, in my office. Since their restoration, they both have received national recognition and awards. 

Fortunately, the involvement in my community as well as the years of advertising in and around Richfield has led (rightly or not) to some level of credibility of my opinion among many. While trying not to abuse this trust, it has helped when ill-informed individuals have attacked members of the park friends’ organizations. I have been very vocal regarding the fact that there would be no 336-acre Richfield Heritage Reserve if not for that original group of Girl Scouts! 

So, my interest in John Brown led me to collect pre–Civil War, mostly flintlock Harpers Ferry firearms, which directly resulted in my acquiring an extremely rare fine early automobile, which dovetails perfectly with my business. The timeframe of the cars in my office (and appear in much of my advertising) parallels much of the time period of the camp which now is the Richfield Heritage Preserve. Putting all of this together led to my meeting and becoming friends with some of these very dedicated and committed ex-girl scouts, including Lyn Richardson and Cory Ringle. 

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Richfield and the adjacent communities have been a steady market for Village Auto Body. Also, as our reputation (fortunately a very good one!) spread, local insurance agents began recommending us to their policyholders. Eventually, this led to our becoming a “direct repair” facility for several of the better insurance companies. Having been in business for as long as we have, as employees have left for retirement or other purposes, it has been challenging to find qualified staff to replace them. Our entire shop is air-conditioned, and our location has been attractive in finding employees. 

We’ve been impressed with Village Auto Body, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are a high-end automobile collision repair facility dating back to 1957. From helping set up an initial tow, assisting in acquiring a rental vehicle, and dealing with the sometimes-daunting process of satisfying the insurance claims process, we are very adept in all facets. We handle the calibration of the most advanced accident-avoidance systems in modern vehicles, offer custom color matching, and can make over 600,000 color formulas in-house. All of our color applications are baked for maximum protection and durability. Our paint line is BASF, and our software and training are regularly updated. Our collision repair measuring technology is state-of-the-art in that we have a computerized “global” system that measures a myriad of control points on upper as well as lower body components. We also still use a laser grid system for older and larger vehicles, which is very accurate in restoring symmetry. 

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
March of 2020 was horrible. That was the only time that we had to lay off any employees. Our business literally stopped, and I was fortunate to have customers with older vehicles that needed restoration work. I was able to call them in to have something for the employees to do. I began an intense advertising campaign in Richfield and four adjacent communities with ties to interesting activities and local events and relating them to my business. I also related different historical events to the years of cars we restored and what was happening concurrently. COVID-19 led me to realize the importance of quality and consistent advertising and not to take anything for granted.  

Contact Info:

• Website: Villageautobody.org