Veteran-Owned Business of the Year - Risner Auto Group

Our Name is Risner Auto Group, also known as RAG. RAG was started in the spring of 2015 by Richard “Rich” and Todd Risner. Cousins who had been in the workforce for over 30 Years and had no desire to keep working for someone else for numerous reasons. They both believed they would be happier working for themselves, building a business to pass on to their children and providing a higher quality service in an area of an already established industry that had grown a bad reputation since its inception.

Rich Risner is a graduate of Bryan High School and Four County Vocational School (Now known as Four County Career Center) Auto Mechanics, Class of 1987. He worked a few short transition jobs and then landed a career at Nafziger Ice Cream Corporation for more than 10 Years. Excelling in the work environment at Nafziger, Rich worked his way to one of the highest positions at his facility. His time at Nafziger only ended when they dissolved the Company. He then found himself another career in an industry which had a position in a skill that Rich enjoyed, driving. He became a Commercial Driver for the Defiance City Beverage company delivering beverages to the City of Defiance and surrounding towns and villages. After serving the area beverages for nearly 20 Years he decided a change was due. Rich loved to work on cars since he was a young man, hence the Four County Course in Auto Mechanics. This is when Rich started brain storming with his cousin, Todd.

Todd Risner is a graduate of West Unity/Millcreek Hilltop Highschool and Four County Vocational School (Now known as Four County Career Center) Diesel Mechanics, Class of 1989. He enlisted in the United States Army Reserves in February of 1988. Todd graduated from United States Army Bootcamp in Fort Campbell, Kentucky in September of 1988 and United States Army Advanced Individual Training in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri in September of 1989. He served his United States Army Reserve time at the Bryan, Ohio unit as a Motor Transport Operator/Mechanic for nearly 2 Years before deciding to go Active Duty Army. While trying to switch to Active Duty at the Recruiting station in Bryan, Ohio he met a United States Naval Aircrewman with a shiny pair of Gold Wings on his dress uniform who told him he didn’t actually have to go Active duty in the Army from the Reserves. Well, Todd being distracted by shiny things as he is, that was all it took for him to join Active Duty in the United States Navy. He trained to be a Naval Aircrewman and Helicopter Rescue Swimmer in Pensacola, Florida from December of 1989 to June of 1990. After graduation he spent nearly 20 years as a Helicopter Rescue Swimmer and over 20 Years as a Naval Aircrewman in both Helicopters and Fixed Wing Aircraft. He retired from Active Duty on June 30th 2009 and Started a career as a United States Government Contractor deploying to Afghanistan for almost 5 Years. After finishing over seas Todd decided to start a path back home and sent the Family to Defiance where they purchased a home. After a few transition jobs starting in Arizona then to Missouri he ended up back in Defiance. He did a couple of jobs outside Aviation and then started the talks with his cousin, Rich.

Here we are today, a Company that came out of those discussions Rich and Todd had in Rich’s shop while working on their own vehicles and toys. RAG has grown from a dream to work for themselves and a little bit of money to a business providing a service to the community that is above and beyond what others in the industry provide to their customers.

Rich and Todd are all about the customer and their satisfaction with the company and the services they provide. They both were raised in a manner where you are respectful of others and you treat others the way you would want to be treated. They both understand that people can run into hard times and that they may need some understanding from a lender/debtor. They believe people should be given the opportunity to get themselves back on track and create a second chance for themselves. They feel that as long as you are communicating with them and making an effort that you are not a lost cause. With these beliefs in mind, they built a business model that is designed to sell a car and to have that contract mature through the efforts of both the customer and RAG. Put simply, they are the people you want to buy from.

Rich and Todd both enjoy riding their motorcycles. Whether it be just them or with their wives on both long and short trips. They both enjoy spending time at the campground spending time with family and friends. Rich enjoys golfing as much as time will allow and Todd enjoys traveling.

Family and friends are the most important things to them both.

Article provided by Risner Auto Group.