Rick and Kitty Gastorf took a big gamble moving to Warren County from Chesterfield 25 years ago. Rick wasn’t sure his family would fit in. “We picked up the whole family and moved out. It was …
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Warren County a good bet for Gastorf family
Posted
By Cindy Gladden, Record Staff Writer
Rick and Kitty Gastorf took a big gamble moving to Warren County from Chesterfield 25 years ago.Rick wasn’t sure his family would fit in.“We picked up the whole family and moved out. It was scary. I didn’t hunt or fish,” he said, remembering his ideas of what living in the country was about. “But it was immediately great.”Gastorf doesn’t regret the chancy move.In addition to finding out he really did fit in, his car dealership, Gastorf Chevrolet, has proven to be a successful venture. He also discovered friends to golf with and plenty of Cardinal fans in Warren County.“In 1991, this area was hopping,” he said. “There were people in their 30s and 40s starting businesses. It was fun.”A CPA by trade, Gastorf has always enjoyed the financial end of the business. Prior to moving to Warrenton, Gastorf worked for a large company in St. Louis that owned a variety of businesses. As chief financial officer Gastorf was asked to help the company sell its holdings, one of which became his new business.“We decided to buy a dealership at Memorial Parkway and Highway 47,” he said. “Then we built this building and moved here in 2001.”Gastorf said he is not a “car nut.” His ideas about transportation are simple — you just need to go from point A to point B. He does enjoy taking care of the service needs of his customers and seeing people drive a new car off his lot.Serving on the Warren County Economic Development Counsel has been rewarding for Gastorf. He remembers when the economy “took a nosedive” and people couldn’t afford $4 a gallon for gas. New cars were out of the question.“Our mission is to bring manufacturing jobs in,” he said.Gastorf said the county has been successful in that endeavor and seems to be rebounding. He does believe people tend to keep their cars for a longer period of time, making the company’s service area a priority.He shares his responsibilities with his son, Ricky, who started spending time with Dad in the business when he was 10 years old. Ricky now manages the sales force and is transitioning to handle the business on his own. Gastorf said his son has “never, ever wanted to do anything else in his life.”“But I’ll never be totally out of it,” Gastorf is quick to mention. “I can’t imagine ever quitting the financial end of it. He does a lot more in the winter because I go to Florida.”That may be changing a bit as Ricky and Jessica have recently welcomed daughter Ryan to the family. Gastorf expects his first grandchild to start sharing Mom’s office at the dealership.“She’ll be part of the action,” he said.Gastorf said many changes have occurred in the car industry in the 25 years he has been in business. He feels cars are better and more dependable across the board and have caught up to the quality of foreign brands.It helps to have the award-winning Silverado trucks and Malibus featured on his lot.“We’re successful because our people are honest,” he said. “We don’t want to be part of the used car salesman stereotype. I personally hate negotiating, but we try to offer no hassle dealing.”More than 70 percent of his business comes from Warren County, according to Gastorf, which is why he wants to make his customers happy.“If we make a mistake, Ricky and I fix it,” he said. “We want to make it right.”
Rick Gastorf of Gastorf Chevrolet will celebrate a huge anniversary at his Warrenton Chevrolet dealership. Cindy Gladden photo.
