Sukovaty takes the keys at Pearson Motor Company
HARTINGTON — Ray Sukovaty is driven to make the car-buying experience the best it can be for his customers.
The 41-year-old has been the coowner of the Pearson Motor Company in Hartington since Jan. 1, 2021, when he purchased a part of Rick Pearson’s business.
“Over years, I’ll be buying more and more of the store until I own the whole thing,” Sukovaty said. “Rick brought me on as sales manager with the determination that hopefully, down the road, we would enter a deal. It worked out good for both of us and here we are.”
He has worked at the Buick and Chevrolet car and truck dealership since September 2019 and in the automobile industry overall for about 23 years.
“I just love cars; I really do,” Sukovaty said. “There’s so much to like about them. They’re fun. Buying a car should be fun. And I try really hard to make it fun when you’re doing business with me.” Since starting in the car business
Since starting in the car business in 1999, his jobs have steered him from his hometown of Grand Island to various communities across eastern Nebraska:
-Grand Island: Three years each at Anderson Ford and Hamilton Chevrolet as a sales consultant.
-St. Paul: Seven years at Jacobs Ford as the sales and finance manager.
-Columbus: One year at Phil Spady Chrysler as the general manager.
-Norfolk: Four years at Courtesy Ford as the used car manager.
-David City: Two years at the Plains Equipment Group as an area parts representative for the John Deere dealership.
What led Sukovaty to the Pearson Motor Company was not his adoration of automobiles, but his love for Lewis and Clark Lake near Yankton, S.D.
His wife, Jennifer, introduced him to the long lake along the Missouri River when they started dating in 2010. She is a Columbus native.
“She took me up there and I fell in love with it,” Sukovaty said. “I just love Lewis and Clark Lake. We do a lot of boating and camping.”
He adores the area so much that he, his wife and their two children - Izaac and Jessalyn — live in rural Crofton near the lake.
“I actually moved up there before I had a job lined up,” Sukovaty said. “I sent out letters to a bunch of dealers and Rick was one of them that responded to me.”
He said he has enjoyed working at the Pearson Motor Company and with Pearson himself and the business’ other employees, who are:
-Nathan Arens, shop foreman
-Jess Dickens, office manager
-Travis Hansen, master technician
-Hunter Lawson, service technician
-Aaron Newton, service manager
-Colin Potts, detail work
-Roger Ronspies, parts manager
“We do have a wonderful staff here,” Sukovaty said. “We focus on a team atmosphere. Everyone is really customer-service oriented. I just feel blessed with the team we have.”
He has also enjoyed working in Hartington and joined the Hartington Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors a few months ago.
“It’s been wonderful,” Sukovaty said. “The community has been great. We have a great customer base here in town. The people are really supportive of the area.
“It’s a very tightknit community, which I appreciate,” he said. “It’s nice knowing people in town and the people you do business with.”
Pearson Motor Company:
The Pearson Motor Company in Hartington is a Buick and Chevrolet car dealership that sells new and used vehicles.
The business also features Husqvarna mowers and other outdoor power equipment for sale and will eventually sell Tracker Off Road vehicles.
For more information, people may call 402-205-5400 or 402-254-6801 or visit www.pearsonmotor.com.