By Cynthia Fugate, Times staff reporter
In August of 1972 Ray Rudd moved his family of six from Knox to Frankfort.
Since that time, the auto dealership has gone through several transformations, from purchasing the old Kimble Garage on East Washington Street to the spring of 1988 when the dealership relocated east of Frankfort on State Road 28.
But Wednesday, without notice, the family-run dealership closed its doors. A white cardboard "closed" notice hung at the main entrance.
"In light of the obvious economic situation, the lack of legitimate opportunities, and the drastic change in the demographics in our area, Ray Rudd Chevrolet Buick Pontiac GMC Cadillac had made the decision to start the process of closing our business," the Rudd family said in a press release.
The Times attempted to telephone Doug and Ron Rudd, who help run the business, but was unsuccessful. Employee Linda Wainscott answered the dealership door, but declined comment.
Shan Sheridan, assistant director of the Clinton County Chamber of Commerce, said Doug and Ray Rudd are Chamber members. Sheridan said he didn't know the dealership was in trouble.
"I don't have any information on the closing with the exception that we are saddened," Sheridan said. "It's a big loss for our community."
The dealership may be part of a spiraling economy as Ford Motor, General Motors, and Chrysler are eliminating hundreds of thousands of auto making jobs.
According to the Detroit News, GM has reduced its dealerships by 229 to 6,807 in the past year; Ford had cut its number by 139 to fewer than 4,140 as of July; and Chrysler had eliminated 142 to 3,607 as of October.
Mike Raisor Dealership General Manager Steve Kaiser said the car business is hitting his showroom floor as well.
"Ask me if the car business is good right now and I'd say it's not," he said. "We just keep plugging away and that's all we can do."
Lost businesses can be a blow to its community and auto dealerships are often community boosters.
"They sponsored Little League teams and softball teams," said Chamber CEO Gina Sheets. "From a community donation and charitable giving standpoint, they were very active and engaged in the community."
Sheridan added that it's also a disappointment for the business' employees. The number of employees at Ray Rudd was unclear.
"I'd say it was 10 to 15 minimum," Sheridan said. "It's hard to speculate what's going on."
Frankfort City Mechanic Jeff Dunk maintains city police and fire vehicles and said when those vehicles needed warranty repairs, he took them to Ray Rudd.
"I'll probably go to Lafayette," he said after learning of the closure.
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