“He’s not only a car salesman, but he’s a great human being with a huge heart,” local educator and longtime customer Yolanda Lankford said of Ricky Whittington. “Working at Plaza Motors he could just say, ‘I’ll deal with this arena,’ but he doesn’t.”
After nearly 20 years in the automotive sales industry – close to six of them with luxury dealer Plaza Motors – it’s more than just selling cars for this man.
“He goes backs and he gives back,” Lankford said. “And he’s a man who builds relationships.”
Whittington seeks to use his position to create lasting partnerships between the people he serves at Plaza, corporate institutions in the area and abroad, and most importantly the community.
“I want to be the face for the community when it comes to doing business at Plaza Motors,” Whittington said. “And I’m looking to be the catalyst for building even stronger corporate and community partnerships through the dealership.”
Teaming up in various capacities with Bristol’s restaurant, The St. Louis Rams, Anheuser-Busch and The St. Louis Cardinals goes far beyond just dollars and cents. Whittington helped co-found the Black and White Ball Scholarship with Lindenwood University and Nelly’s Derrty Ent. He also coordinated with former Rams Chris Draft and Roland Williams for charitable efforts and football camps for area youth, including at Scott Air Force Base.
“I appreciate my company,” Whittington said. “They have given me an opportunity to do some things in the community that have never been done before.”
By company Whittington means Plaza Motors and its parent company, Ashbury, a Fortune 500 organization with nearly $10 billion in annual revenue. He says that Ashbury is working to dispel certain myths that have haunted Plaza over the years – especially with respect to the atmosphere of “ultra-exclusivity” for potential buyers.
“We’ve had problems in the past, but we welcome everybody – school teachers, postal workers … everybody,” Whittington said. “If you work hard and you want a luxury vehicle, you can come to Plaza Motors and buy a car. Those days are over with.”
‘Business within a business’
Whittington believes his presence at the dealership has been a part of that.
“Anybody can sell a person a car, but when it comes to service, where is that person when you really need them?” Whittington said. “I hang out in the service department. I want to find out what the issue is so we can resolve it. I think people need to take more ownership in what they do. Even though I work for a company, my mindset is that I run a business within a business.”
He had the rare advantage from learning firsthand from local automotive retail icons Jesse Morrow and Dave Sinclair Sr. The respect and admiration he has for them is mutual.
“Ricky was really a good find – we were a good find for each other,” Morrow said. “He’s a nice, friendly guy who always has a smile and is always helping other people.”
Morrow broke Whittington into the automotive sales industry in the early 1990s and since has become a close friend.
“He is a ‘whatever it takes’ kind of guy,” Morrow said. “If I have to come in on off day, or whatever the case may be – people who really succeed in this business are those who are willing to take on that sacrifice.”
Whittington also felt the love from Sinclair. Whittington watched him in action once Morrow sold his dealership to him.
“Dave Sinclair Sr. was a great man. He treated me like I was his son,” Whittington said. “He cared about customers more than anything.”
Whittington shared one lesson he learned from Sinclair as a featured speaker at Ladue Middle School during Black History Month.
“I told them never take no for an answer,” Whittington said. “Because no can always mean maybe, and maybe can always mean yes. You’ve just got to find a way to turn that no into a maybe.”
Society and statistics essentially said no to Whittington when he was growing up in Wellston.
“I was motivated by death,” Whittington said. “I didn’t want to die – and I wanted to make a difference.”
As he watched his peers succumb to the streets, he was determined to live and succeed and help others to live and succeed.
“He doesn’t do things for other people’s praise,” said Austin Layne, the funeral home director, a good friend and mentor to Whittington. “He knows how to reach back and bring somebody along, and that’s rare.”
For nearly 10 years he’s been going back to the same community where he grew up – and others like it – to hand out toys and turkey dinners during the holiday season along with other acts of kindness and service. He looks to Rams stars Steven Jackson and Demetrious Johnson as models for how to pay success forward.
Sadly, he lost one of his most faithful partners to senseless crime last month when entrepreneur Eric Brown was robbed and murdered. Brown was another customer turned friend.
“We’d rent a U-Haul and drive through the ‘hood passing out toys,” Whittington said of Brown. “He was always there when I needed help with that sort of thing, and he will be dearly missed.”
Whittington plans to continue giving with the added purpose of honoring the memory of his departed friend – individually, through his job and his church home of Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist.
“He personally donates his time and his money to help our children and people,” said the Rev. Alfred Jones, yet another customer of Whittington. “He’s always concerned about our children and our people and with giving them the lowdown on what you have to do succeed.”
