After nearly 40 years of running Russells Auto Service in south Overland Park, Greg and Patricia Russell are set to retire.
Starting next week, the couple will hand the keys over to the team behind the Overland Park and Olathe Auto Clinic.
“It felt like a good fit to me,” Greg Russell said of the new owners. “Their business philosophy and their personality seemed a lot like mine and Patricia’s. They seem like very honest and straightforward folks.”
Russells Auto will become Blue Valley Auto Clinic
- Amy Cooper, who co-owns the Auto Clinic, said patrons should expect the name to become the Blue Valley Auto Clinic later this year.
- The new signage will be in place by the start of 2024.
- “We want it kind of to be a slow, gradual change,” she said.
The Russells started their business in 1983
Greg Russell, a Johnson County native and graduate of Spring Hill High, was working as a mechanic at a Chevrolet dealership in the early 1980s.
He soon set out to start his own auto shop, getting a spot behind the Orman’s Furniture Store. That particular storefront previously housed a different auto service that had closed its doors. Patricia, a nurse, worked alongside him as the business’ accountant and marketing manager.
Five years after opening the auto shop, the Russells moved the business into a building they built near 161st Street and Metcalf Avenue. They ultimately stayed there for about 35 years.
Today, Russell said he’s serving some third-generation customers at the shop, seeing members of the same families return year after year.
“You know it’s about time to retire when you start working on the third generation of the families’ cars,” he said.
Greg Russell will stick around for a little while
- Though the sale of the business should be finalized by Thursday, Russell isn’t saying goodbye to the whole thing just yet.
- He intends to stick around for a bit as a member of the team to help with the transition and get customers adjusted to the new owners.
- After that, Russell — a self-described “peony nut” — plans to spend more time in his garden and travel.
Russells’ traditions will linger
- For years, Russell has gifted his customers with flowers he pots himself in the springtime.
- Cooper said the team fully expects to continue doing that, honoring the quality customer service legacy the Russell family leaves behind.
- “When he said that, I was like ‘Oh, we have got to keep doing that,’” Cooper said. “It’s just such a personal touch, and how much he cares about his customers.”
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