Get to know Rick Means
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For the past eight and a half years, Rick Means has been a vital member of the Retail Services team, serving the past year and a half as the Director of Safety and Education. Rick loves his job and is excellent at what he does, but who is he on his off-hours? Let’s start with the path he followed to get to where he is today.
Rick graduated from high school in Spokane, Washington, where he was a member of DECA. Since DECA required participating students to have a job, Rick went to work for a clothing retailer in the Spokane area in the 11th grade.
By the time he moved on from the clothing retailer nine years later, Rick had moved his way up to the position of assistant buyer—the launchpad for several more positions as a retail buyer for the next two decades. In his last position as a buyer, he oversaw $38 million in wholesale purchases as a buyer of candy and seasonal products. If you start talking with Rick about chocolate, his eyes still light up, and he’ll launch into a deep discussion about what separates the good from the bad.
A friend invited Rick to come and work for his IT company as an account director. Similar jobs followed, including working for a remodeling company in business operations and project management. Years later, Rick saw a posting for a position with Retail Services, and the rest is history.
Getting back to what Rick does on his off-hours—let’s just say he doesn’t get bored. He’s a husband, father, and grandfather. He enjoys a good cabernet and runs a side business called Skipper Rudy, which sells flags for boats, specializing in creating custom designs. Rick has a passion for classic wooden speed boats and is in the process of restoring a 1958 Century Coronado. He will be showing his 1970 Century Resorter in the NMTA Boat Show held in Seattle this next month. And if that wasn’t enough, Rick also is a beekeeper, with over 400 Mason bees, which are excellent at pollinating and best of all, don’t sting!