Softball’s a recurring link at dealership
It’s not too surprising that David Ripple would find a long-term home at Albuquerque Jaguar Land Rover. A baseball player who was part of a state championship squad at Cibola High School, Ripple also helped coach a national championship softball team that included his wife, Jackie Ripple, as well as Christina Hughes, the wife of dealership owner Rocky Hughes. The Hughes’ daughter, Samantha Gunn, was a standout softball player at both La Cueva and the University of New Mexico.
“It’s funny how it comes full circle,” Ripple said.
Softball actually brought the families together.
“This is my 24th year here at the dealership, but I knew Rocky a couple years before,” Ripple said. “We played softball together. Men’s and coed and we coached together.”
And when a job opened at the dealership, Hughes was quick to offer it to teammate.
“I was getting worked into the ground,” Ripple said. “Rocky called and said I have a place for you here.
“Rocky has taught me so much over all the years,” he said. “He’s out on the floor greeting customers. A lot of dealers, I don’t know that it’s the same thing. Once they find out he’s the owner of the company, customers are shocked. They’re surprised. They’re not used to that.”
In his time at the dealership, Ripple has been all over the store.
“I started in parts and I worked up in the Santa Fe store,”’ he said. “I’ve done service, sales for four years. That just wasn’t my cup of tea.”
Now Ripple is the assistant parts and service director.
And an avid outdoorsman, he was able to take time off to help in the search for missing Forrest Fenn treasure hunter Randy Bilyeu last year.
“I was out about six months with a drone and on foot, all the way from Bandelier down to Cochiti,” said Ripple, who would record particularly rugged areas via drone for experts to search. “About 200-some people would peruse over the videos just to see if they could see something. We searched by dog, by foot.”
Bilyeu’s remains were eventually found months later.