Rancer Huntington: A Testament to Community-Centered Entrepreneurship
Sep 19, 2023
Kevin Shook
Do you ever ponder about what it truly means to be successful in business, without losing sight of community values? You're in for a treat as we have a heart-to-heart with the compassionate entrepreneur, Rancer Huntington. A Richmond local, he takes us on a journey into his life, right from his high school days to his thriving venture, State Line Medical Equipment. Rancer runs his business with a unique approach - it's not all about profits, but about helping people stay safely in their homes.
Buckle up as we explore not just Rancer's business acumen, but his deep-seated love for his hometown, Richmond. He opens up about the charm of the local community and shares his favorite moments - the concerts, the sports, and the unforgettable day his nephew was drafted by the NBA. Rancer's story is enriched with the influences that shaped him, especially his mentor, Bill Barth from Vandal Corporation. Join us as we celebrate a man who embodies success in life and business, all while staying grounded in community service. The episode promises to be much more than a business talk – it’s a testament to making it the right way.
Do you ever ponder about what it truly means to be successful in business, without losing sight of community values? You're in for a treat as we have a heart-to-heart with the compassionate entrepreneur, Rancer Huntington. A Richmond local, he takes us on a journey into his life, right from his high school days to his thriving venture, State Line Medical Equipment. Rancer runs his business with a unique approach - it's not all about profits, but about helping people stay safely in their homes.
Buckle up as we explore not just Rancer's business acumen, but his deep-seated love for his hometown, Richmond. He opens up about the charm of the local community and shares his favorite moments - the concerts, the sports, and the unforgettable day his nephew was drafted by the NBA. Rancer's story is enriched with the influences that shaped him, especially his mentor, Bill Barth from Vandal Corporation. Join us as we celebrate a man who embodies success in life and business, all while staying grounded in community service. The episode promises to be much more than a business talk – it’s a testament to making it the right way.
And welcome back to another episode of our community. If you would just take a quick second to click that like and subscribe button so I can continue to do this and provide you great local content. Thanks for joining. I've got a special guest here today, ranser Huntington, a great friend of mine, someone very influential on my career, someone that gave me a lot of confidence, motivation when I was a little nervous about stepping into my role. He's a great entrepreneur, risk taker and he's the man of my book. So, ranser, welcome buddy. Thanks for thanks for joining me on a short notice. Thank you, it's appreciated.
Speaker 2:
You're welcome. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1:
Man. So I look at you and think everybody knows this guy. But you know there's people out there that don't just kind of tells a little bit about you.
Speaker 2:
But sometimes that's a good thing.
Speaker 1:
So stay low key.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, stay a little low key.
Speaker 1:
Yeah.
Speaker 2:
A lot of people know me in town, so that's for sure.
Speaker 1:
Tell us a little bit about your background. Where are you from?
Speaker 2:
Well, I was born and raised here in Richmond, Indiana, a little bitty house down there by the old boys club. I graduated from Richmond high school in 1980.
Speaker 1:
That's dating man. That's the year I was born.
Speaker 2:
I'm old, real old, but I'm still here and I don't feel that bad. So a lot of people over the years I've known of they're not here, so I feel grateful every day I'm on the planet. It's a great guy.
Speaker 1:
It was kind of discussed your role. What's your role in our community?
Speaker 2:
Well, let us make that an important part of it. I don't really think of having a role. I have a business that's a state line medical equipment. We provide hospital beds, wheelchairs, lift chairs, ostomy supply, wound care, diabetic shoes. Basically, what we try to do is keep people in their home safely. If somebody's coming out of rehab to home, we try to get them equipment so they can stay at home and safely be at home. I had a little joint with the golf course there and winding branch and I like doing it but I couldn't give 100% to that and still give 100% to state line medical, so definitely sold that to move on to make sure I concentrate 100% on the medical equipment.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, so a couple of things there. Well, I don't want to just brush over the golf course thing I'm going to come back to that but how long have you been doing a state line medical supply? How long has that been?
Speaker 2:
I believe this January will be 18 years that we've been in business in the medical field. Successful business, good to figure it out.
Speaker 1:
So back to this golf course thing. How does a guy get to where he owns a golf course? I just started playing, but you actually own the freaking golf course.
Speaker 2:
Well, me and the bank own the golf course.
Speaker 1:
So let's get that straight.
Speaker 2:
But actually I bought the golf course. It was I hadn't planned on buying a golf course, honestly, but a friend of mine. There was an aquifer underneath that ground over there and I thought that the government was buying up ground that had aquifers underneath it and I thought I would be able to sell it to the government and still be able to have the golf course. Well, that didn't quite pan out like. I thought so, then I swear I got stuck with the golf course. I had to pay every time.
Speaker 2:
But I did a lot of work over there and it was starting getting better and better and better. I actually thought about miss making it farm ground Because I could have sold it and made a lot more just on farm ground Farm ground going for about $12,000 an acre right now. But I didn't want to take that out of community at Cambridge and the people that bought it are doing a great job with it. It's thriving. It's still there, so I'm glad I didn't sell it. It's not always about money.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, what's it about for you?
Speaker 2:
Money? No, everybody wants to make money, but you want to make it the right way.
Speaker 2:
I don't want to step on anybody's toes. I don't want to take anything that's not mine. My grandmother and grandfather. They raised me and they just taught me what was right and what was wrong. If you do good things, good things will happen and people always go. How come you're so lucky? And I said I don't know, I just believe I'm lucky. I try to treat everybody fair. Am I outspoken? Yeah, I'm outspoken, but I would treat everybody the same. And I do win a lot of the 50-50 drawings. I do win a lot of tournaments, but I believe I'm going to win. Just, I don't say it's arrogance, but I'm just confident that I will.
Speaker 1:
I think that you breathe positive energy and you would help anyone and I think that just comes back to you full circle, Whether you hit a contest like that, or lucky car to win a jackpot or something like that. That just comes with who you are man. I think you're just breathing positive energy and it's coming back to you for what you're putting in the community. So that's how I feel.
Speaker 2:
Well, like I said, I would like to give back. I'd like to give more sometimes, but I am still a small business and I have a lot of people that not depend on me but they want me to donate. So, between baseball teams, between I donate to the Townsend Center, the Parkinson's, the Cancer Society, the Alzheimer's Walk. I mean there's a lot of stuff out there and a lot of people that's not even there that need help, that come in that maybe can't afford a hospital bed or don't qualify for a hospital bed. We try to take care of those people the best we possibly can, or they need a lift chair. I keep some used stuff and.
Speaker 2:
I donate it back to them. It's not always about making money, but you've got to make money to stay in business. I try to say I don't want to say that's right, but there's people that have it and there's people that don't have it. So the people that don't have it, I try to make sure that they get what they need. The people that have it, they'll be able to get the equipment and stuff prior to somebody that might not be able to get it or don't qualify for it or don't have the money to buy it. So I just sort of look at them. As I knew, I grew up very poor. My grandma used to say we're so poor we can't pay attention. So I always just try to give back as much as I possibly can.
Speaker 1:
It's great to watch. So I mean you've been in our community forever. You grew up here, you live here and I know with a business like yours, I mean you could establish really a location anywhere and move anywhere. I know you've got a couple other locations that you can stay, vacation and live at. What keeps you grounded in our community? Why do you invest here? What keeps you here?
Speaker 2:
Well, I grew up here, so that's where my roots are at. Years ago, my grandmother wanted me to move to Kentucky, but my family was here and I know it sounds weird, but my friends were here. My friends are my family you know and I know it sounds a little weird I've never met my dad. I don't know who he is.
Speaker 1:
Wow.
Speaker 2:
So, like I said, my grandma and grandpa raised me, but my friends was my family, and moving away from Richmond. That's never been a Thing I ever wanted to do. Now I moved to Westchester for two years and I was like I'm moving back. I'm just not a big city type person. Okay, I'm more laid-back and everybody knows me and I know everybody and I feel comfortable. You know and I've always felt comfortable in Richmond. You know just who I am, I guess yeah yeah.
Speaker 1:
You know, ransom with, with local business in mind, education, business development, employment opportunities with things like that in mind, where would you like to see our community within the next five years?
Speaker 2:
Man, that's a tough question. What I would like to see our community in the next five years is that sounds mean, but I would like to get the roads and stuff done so people have businesses. People are not afraid to come here. You know People are paying Taxes on their houses. You know some of the areas that we need cleaned up. You know our government needs to quit building.
Speaker 2:
I hate saying this too, but we spend money on things that we could give to the community to help them with their housing and, you know, make their houses better instead of putting in real expensive bicycle pass. I mean, we got to figure a way to take and help those people out. You know they're still paying taxes on a home. You know, while the roofs leaking, the the stove's not working, you know, and they're working every single day and not getting any help. So if you want to ask me what I think that we need, that's what I think we need to help the people in the community. You know that pay their taxes and try to make a living. You know that are struggling day to day.
Speaker 1:
Yeah you know, okay, okay, you know, being here, being a lifelong resident, I'm sure you've seen some cool Things happen within our community. Cool events what is one thing that you miss, one thing that you would like to see come back. Well, like I said, I, I know there's people out there that would like to see racks.
Speaker 2:
I like racks and.
Speaker 1:
I like powerhouse.
Speaker 2:
I like to see a and w. Did you drive up the drive-thrues up? Yeah, I like that. Yeah, but Richmond is sort of state. Honestly, it stayed pretty true. I mean, everything is there's a lot to do in a small town actually here and people I say there's nothing to do. Well, I was in Westchester and I heard the same people saying the same thing they ain't nothing to do right across street from my neighbor's head kids. So I Don't know. I think Richmond's done a fair, fairly decent job. Like I said, I just wish we could try to fix up some of the housing that needs fixed up to bring them guys up to a level where it doesn't look like you're on this side of town or that side of town. It looks like we're all in the same side of town.
Speaker 1:
You know yeah.
Speaker 2:
I thought I was picking something, but as far as bring back something, maybe I like the concerts that they're doing. I think that's a great. I love what they're doing in downtown on E Street by doing the closing the street off and doing the concerts and stuff and doing the Ice shows and I think that's really cool because I go to a lot of that stuff. I was just at the Blast under the past this last week and I've not missed one of those, so and I think that's really cool. Things like that where the all the community can come out and everybody can relax and get off Work for a little bit of time and just forget about their carrier cares and their worries, you know, because it's getting tougher for everybody, you know yeah, we need that for all of us, you know.
Speaker 2:
So it's good to get a breakaway instead of just going to work for eight, ten hours or whatever. And then you know Struggling to pay your electric bill, your light bill and you know, pick gas in the car.
Speaker 1:
Yeah.
Speaker 2:
Yeah.
Speaker 1:
Rance you think about, you know your years here and you know your community involvement. Me, the entrepreneur and a business owner, what is the one, what is the most memorable experience you've had being in this community?
Speaker 2:
Most memorable moment. This is gonna sound crazy, but memorable moment was. When my nephew does bang got to be Get drafted by the NBA. That for me that was pretty cool. Somebody coming from Richmond. I knew his dad, I guess dad, his grandpa grew up with him and he was a very good basketball player. I thought one of the best I'd ever seen.
Speaker 2:
His name was Robbie Willis and I thought Robbie was one of the best players I've ever seen or ever played against, and I played against Ron Harper and I played against Royly Zobiak and I thought he could take either one of them.
Speaker 1:
Being a sports fan, so I might add, someone ship gear. So what's your local talent? Basketball? What's your top five, not just from high school? All around Top five. You brought Robbie Willis. Who else?
Speaker 2:
I would say Jack Williams played really. He was a good player. Woody was a good player, this one's- gonna start some stuff. I'm gonna be Oz Dad's the best. Who would be another one? Really? Gene Spicer. I saw him when I was younger and Gene Spicer always stayed in my head when I went to schools and stuff and seen him play. Always stayed in my head at Gene. He was a good player. So I would say there's my five that I like the best, Alright.
Speaker 1:
Rancer, what advice would you give someone that wants to get more involved in the local community efforts but may not know how or know where to start? What would you share with that person?
Speaker 2:
Well, there's all kinds of things that we do to raise money in this town. I mean, we have the Parkinson's Golf Term and at the Elks.
Speaker 2:
That's a good start to help people. We also have the Walk for Alls. Timers Reed does a lot with that. We have the Townsend Center. That's good for the kids and stuff that helps out a lot of kids that are less fortunate. There's a lot of programs in Richmond. You just maybe go to the Chamber, I guess, and see what they've got there, but there's a lot of opportunities to help out other people in Richmond, indiana. Trust me, we're a small community and not like I said I try not to say anything, but we're the support community. It's not like a rich community like where you go over to, like Westchester, where I lived at I mean that was very well off. People don't even ask prices of a lift chair. They say bring me a lift chair. Here is like going. You got payment plans, you know and I understand. Trust me, yeah, a little different here.
Speaker 1:
Understand, understandable. This one's going to put you on the spot.
Speaker 2:
Told you not to put me on spot.
Speaker 1:
If you can give our community a letter. Grade A through F a report card what grade would you give our community, and why?
Speaker 2:
Yeah, well, you did put me on the spot, didn't you? Well, I haven't been a lot of our community so, but I lived in Liberty for 26 years. I believe I'd probably give us a B, b minus. Maybe I mean there's things that I see that I would do differently, but like what.
Speaker 2:
I'm Well, it's like the one that we're doing the road shut down. You know I'd have probably done it all at one time and I don't know how the funding and stuff goes for that. But I know as a business my road was shut down for almost five years and that's on us 27,. You know, then they're shutting it down again, the bridge. Now they're shutting on the other side. I would have thought maybe we did that all at one time and you know this is going to be Five miles a road that's going to take at the end of it's going to be about eight years. You know, I mean they discovered a while west in seven years, so I mean they built bridges and everything else.
Speaker 2:
Um, and I like to see us use our money differently. I don't know how those grants work or whatever, but, like I said, helps in these people get their homes put back in shape. So the rules not leak and you know that they work for those homes. They don't want to lose them. I just wish there was some way that we can give money back to people that needs work on their homes for maybe the windows, and everybody don't qualify because I remember somebody say well, you got that humana. They put the windows stuff. Everybody don't qualify for that you know what I mean.
Speaker 2:
Right, um, so maybe just get some of the housing and stuff fixed up a little bit better.
Speaker 1:
We've had some of them come down. We need another program where they get put back Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I agree with you, yeah or if we want to do a fundraiser stuff. Maybe that's something we do and every year we pick a couple houses. You know that we put windows in or put a roof on us. You know that would be a good project. That I've always wanted to do is something like that. We can raise money to help the people that are here you know that are right on that fall line where they can't receive any help.
Speaker 2:
You know they're on a fixed income you know where they make just enough to not to get anything.
Speaker 1:
All got you got you Rans are. Are there any upcoming events, projects within our community that you're particularly excited about, that you would like to highlight?
Speaker 2:
Yes, we have a couple. One of them that I fund it's a Townsend Center. We're gonna have be having a golf outing and start out. Six years ago, and we start out, we raised a little bit of money and next year is a little bit more money and starting to really catch on. You know, we started out with like eight teams and it was 12 teams. Last year I think we had 16 teams or 18 teams, hoping to get 25 teams this year.
Speaker 1:
I mean this year.
Speaker 2:
We you know we did good to like. Last year we raised almost 10,000. That was pretty good, considering it's a little bit of golf tournament, you know. And we don't raise that money unless the people donate. You know Townsend Center is all by donations.
Speaker 1:
Shout out to Townsend Center.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, they're all by donations and Lucinda Wright, you can send a shout out to her.
Speaker 2:
Shout out to Dr Lucinda Wright, fellow board member, but they've got a lot of people on the board and they're helping out kids that you know that might be the only meal they get, or feeding, I think, 62 kids a day. So you know. Then they got the Parkinson's tournament that's going to be at the Elks later this year that's September 9th, and the Townsend Center golf tournament is October 6th, I believe, or 7th October 7th. On Saturday we still got openings and if anybody wants to donate for sponsor signs we have those are $100. Anybody want to donate some gifts? We give gifts away. I give gifts away for one hour last year, so I thought that was really cool. I think people got tired of me talking but they liked it.
Speaker 2:
They said I've never give out that many gifts before. So that was really cool. We have a, like I said, whole sponsors. We have a corporate sponsor. I think it's like 500 bucks and we'll put you on all the signs on our website on the shirts. So I said, if anybody wants to sponsor, the money is going to a good cause. It's going to help some kids, trust me, yeah.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, this next question I got asked I was my co-host at the time actually interviewed me and I asked this question next and you were actually one of the people on my list, so as most influential. So is there anyone that do you like to give a shout out to that was either influential in your upbringing, your career, the path that you're on, someone in your staff who would you like to give a shout out to?
Speaker 2:
Well, it goes to multiple people, but give a shout out to my grandmother and grandfather, who raised me, taught me right from wrong. If I started messing up, they wasn't afraid to give me that pop that I needed. I only give back to kids this day, but I mean it was. I mean I stayed in line. You know I could have been a bad kid. I seen some bad stuff going around, but you know right from wrong. And then I'd say the other thing that's sort of I'm not where I'm at without my employees. I'd say my employees is my biggest shout out. Okay, you know, even I'm divorced, but my ex-wife, you know we started state line medical and prior to that we had a pizza place is called DNS video and pizza and we had four of the three of those in Liberty right.
Speaker 2:
Have one in Liberty have one college corner, have one in Brookville.
Speaker 1:
Okay.
Speaker 2:
And that was sort of how we got started in business, you know yeah. And the last person that I will give a shout out to. He's not here, no more, but it was from Vandal Corporation, his name was Bill Barth and he he put me under his wing when I was designing the cardboard caskets there at our elder Davis. Okay, so I'd say a big shout out to him because he was, like I said, I never had a father figure really, so he was pretty much my father figure and I was at a young age.
Speaker 1:
Yeah.
Speaker 2:
So he taught me a lot of stuff about business.
Speaker 1:
So Wow, humble man, humble, humble beginnings and got to be very thankful to call you my friend by.
Speaker 2:
I think we'll call you my friend too, yeah.
Speaker 1:
So, rance, thanks for joining me today on another episode of our community. It's been great hanging out with you, and getting here on a short notice is very appreciative, thank you. Please hit that like and subscribe button so I can keep bringing you more local content and putting more people in your face that you may have not known about.
