MEET OUR STAFF

Joseph Ruppel - Owner/General Manager – AAM, ASE Certified

Joe has been working in the automotive industry for over 35 years, starting at the age of 9 working for his father. He enjoys riding his Harley, bowling, and golf, along with traveling. He enjoys spending time with his wife Missy and 3 sons, Simon, Alex & Tyler, along with their Great Danes, Ruby and Duke.

Valerie Kunkle - Service Advisor

Valerie started with Ruppel's Automotive Service, Inc. 3/07. She lives in Breese with her husband Jay and children Austin and Jordan. Besides spending time with her family, she enjoys driving her Convertible with the top down and hair blowing in the wind, She also has the task of keeping all of us in line at work which can be a real chore. Her sunny disposition and contagious smile is welcomed by all the customers. Valerie has attended training at the Automotive Training Institute in Maryland.

Richard Hilmes - Automobile Technician – ASE Certified Tech

Rich has been with the company since 10/98. Rich and his wife Melissa just welcomed home their first child, a daughter named Olivia, on Thanksgiving 2007. Besides spending time with his family, he also enjoys playing with his dogs Mickey & Wiggles, and eating chicken. You can usually find him with a cold Mountain Dew close by, possibly snacking on chocolate. He graduated from Kaskaskia Colleges Automotive Technology program. Rich is currently working with Hydrogen fuel cell technology and is learning about todays Hybrid cars in depth.