
Photo by Erin Nelson.
Rick Hayes, longtime Goodyear store manager in Vestavia Hills, sits at an outdoor table in Trussville.
After 26 years repairing cars at Goodyear in Vestavia Hills, Rick Hayes has called it a career.
Hayes began his career with Goodyear in 1988 and moved to the Vestavia store in 1994 — a year after it opened — and managed it until Sept. 30 of this year.
Despite working in auto maintenance for more than 30 years, Hayes said when he started at Goodyear, he didn’t go in as an expert.
“It was a learning experience,” he said.
Hayes spent time training in Akron, Ohio, and said he once spent six weeks training while living in a motel.
“I didn’t mind it,” Hayes said. “I had a wife and a little girl to take care of.”
Originally from Boaz, Hayes’ father worked for Herb Hannah, a former NFL player and father of John Hannah, who, like his father, made his mark playing football at the University of Alabama, along with his brothers, Charley and David. Hayes grew up with the Hannah boys, and that led to work opportunities later in life, he said.
When Hayes was 13 years old, he began working, helping his father with inventory. Later, Hayes worked for Herb Hannah as well, selling animal health products.
Hayes said he enjoyed that line of work, but, a few years in, realized he needed a college degree, so he went back to school, attending Jacksonville State University and graduating in 1984.
By that time, Hayes had married his wife, Kathy, with whom he has two children, Jessica and Joshua. When he went to work at Goodyear, he never expected to stay for nearly 33 years.
“I sort of got institutionalized,” Hayes said with a laugh. “It was a good job.”
The customers were loyal, despite Goodyear not always having the cheapest prices, Hayes said. “They always told me they wanted to do business in Vestavia,” he said.
Retiring was a family affair. Kathy retired on the same day as her husband, retiring from the University of Alabama Health Services Foundation, where she worked in the employment section of human resources.
“It’s been good so far,” Hayes said of retirement.
Hayes said he’s doing “whatever I want.” While he and Kathy usually take a week off work to go to Panama City, this year — being retired — they went to the beach, then visited family and then decided to stay at the beach another week, because, as Kathy said, “we can do that now.”
Hayes said Goodyear was good to him over the years and said while he won’t miss the work, he will miss the people he got to know in his time in Vestavia.
“I really liked my fellow store managers,” Hayes said. “I really miss my crew.”
But by far, the best part of his job every day for more than 20 years was seeing his customers, he said. “Even after I’ve left, I still miss my customers.”