‘We take the higher road’
Multi-NAPA store owner Cheryl Richard has positive influence on four Maritime communities
By Kristen Lipscombe
You know a business is in good hands when it’s run by impressive entrepreneur Cheryl Richard, who combines her world-class experience and hometown knowledge to help her “drive success” among her four NAPA Auto Parts shops.
In fact, the multi-NAPA store owner was nominated for a 2023 RBC Women of Influence Award, a national program that for more than three decades “has recognized and celebrated the strides of Canada’s most accomplished, influential, and impactful women.”
Richard currently successfully manages the Bouctouche NAPA Auto Parts and Richibucto NAPA Auto Parts shops in New Brunswick, along with the the Amherst NAPA Auto Parts and Parrsboro NAPA Auto Parts in Nova Scotia, with a total of 26 employees across all four locations.
The four stores fall under Cheryl’s business name, Richard’s Parts and More, Ltd., which serve primarily wholesale clients but also walk-in customers.
Cheryl runs her successful businesses from her home base in Moncton, N.B., where she lives with supportive husband David Richard, and is just over an hour’s drive from her hometown of Rogersville, N.B.
For those that know her, it’s no surprise that Cheryl has a natural entrepreneurial spirit, since she first learned to work hard for what she wants at age 14, when she got her first “real job” working as a cashier and occasional gas pumper at a local convenience store. At the time, she was just tall enough to see over the counter at her parents’ well-known shop.
Cheryl’s mother and father clearly set a strong example for Cheryl when it comes to having leadership skills and values.
“They sold snowmobiles, chainsaws and a wide variety of other equipment for many years,” she said. “They worked side-by-side, so I was pretty much raised in that type of environment.”
So, when the chance came to return to her roots, the Richards jumped at the chance at buying the Bouctouche and Richibucto NAPA Auto Parts shops, which were sold to Cheryl and David in March 2020.
“When the first two stores were available to purchase, I knew they would be a great fit,” Cheryl said. “I was at a time in my life that I wanted to establish myself as a leader and create a legacy.”
The Richards were then living in nearby Saint-Charles, N.B., and were both in the midst of retiring from careers that had taken them across the country and around the globe for decades.
“This just fell right into our wheelhouse,” Cheryl said, explaining that she had recently left her fulfilling 17-year career as a bilingual flight attendant with Air Canada, while David was ready to move on from his often-intense work in the oil and gas industry.
The Richards were ready to ground themselves back home in New Brunswick and had their hearts set on starting a new career with NAPA Auto Parts Canada.
“So, we decided to buy the first two stores,” which Cheryl also said helped keep her parents busy, as they still enjoyed working, and took on a variety of duties in the two New Brunswick shops.
Sadly, Cheryl’s mother passed away during the pandemic. Despite this personal loss, she now applies now applies the strong business sense and entrepreneurial ethics passed down from her parents to her four current NAPA stores, with the possibility of more Maritime locations to be added to the Richard umbrella down the road.
It didn’t take long for her NAPA Auto Parts store employees to quickly become more like relatives.
“I’ve gotten to know them,” she said. “A lot of them have been working here for over 30 years, so they have pretty much become my family.”
Cheryl and David expanded their NAPA family when they purchased the Amherst franchise in November 2022 and Parrsboro shop in November 2023.
“I call Parrsboro my cottage because it’s so small and it’s full of stuff,” Cheryl said with a chuckle. “There was this gentleman that had been there for over 40 years, just a one-man band, and had made a career out of it.”
“He wanted to retire, and it was either NAPA was going to have to take it over or he was going to have to close his doors,” she explained. “It’s a very small community and the people… were so grateful that the NAPA was not closing.”
The Parrsboro shop is genuinely like “their everything store,” Cheryl explained. “And so, for that reason, I really felt that I was rescuing the store for the community.”
Cheryl points out that “communities like Parrsboro have changed a lot over the years,” but still have so much business potential and plenty of customers to satisfy.
“It was just as important for the community as it was for us to keep that store going. We wouldn’t have wanted to take another business away from the community, either.”
Parrsboro and the other three communities that the Richards now serve are especially important to the couple, including, and most especially, the employees that are just as committed to the NAPA shops as the owners themselves, along with the customers that keep coming back because they know they’ll be treated well.
“We created bonuses for employees, we include an RRSP or tax-free savings account after they punch in their first year, we (improved) the medical benefits,” Cheryl said, adding they also hold regular holiday and summertime events to show appreciation to their staff members.
“We really try to pay attention to our staff and make sure that they know that if it wasn’t for them, we’d have nothing.”
The Richards also had to rely on their employees at all four locations to learn the unique ins and outs of each franchise and community. You try to do anything and everything – even with the challenges that came with the pandemic.”
“We just pushed through and took one day at a time,” Cheryl said, adding it helped that NAPA was an essential service, so she herself could continue to learn the businesses, which in turn could continue to serve their small communities. “We have worked hard to navigate trying times and persevere through the challenges.”
So, what drew Cheryl and David to NAPA Canada as a worthwhile business opportunity?
The couple was convinced they’d made the right choice when they started looking into the company and learning more about its storied history, which includes its upcoming 100th anniversary of being in business.
“When you see the blue and yellow, or when you see the little delivery vehicles with a little hat on them, you know that it’s NAPA,” Cheryl said of the brand recognition, which for her immediately brings to mind high-quality parts and services and an unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction.
“We are known for our exceptional customer service, and that is a value we hold dear,” Cheryl said. “Our teams are the type of people that will go outside on a rainy day when your wipers don’t work properly and they replace them, often free of charge.”
For the Richards, compassion for customers and employees alike are what keep their four NAPA Auto Parts stores booming. Being able to adapt and adjust as both the economy and society overall seems to continue shifting is also important, Cheryl said.
Their dedication to customer satisfaction and community involvement is a testament to Cheryl’s leadership, resilience, commitment to excellence and subsequently – the positive culture she has fostered within her businesses.
It’s perhaps that forward-thinking attitude that makes Cheryl, who is also a well-respected member of Business and Professional Women of Greater Moncton, that help her lead and succeed in her entrepreneurial ventures.
“They teach me as much as I teach them,” she said of the staff members she prefers to call team members – or family members.
“I don’t sell parts but I’m there to support them,” Cheryl said, adding she hopes that’s reflected in a strong reputation within her four NAPA communities, where the Richards often sponsor local sports teams or hold special events such as Acadian celebrations, as examples. “We want to be able to serve our community, but we are also big in being part of our community.”
Another important business value for the Richards is to always maintain fair prices and the same consistent quality service that customers have come to expect.
“We’ll always keep putting our white gloves on and keep giving the same service we’ve given you before,” Cheryl said. “We take the higher road.”
