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STILL BUSY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS

Rick Hudson has lots of work to do - and that's just the way he likes it.

by Jim Morgan

It's three o'clock in the afternoon on an unseasonably warm Saturday in late November.

Though bright and sunny outside, within the Tulsa offices of RL Hudson, darkness prevails. The conference rooms and cubicles, so bustling during the workweek, are now empty and eerily quiet. The copy machines have been powered down for the weekend. The computers have shifted to sleep mode. The coffee pots are cold.

And yet, amid the silence and shadows, a single light shines on. In a literal sense, it's being emitted by a series of fluorescent bulbs in the ceiling of a corner office. More symbolically, however, the light radiates from the office's occupant, the founder and president of the company.

"Oh boy," Rick Hudson says with a roll of his eyes. "I hope this isn't going to turn into one of those 'he founded a company and saved the world' articles. I see those all the time in other magazines, and I can't stand them. They always sound so self-serving. That's not how I see myself. I don't have illusions of grandeur." He pauses for a split second, and a sly smile slides onto his face. "Well, at least not too many."

Still, it's easy to understand a sense of pride. After all, as owner of his own successful business, Rick is living the American dream. He's quick to point out, however, that realizing that dream has always had a price.

"I can't tell you how many weekends I've spent behind this desk," he muses. "In the early years, when the company was first getting started, I was here practically 'round the clock. Let me be clear - I'm not complaining. That's just what it took to get things off the ground, and I knew that before I started. Truth is, I love a challenge, and there are few things more challenging than operating your own business."

Over the past two decades, Rick has met that challenge, but he hasn't done it alone. "The key to success, at least for me," he observes, "has been surrounding myself with good people. The fact is, anyone who thinks they can make it without help is going to fail. It's just that simple. I've been very fortunate to have the help I've had, and I'm grateful to everyone who has contributed to the growth of RL Hudson."

With so many good people at his side, it's natural to wonder why Rick continues to put in such long hours, even on the weekends, when it would be so easy to let others handle all the details.

"Sure, it would definitely be easier," Rick admits, "but not nearly as satisfying, either personally or professionally. I've always been the type of person who needs to know the details. I thrive on getting in there and solving problems. I like to work with our engineers, and I like to work in our lab. I just enjoy the whole process of finding solutions."

As Rick sees it, his attention to the details both defines him and sets him apart from some of his peers. "I hear other owners talk about focusing on 'the big picture,' but my experience has been that 'the big picture' is entirely dependent on all 'the little pictures,' all the daily decisions that have to be made to keep a company strong and competitive. My late father-in-law used to tell me, 'Take care of the little things and the big things take care of themselves.' It's worked for me."

But despite his insistence on staying involved in every aspect of his company's activities, Rick does still allow himself some time for fun. "If the weather is nice, I have been known to play a round or two of golf on Friday afternoons," he admits with a wink. "But I like to think my time in the office on weekends makes that okay. Besides," he adds with a grin, "I keep reminding myself that I'm not out to save the world. I'm just trying to do a good job for our customers and provide a nice place to work for me."