Click on one of the people below to find out more information.
Executive
- Kristin Hutchins
- President / CEO
- khutchins@rugesauto.com
Kristin Ruge Hutchins is President at Ruge's Automotive. A third-generation owner with over 100 employees in four locations, Kristin has worked to expand the company while working daily to carry out its guiding principles, all of which are rooted in the company's vision of being the most sought-after, unique vehicle sales and service experience in the Hudson Valley region.
Kristin has also served in myriad leadership and volunteer roles over the course of her career. Currently Vice President of the Rhinebeck Area Chamber of Commerce, Trustee for the Northern Dutchess Hospital Foundation Board, and active member of the Millbrook Business Association, Kristin has also been actively involved in the Rhinebeck Rotary Club and has supported a wide range of area nonprofits through participation in fundraising events.
Kristin's leadership extends to her role within the industry as well; she was recently named Chairperson of the Retail Women's Network 20 Group and member of the Regional Women's Network.Kristin has been named a Hudson Valley Magazine 2019 Woman in Business Honoree and Ruge's was voted Best Auto Dealer in the Hudson Valley for 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021.Email Kristin: khutchins@rugesauto.com.
- Lewis Ruge
- Founder
As a young boy, Lewis Ruge watched his dad build a vehicle sales and service business, Ruge's Automotive, in the heart of his hometown. By 1963, after serving his country as an Officer in the United States Air Force, Lewis was extended an opportunity to become an official partner. He accepted, and Ruge's has since grown exponentially in reach and in popularity with Lewis at the helm; the company is now known for offering small-town appeal with big-brand appeal.
Lewis has also worked to ensure that his hometown of Rhinebeck and the entire Hudson Valley region are successful as well. He has given generously to dozens of nonprofits and today serves on the boards of Frost Memorial Foundation, Dutchess County Fairgrounds, Northern Dutchess Hospital, Northern Dutchess Hospital Foundation, and M&T Bank.
To get in touch with Lewis, email lewis@rugesauto.com.
- Scott Hutchins
- Vice President
In 2015, Scott Hutchins joined his wife Kristin as Vice President at Ruge's Automotive Group, bringing over three decades of global career experience to the historic Hudson Valley community they call home. After years of working in manufacturing in the US and overseas, Scott now heads up all Finance, HR, and IT operations for each of the four Ruge's stores.
With an innate ability to identify solutions to challenges and opportunities for growth, Scott has promoted business development and expansion, helped solidify a long-term vision and organizational strategy, and supported rebranding efforts - all while working alongside his family and their staff to protect the guiding principles that make Ruge's Automotive so well-respected throughout the region.Scott is a graduate of University of Vermont, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Resort Marketing and Management in 1984.
Email Scott: shutchins@rugesauto.com.
- Jim King
- Director of Fixed Operations
Jim King, Director of Fixed Operations, knows the value of hard work and dedication and applies that to everything he does at Ruge's. As supervisor of the parts and service teams at each of our three stores, Jim ensures that his staff have exactly what they need to deliver our signature Ruge's experience to customers every day, working closely with the group to maintain a focus on goals and objectives while removing any inhibitors.
Raised in the small town of Ridgebury, New York, Jim started working in the Pine Island onion fields at age 12, and his first gig in the automotive space was pumping gas at a Hess Station when he was just 16. After attending Orange County Community College for Electronic Technology, Jim was hired by IBM in 1981, where he held various positions during a 34-year career there, including a two-year assignment in Dublin, Ireland. By 2016, he made the choice to "leave Corporate America" to work for Ruge's, and says he "couldn't have made a better decision." Jim and his wife of over 30 years have one son, one daughter, and a granddaughter who he calls the "cutest baby ever." They enjoy tech-free weekends hiking, boating, waterskiing, and fishing at their cabin in the Adirondacks.
To get in touch, email jking@rugesauto.com.
- John Alterio
- Service Director
- jalterio@rugesauto.com
- Robert Milkovich
- Parts Director
- rmilkovich@rugesauto.com
With over 38 years of experience, Rob joins the Ruge's team as Parts Director for all four of the dealerships.
Rob was born and raised in Wappingers Falls, New York. He is the youngest of three boys. His first full time job was working at a local Exxon station where he pumped gas and washed windshields; this is where his love of cars began.
He then started working at a local parts supply store as a delivery person, working his way to parts counter person. After a few years, he moved into a G.M. Dealership Parts Department where he was able to learn from the ground up, the ins-and-outs of the running a Parts Department. Rob then became a Parts Manager, which provided him with knowledge of the critical role that parts departments play in the success of a dealership.
He currently resides in New Paltz, New York with his wife and family. Rob is a big sports fan and in his spare time he likes to play golf.
- Patrick Downes
- Director of Digital Marketing
- pdownes@rugesauto.com
Since joining our team in 2012, Director of Digital Marketing Patrick Downes has used his expertise to help us share the unique Ruge's story with colleagues, customers, and our community. A former art school student who studied photography, Patrick is ever creative in his work managing our internet sales, marketing initiatives, websites, and social media channels. (Just follow us on Instagram or Facebook to see his compelling content!)
Born in London, Patrick became a New Yorker when he enrolled at Hunter College. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Media Communications in 1984, he worked for several New York City advertising agencies before landing a role as Vice President and Publisher of Audubon Magazine. Patrick has traveled to over forty countries on five different continents, but is right at home here in the Hudson Valley, having relocated here in 2000 so that his son could live at Anderson Center for Autism. He is a happily married father of four, and also quite happy to be the owner of three Subarus!
Management
- Dave Gilmour
- General Manager
- dgilmour@rugesauto.com
Dave Gilmour is the General Manager of Ruge's Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, RAM
Dave has worked at Ruge's for over 30 years, and has previously been GM of our Oldsmobile, Subaru, and GMC stores!He's excited to come back to Rhinebeck where he and his family have lived for generations!
- Ryan Kelly
- Sales Manager
- rkelly@rugesauto.com
- 845 - 876 - 1057
- Brandon Cole
- Commercial & Fleet Sales Manager
- bcole@rugesauto.com
- 888-745-4351
Brandon is from Rhinebeck, attended Red Hook High School, and earned a Criminal Justice degree from DCC.
As our Commercial & Fleet Sales Manager, Brandon works with municipalities and corporate clients to ensure they get a great vehicle and a great deal!He enjoys anything with an engine!
- Shawn Germano
- Business Manager
- sgermano@rugesauto.com
- 888-745-4351
- Shawn grew up, and still lives in Hyde Park.He loves walking his dogs, researching local history, and working on his YouTube channel!
Shawn has almost 20 years of experience in the automotive industry, and you can depend on him for 1st Class treatment and the best deals in financing and warranty services.Shawn took care of all the financial paperwork and was very thorough explaining all the details making me very comfortable with my decisions. I most definitely will return when it's time to purchase another vehicle. PO
- Dave Wheeler
- Parts Manager
- dwheeler@rugesauto.com
- 888-721-5887
Sales
- Krista Decker
- Sales Consultant
- kdecker@rugesauto.com
- 888-745-4351
- Krista drives a Jeep Wrangler, and lives in Rhinebeck.Reviews:Krista was my salesperso
n when I purchased my Jeep Renegade. She was a pleasure to do business with. I would definitely send my friends and family her way. MO This is my 4th Jeep and my previous experience at Manhattan Jeep was horrible.. so I decided to give a shot to the dealer in Rhinebeck and I met Krista.. she is outstanding and made the experience totally flawless and pleasant I can say that for the first time getting a new car was 100% a positive experience. I highly recommend this dealership and in particular Krista Decker. MIKrista was great, very friendly and easy to work with. Pricing was fair and there wasn't any back and forth hassle like you normally have from dealerships. I would recommend this place to anyone and tell them to ask for Krista! Thanks again, we love our new vehicles!! SMAfter 5 decades of buying cars, Ruges has, hands down, got to be the best place I ever dealt with. Got my 2020 Ram 1500 limited with no hassles, lots of smiles and best of all at a great price. Even my trade-in went flawlessly. Krista, our sales rep, was outstanding all the way. I was even impressed with her knowledge of every little button in the car when she schooled me. Ruges is staffed with a young aggressive crew who know how to get the job done. Great job guys!!! BVWe had a great experience buying our new Jeep with Krista and the team at Ruges! We have purchased from four other Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep & Ram dealers in the past few years and this was by far the easiest, most pleasant buying experience and we'll be back for our next purchase! MTThanks to Krista, I had the best dealership experience possible. I love my new Jeep, and these guys couldn't have made the process any easier! Highly recommend! MMKrista was great. Very patient with me and all my last-minute changes, was able to help me get a great deal on a brand new wrangler. I highly recommend her ! RGKrista and Brandon are, as always AMAZING. They make everything so easy, and not the least bit stressful. This is not the first car we've bought from Ruge's, and I'm sure won't be the last ♥️ SPI had a wonderful experience at Ruge's. Krista was extremely helpful and was upfront about the cost associated with leasing the vehicle. TWI purchased a Jeep Compass from Ruge's and my sales professional was Krista Decker. She listened (unlike other dealerships I had visited ) to my needs and the second vehicle she showed me is the one I purchased. Krista is very knowledgeable and it was a pleasure working with her to make this purchase. Shawn took care of all the financial paperwork and was very thorough explaining all the details making me very comfortable with my decisions. They both made my experience at Ruge's a great one and I most definitely will return when it's time to purchase another vehicle. POKrista was extremely awesome to work with. Bought a used car for my son and was blown away with the excellent customer service. The buying process was easy, no pressure, no fake selling. Just honest and up front with everything. They are my first choice to buy a car from and I will recommend my friends to go there also. JCI had the best car buying experience from Ruges! Krista and Sean made the process easy and enjoyable. Thank you thank you thank you!!! KD
- Rob Moore
- Sales Consultant
- rmoore@rugesauto.com
- 888-745-4351
Reviews:
Rob Moore is the best ! Made something I was so worried was going to be difficult SO EASY and enjoyable ! Awesome place - whole staff is great- HH
Rob was great! He was helpful, knowledgeable and made the experience painless! I would definitely recommend Ruge's and make sure you see Rob! - CMRob was great. Helped me out and set me up with a good deal. Will be back to him again. Smooth, stress-free no pressure dealership. - TDEven though car shopping is not a fun thing for me, everyone at Ruge's was helpful, friendly, and knowledgeable. Rob was exceptional, and the finance manager Shawn was great at explaining everything in terms I could understand. I definitely recommend Ruge's and will definitely be back for my next car!! - VAMr. Moore is a great salesman. I highly recommend this Dealership. The staff was a pleasure to work with. You will not be disappointed. - ARAmazing place! Have bought multiple vehicles from them and have never had any issues. Highly recommend Rob in sales. Great inventory, never a let down. Check them out! - JHWhat a great atmosphere to buy a Vehicle. Staff made it a fun and enjoyable time buying a truck.. Robert was amazing! He was very professional and responded to my emails quickly. It's worth the ride - MR❤️
- Randale Fowler
- Sales Consultant
- rfowler@rugesauto.com
- 845-366-9402
- About: Randy has been with Ruge's since May of 2015! Although he began his Ruge's career with the Service Department at Subaru, he decided to join the Sales team at CDJR in November of 2018. He is originally from Red Hook, but now lives in Hudson with his girlfriend, Desiree, their son, Oreon, and pup, Bowie. He is also a huge fan of the New York Rangers and Rally Racing!Favorite Thing About Ruge's: "The Customers. I get to meet a lot of people from all different walks of life. Former school Teachers, New York Times Best Sellers, Firefighters, Priests, and even your favorite actor from The Walking Dead!"Favorite CDJR Vehicle: Wide Body Dodge ChargerReviews:I highly recommend Ruge's! Randall was very helpful and helped me find the perfect Jeep! My experience was wonderful and will defiantly recommend people to go there! CMSI had a great experience at Ruge's! I worked with Randall and he was awesome!! Very professional and extremely helpful!! DS
- Andres Aldarondo
- Sales & Leasing Consultant
- andres@rugesauto.com
- (845) 407-2146
About: Andres started with us at Ruge's in March of 2021! He is from Poughkeepsie and has lived in the Hudson Valley all his life!
Andres is a real people person and prides himself on his top customer service!
Si hablamous tu idioma.
Favorite CDJR Vehicle: Jeep Grand Cherokee in Sting GreyTo meet with Andres, call/text him at 845.407.2146 or email andres@rugesauto.com.
- Paul Murphy
- Commercial Sales
- pmurphy@rugesauto.com
- 845-876-1057 x 513
Office: 845-876-1057 ext 513
Cell: 845-407-2058
Marketing
- Jennifer Kravic
- Digital Marketing Manager
- jkravic@rugesauto.com
Service
- Gary Townsend
- Asst. Service Manager
- gtownsend@rugesauto.com
Gary has been with Ruge's for 12 years. He started as a Technician in the shop and is now the Assistant Service Manager. He enjoys talking to customers and finding the perfect solution for their needs. Gary loves fishing, working on his own cars, and enjoying time with his family!
- Joe Gasbarro
- Service Porter
- jgasbarro@rugescdj.com
- 845-845-1057