21 Jan 2013 Linda Linn: An Arkansas business 'Diamond'
by Donna Lampkin Stephens
Raegan Moore of Conway doesn’t have to look far for a role model.
Moore, 19, a freshman at the University of Central Arkansas, is the granddaughter of Linda Linn, the long-time successful Conway entrepreneur who recently received the inaugural Diamond Achievement Award from the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce.
According to a Chamber press release, the Diamond Achievement Award recognizes an individual "who has inspired and empowered many generations of women and who has had a positive impact on those in her profession and in the community."
"She grew up in Bee Branch on a cow farm, and she didn’t have the goal in mind then of everything she’s accomplished," Moore said of her Nana. "She’s such a good example of helping people out, being selfless.
"She’s the best role model."
Besides Linn, the Chamber honored four others with the Outstanding Woman in Business Award: Brandy Strain-Dayer of Strain Photography; Toby Hart of Take the Lead Academy, Inc.; Holly Marr, retired from Acxiom; and Sonja Keith of 501 Advertising and Publishing.
Although Linn never set out to be a pioneer, she has advice for her granddaughter, a public relations major, as well as other women in business.
"You don’t have to know now what you’re going to do for the rest of your life, but you should organize and work hard and cultivate some good people who can help you, whatever you do," she said. "I had people like that. If I needed them, I knew they were there. That’s invaluable, especially to a young person starting out.
"The main thing is to finish your education and get some skills, then figure it out. You may change in seven or eight years. And have a good time while you’re doing it. Life is short. Find something you like to do.
"I’ve been fortunate. I don’t want to have another dairy farm, but I’ve had jobs I’ve loved and people I’ve loved working with. That makes a big difference."
Linn is quick to say any success she’s had is shared with her family. She and her husband, Danny, grew up on dairy farms in Van Buren County and were married in 1965. Since then, in one way or another, they’ve been a major force in Conway business.
"Growing up, none of us had any money, but we grew up with strong work ethics, a strong belief in God and our country and in standing up for what is right," Linn said during a speech at the state Capitol last year.
Those attributes have been the cornerstones of her business philosophy.
After their father, Hershell Linn, was killed in the Titan II Missile Silo explosion in Searcy in 1965, Danny and his brother, Bob, opened a body shop in Conway. Linda was a social worker for the Arkansas Department of Social Services until 1972 and spent nine years with Community Action Program of Central Arkansas as social worker and director of Head Start and Migrant Head Start. In 1985, she and Danny bought out Bob Linn. The business evolved from the body shop into Linn’s Auto, Inc., an auto salvage business. They eventually brought on their daughters, Susan McCoy and Christy Priester.
Family is important to them. The Linn family also includes sons-in-law Ric McCoy and Eric Priester and grandchildren Moore, Andrew, Kavanagh, Rileigh and Nicolas.
The family philosophy has been passed down through the generations.
"She raised me to think I could do anything," Moore said.
Since 1965, Linn’s Auto & Equipment Sales has sold quality, repairable or repossessed vehicles to consumers throughout the United States. For more than 30 years, it had contracts with insurance companies to buy all vehicles totaled in accidents across the state. Linn’s bought and sold more than 4,000 vehicles per year.
"We felt real fortunate that we’d had 34 years to build the business up, get some debt paid off and our kids situated," Linn said. "The knowledge you gain — nobody can take that away from you. We know how to run a business and how to take care of customers. We had a good customer base. We’ve always excelled at customer service."
But in March 2012, the Linns lost their major contract and figured it was time to help their employees find other jobs, rent the property and retire. But the Linn daughters and a couple of long-time employees, Pete Deden and Roger Riggs, came to them with another idea.
"They said, ‘How about we try something different?’" Linn recalled. "We must have been totally insane."
Instead, at age 67, she found herself involved in starting not one but three new businesses: Oak Street Auto Sales, a used car dealership; U-Pull-It, a used parts company; and Just Scrap It, a metal recycling facility. The Linns employed 21 people prior to the loss of the insurance contract, went down to 10 but are now up to 31 employees among the three companies.
During a speech in Denver, Linn talked about the importance of a business being flexible.
"Things have changed, and in order for us to succeed, we have to be willing to change also," she said. "We have to be willing to put money back into facility improvement; we have to be willing to train our employees; we have to be willing to be a good corporate citizen; and we have to be willing to work together to create value for our customers if we want to keep those customers."
Linn has a long list of c
ommunity involvement: Conway Noon Rotary Club, Ellen Smith Parent Teacher Organization, Conway Area Chamber of Commerce, Boys and Girls Club, Community Foundation of Faulkner County, Conway Regional Health Foundation, Faulkner County Historical Society, United Way, Conway Civic Orchestra, Women’s Foundation of Arkansas, Conway Committee of 100, Conway Christian Foundation Board, Blue Ribbon Committee for Conway, UCA Business Advisory Committee, Bethlehem House, Bookcase for Every Child Committee, Arkansas for Jobs and Affordable Energy Committee.
Her awards include a Paul Harris Fellowship in 1993, Sam Walton Business Leader Award in 1996, Arkansas Business Top 100 Women 1997-98, Conway Rotary Club Vocational Service Business Award and Good Neighbor Award of the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce in 1999 and the Chamber’s Distinguished Service Award in 2002. She and Danny were named distinguished alumni of South Side High School in 2000.
"Danny and I always have felt like we needed to give back to the community because it has always been so good to us," Linn said, according to the release. "Our family, our church, our business and our community are our lives, and somehow that balance works out."
In the early 1990s, Linn was involved in helping to organize First Community Bank, which eventually merged with First Security in 1996.
"We didn’t know anything about banking, but we knew about customer service," Linn said.
The philosophy has served her well throughout her career.
"We knew how to hire people and how to treat customers, and we learned real fast," she said. "I didn’t plan any of it. But we worked hard. When you grow up on a dairy farm, you know how to work."
