Auto dealership CEO wins Dixon Citizen of Year award

DIXON – Rick Curia is frequently rushing off to committee meetings and events, his son said Tuesday evening.

And it was for his involvement in the Rotary Club, Kiwanis, the Riverfront project and KSB Hospital that the Ken Nelson CEO was named this year’s Dixon Citizen of the Year by the Dixon Area Chamber of Commerce.

“It’s amazing to me,” said Jamie Curia, 25, who works with his father at the Ken Nelson auto dealership. “We’ll have morning meetings every morning in the week, and there’s certain days he’s rushing out of there to go a meeting at KSB or Kiwanis or something.”

Curia moved to Dixon in 1981 to work at Ken Nelson.

“I had a car at the time that was not a winter car,” he said, “and I was told that they would give me a brand new car to drive in the winter. I thought that would be a good thing to drive in the winter instead of my sports car.”

So Curia left his job at Pfoutz Electric Service in Franklin Grove, taking the position at Ken Nelson, where he eventually bought into the company in 1989. He became the sole owner in 2010.

“I couldn’t ask for it to have worked out any better,” he said.

Curia and his wife, Barb, have two children: Jamie, 25, of Dixon, and Mandy, 23, of Minneapolis.

It’s his business background that makes him an asset to KSB Hospital, said its CEO and president, David Schreiner.

Curia is the chairman of KSB’s board of directors.

“He does so much for so many different organizations in the community, and when he does something, he’s all in. He gives 100 percent effort to what he’s doing,” Schreiner said.

“He has a real consumer mentality, and that’s been great for KSB Hospital. He looks at it from a patient’s perspective. His attitude is always let’s do what’s right for patients and everything else will work out.”

Schreiner is a past recipient of the award.

“This has got to be the best award anyone in Dixon can get,” Curia said.

A few others were recognized at the dinner, which was hosted by the Chamber and the Telegraph.

Kelly Sullivan, 27, has been the residential services supervisor for the past 3 years at the Jack Mabley Developmental Center. She was given the Future Leaders Award.

The Dixon Knights of Columbus were recognized for their work, including their annual free Thanksgiving dinner. They served 225 dinners at the hall and prepared another 225 to-go meals, the event’s program said.

A special “Reagan Centennial” award was given to Ann Lewis, the chairwoman of Dixon’s centennial commission.

“In case you missed it,” Chamber President and CEO John Thompson said, “there were a few things going on in Dixon, ... or a few hundred. I don’t know. Ask Don Lewis, because he hasn’t seen his wife in 12 months.”

The commission worked for 3 1/2 years to honor last year’s 100th anniversary of former President Ronald Reagan’s birth. It culminated in 40 events in Dixon and 60 events in Illinois, Lewis said.

Past Citizens of the Year

2010: Rick Munson

2009: James E. Dixon

2008: Winston Murray

2007: Dave Schreiner

2006: Nate and Ida Johnson

2005: Walt Lohse

2004: Sylvia Montavon

2003: Al Knickrehm

2002: Larry Reed

2001: Doug Lee

2000: JoAnn Guthrie