Business owner honored for commitment to automotive trade

Rick Crook’s love for auto restoration began in high school when he and his friends would spend weekends fixing up project cars.  

Though he planned to attend a trade school after graduation starting a family came first.  

“I ended up getting married young so life changed and I chose a different career, but I kept doing restoration and collision work on the side,” said Crook. 

But when life changed, at age 40, Crook finally attended WyoTech, a trade school in Laramie, Wyoming, creating a pathway to opening his own shop Glacier Collision Worx.  

He graduated from WyoTech in 2016 with a diploma in collision and refinishing with upholstery, and again in 2017 with a specialty degree in applied service management.   

“I'm proud of my wife because she supported me throughout the years. I would never have done any of this without her. She is my biggest asset.”  

Now, Crook is being honored by the trade school that specializes in training students in auto mechanics, diesel tech, auto body and welding. He has been inducted into the WyoTech Hall of Fame.  

Through his different jobs of painting custom airplanes with Aviat and spending 18 years as a seismic Heli-portable driller and crew supervisor, Crook still found time to pursue his hobby of restoring old cars.  

“I got into the exploratory side of seismic surveying and then that fell through in 2015 when the oil and gas prices drastically went down,” said Crook. “Then in 2016 [the industry] tanked so I was laid off.”  

Crook applied for a grant for displaced workers from the state of Montana on “a hope and a prayer” to finally attend WyoTech. Because there are no other trade schools in Montana for auto restoration, Crook was able to use the grant out of state finally entering his dream field.   

Crook graduated with a 4.0 GPA and perfect attendance. He received honors as an Eagle Tech, team leader, and honor student, and in 2017, he spoke at his graduation as the outstanding student in his specialization.

AFTER GRADUATING and working in another auto repair shop in Kalispell for four years, Crook opened Glacier Collision Worx in 2021 and earned second-place finishes in Best of the Flathead in 2022 and 2023.  

According to WyoTech's website, to be eligible for the hall of fame induction, nominees must be alumni with at least five years of industry experience and participate in various give-back opportunities such as guest teaching and speaking at WyoTech events. 

Crook continues to work alongside his alma mater and was recently on WyoTech's advisory team to help with recertification for accreditation. 

WyoTech’s Hall of Fame is considered a “celebration of accomplished graduates who exemplify passion, integrity, and success in trade education” and have left a lasting impact on the automotive industry.   

Giving back is one of the pillars of Crook’s business model as he has partnered with the Make-A-Wish foundation to restore a truck for a local teen battling cancer, worked with Toys for Tots, provides benefits for his 13 employees, and is part of the Evergreen Chamber of Commerce.  

“The thing that makes owning your own shop worth it is that I get to work for myself. I get to provide for my employees and watch them grow and advance, and I love helping the community,” said Crook. 

Crook is the only inductee from Montana, but hopes to encourage his community, especially young people, to pursue the trades, if that is their dream. He hopes to open his shop for high school students interested in the trades so they can see an actual working shop before going to college. 

“A lot of people say you have to go to college or you're never going to make it. But that's, that's false. We need to help the trades and it doesn't have to be collision and finishing. I'm a huge advocate for all trades because that's what keeps America going,” said Crook.  

“Don't give up if you have a dream,” he added. “Even though the course of life changed my path for a while, I still never gave up.”  

Reporter Summer Zalesky may be reached at szalesky@dailyinterlake.com.