Sept. 12, 2023

This week’s Up-and-Comer is Abby Johnson-Youngquist, director of marketing and communications at Auto Body Specialties.

Name: Abby Johnson-Youngquist

Age: 30

Hometown: Harrisburg

What brought you to Sioux Falls?

I grew up in the Sioux Falls area, living in Harrisburg and attending the Bishop O’Gorman school system.

What keeps you in Sioux Falls?

Sioux Falls is a fantastic place to raise a family, has a great entrepreneurial spirit and always has something new around the corner. My family enjoys supporting and visiting locally owned businesses on the regular.

What’s your favorite thing about your job?

I love working with our team and visiting our four locations in South Dakota as well as our Mankato, Minnesota, location. ABS is a part ESOP, and we celebrate our employee-owners whenever the opportunity arises. My position carries a variety of responsibilities in my day-to-day role, which I greatly enjoy.

How did you get connected to your industry?

Auto Body Specialties is a family business started by my grandparents Harley and Sallie Roddel in 1950. While I worked part time at the company during college, I joined the team full time after graduating from USD in 2015. Since then, I have enjoyed opportunities to meet with other automotive distributors in the U.S. at various conferences and forums. I am proud to continue to build upon the work that my grandparents and their five children accomplished. It has been especially rewarding to come into the ownership role alongside my two cousins Jenna and Mary and continue to be mentored along the way from my uncle Jim Roddel.

Describe your workplace in three words.

Driven, dedicated, service — a summary of our core values.

What is something someone might be surprised to learn about you?

Hiking is a passion of mine. I’ve been fortunate enough to get to travel to 46 U.S. states and hike at some amazing places such as Glacier, Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks. I hope to one day hike Half Dome in Yosemite and Angels Landing in Zion.

What’s your favorite way to give back to your community?

Mentoring through Lutheran Social Services has been incredibly fulfilling. I always look forward to meeting with my mentee and listening to how their week is going. If you have ever considered being a mentor in our community, I would tell you to take the jump and reach out to a mentoring program today!

What’s one business you’d like to see in Sioux Falls that isn’t here now?

I don’t have a particular business in mind, but working on the north side of town, we are always wishing for more restaurants in our area.

If you had $1 million to start a business, what kind of business would it be?

I would love to see a studio space with equipment for ceramics, printmaking, sculpture, etc. for local artists to schedule for use as well as host classes. One of the biggest hurdles for art students post-graduation is the affordability of equipment. We have local talent that should continue to be encouraged and featured.