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Hilligoss Honored Posthumously
March 28, 2018
Don Hilligoss II was posthumously named the 19th Person of the Year by the Hibbing-Chisholm Breakfast Club.
"Don was a dreamer. Don was positive," said his father, Don Hilligoss Sr. "He never had anything negative to say about anyone."
Hilligoss II was owner of Ranger GM in Hibbing, Grand Rapids GM and Mike Motors in Ely, and part-owner of Ford of Hibbing. A Hibbing native, he died as the result of a motorcycle crash August 29, 2017.
Hilligoss II was a past president of the Club of Hibbing and the of Northeastern Minnesota, and past board member of the Hibbing Area Chamber of Commerce.
"I think it's incredible what my dad was able to accomplish while running four stores," said his son Charlie. "I never felt like I was put on the back burner. He'd always find time to call me and my siblings to check on us - even when you could tell he was really busy - which was amazing."
Ranger GM General Manager Mark Lantz worked for Hilligoss II for 21 years.
"Back then, I didn't know if I'd stay. Now I don't know where I'd go," he said. "Don always made everyone feel welcome and like family. Don always made it about someone else. The first words out of his mouth were always, 'how are the kids?'"
Hilligoss II ran his in a way his employees would get behind.
"He always said, 'underpromise and overdeliver,'" Lantz recalled. "He wanted to do it right the first time, and he lived by that."
HIBBING DAILY TRIBUNE