BROWNSBURG — Charlotte Lucas gave Brownsburg Chamber of Commerce members a small glimpse into her life and how she and her husband Forest started Lucas Oil.
“If you’ve ever been in the eye of a tornado — well, I live with one,” Lucas said. “That man [Forest] doesn’t know what relaxation means. It’s all about the business and all about selling oil. I haven’t seen my home in Southern Indiana in about a month.”
Lucas spoke at the chamber’s luncheon earlier this week to a crowd of about 120 people. Walter Duncan, executive director of the chamber, said hearing Lucas speak was a draw for many people.
“We normally have about 70 to 90 people here, but we got reservations for about 120 this time,” Duncan said. “This is great for us and it just shows how family-oriented [the Lucases] are and how concerned they are with keeping that image. Just nice people.”
Lucas shared some of the experiences that brought their family to where they are today, even from when they were living in California and “couldn’t afford three 29-cent hamburgers.”
“When we first started, things were rough,” she said. “Sometimes I had to chose to eat that week or pay the heating bill. We worked hard and stayed late and every penny we made went back into the company. No bank would touch us — it’s funny how nobody will loan you money when you need it, but as soon as you have it, they’re happy to help you with it.”
One thing Lucas said about the importance of getting out into the public was changing the perception that she and her husband are not from Indiana.
“It helps people understand better who we are and where we’re from,” she said. “We’ve talked to some people who thought we were from California or other places, but we are Indiana people. It doesn’t matter where we’re living, we’re Indiana people born and raised.”
Although the Lucas family moved to California for a time while they were building their oil business, they moved back and have been living in Corydon for the past four years.
While they started out in the trucking business, they decided to give that up and go strictly into selling oil. Lucas said one of the best days of her life came on Dec. 31, 1989, when they made the decision to give the oil business a chance.
“The licenses ran out, the insurance ran out, and we parked the trucks,” she said. “It was the best decision we’ve ever made.”
After hearing Lucas speak, the audience was able to ask her questions about their business and particularly the Colts’ new stadium. One woman asked Lucas what she thought about the stadium construction.
“I was blown away,” Lucas said. “Nothing does it justice. It is absolutely beautiful inside and out.”
The chamber’s next luncheon is 11:30 p.m. Sept. 17 at the Brownsburg Fire Territory Building, 470 E. Northfield Drive. For more information, call Duncan at 852-7885.
charlee.beasor@flyergroup.com
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Brownsburg Chamber of Commerce members listen as Charlotte Lucas of Lucas Oil speaks about starting a business from scratch and ending up with naming rights for the new Colts stadium. CHARLEE BEASOR/FLYER PHOTO
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