Rick Hill
College of Business, Engineering, and Computational & Mathematical Sciences Alumnus of the Year, 2007
Since founding Metropolitan Choppers, LLC in 2004, Rick Hill has led the company to become one of the most exclusive and reputable chopper builders in the country.
Since 1996, Hill has also been the President of Metropolitan Steel Inc., the family business that inspired the creation of Metropolitan Choppers. Originally headed by his father, Rick joined the steel company in 1983 when there were only four full-time employees and gross sales were $100,000 per year. Today, Metropolitan Steel is recognized as one of the largest and most respected steel plants on the East coast. With annual sales topping $10,000,000 and a workforce of more than 65 employees, Metropolitan Steel is one of the premier privately owned companies in the entire metropolitan Washington area.
The decision to create Metropolitan Choppers was a natural one based on Hill’s love of motorcycles and the proximity of the necessary material to build them: tools and steel. Before long, Hill rounded up 15 employees from the steel company to join him in his quest to build premier choppers. Soon enough, their first bike, the “Torch Bike” was completed. It was soon after that Hill narrowed down the MC team to his shop’s general manager and chief builder, Dan Kessinger, and a handful of other devoted motorcycle enthusiasts. Indeed, the handmade bikes are made with such care and attention to detail that the company builds only twelve a year.
In addition to Metropolitan Steel Inc. and Metropolitan Choppers LLC, Rick also owns Regal Holding Co. Inc., a real estate and consulting business, and Kickstart Promotions, an entertainment company specializing in musical events and record producing.
Hill earned his BS in Business Administration from Frostburg State University in 1983. He is active at his children’s high school and recently, as chairman for the school’s new athletic stadium fundraising and building committee, raised more than $4 million to bring the dream of a new athletic field to reality. Hill resides in Hagerstown, MD with his wife, Kelli, and two teenage children, Ashley and Jimmy.