Born Grant Drewing and nicknamed Rusty by his mother (honoring her grandfather Robert, who dreamed of a red-headed son), Rusty grew up surrounded by the automobile business. His father, Gary Drewing, arrived in Jefferson City in 1980 to become general manager at Capital City Ford. His maternal grandfather, Robert Hespen, was a general manager at Clinton Cadillac in St. Louis.

Rusty was born in Jefferson City in 1982. By 2005, the Drewing family had become sole owners of the Machens dealerships, and Rusty stepped in full-time, learning it from the ground up: the lots, the service bays, the financing desks, the people. In 2015 the family sold the Joe Machens group while keeping BMW of Columbia and Mercedes-Benz of Columbia.

In 2021 he acquired the Chevrolet Buick GMC Cadillac and Toyota dealerships in Jefferson City and put his name on the door. Today the group spans seven brands, two cities, and more than 300 team members, with GM Mark of Excellence honors three years running and a 4.9-star rating. “Having your name on the sign means you care about everything that happens inside,” he says.