Rita Case

Rita Case was born in 1955, the third of four children. She was raised in Santa Rosa, California, where her parents owned a small foreign car repair shop. “My dad was the mechanic, and my mother handled the customers—that was their business,” says Rita, who describes her childhood as one that revolved around her parents’ business. “My parents married very young and then had four children in the span of eight years. They were struggling to establish a business and raise their children. I had an older sister and brother, so I believe my birth order influenced some of my behavior. I wanted to be noticed. I wanted my parents’ recognition and praise. I did everything I could to attract their attention, but they always had so little time.”

Even though she sometimes felt a little lost in the shuffle, Rita had a positive attitude. She regularly volunteered for chores at home, including making breakfast each morning for the whole family, as well as for leadership positions at school. She was a dedicated student, but often struggled with a reading disability. Finally, in junior high, she received special tutoring and was able to overcome her reading problems.

All the children went to the family business each day after school. Rita grew up answering the phone, sweeping the floors, and stocking the shelves. Unlike her older siblings, however, she loved the recognition for helping her parents at the business from the start. In 1959, her parents began selling the newly introduced Honda motorcycles. Ten years later, when Rita was 14, her parents opened the first Honda automobile franchise in the United States. “That’s when I knew what I wanted to do,” says Rita, “I wanted to manage the Honda dealership like my parents. My older sister and brother left home as soon as they graduated high school and went on to do their own thing, but I told my mother I wanted what seemed impossible, to be a female car dealer. Rather than discourage me, she encouraged my dream. She was my biggest cheerleader.”

Rita describes her mother, who is still living, as very accomplished. “Whatever my mother chose to do, she did it perfectly,” she says. “She was a model, a ballerina, an ice skater, and a pilot. She was even the first female to road race Honda motorcycles. She was my mentor and chief encourager. When I was in high school, I got my pilot’s license. I wasn’t allowed to ride motorcycles on the street, so I rode dirt bikes. I was president of the math club. I was a gymnast and the only member of my high school team to place in the California state meet all-around. These activities built my self-confidence, and I credit my mother’s encouragement in helping me to believe in my abilities.”

As Rita was graduating high school, she told her parents of her desire to go to college. Her father offered to teach her the business and grow her skills without college, but Rita felt she would be missing out on something important if she did not get a college education. No one in her family had a college education, and she didn’t want to miss an opportunity to find out how the experience would benefit her. However, her grades and SAT scores were less than stellar. She applied to the University of California at Davis, the closest university to her hometown. When she received a rejection letter from the school, Rita decided not to take no for an answer. She wrote to the dean and told him he was making a huge mistake. “I told him I would graduate on time in four years, unlike many students who take longer,” says Rita. “I pointed out that I had completed all the prerequisite courses to prepare for the university, and I asked him to take a second look at my application. To my surprise, two months later I received an acceptance letter.”

Rita’s persistence in pursuing entrance to UC Davis taught her an important lesson that later in life, she and her husband adopted as a business strategy. “Persistence removes resistance is our motto,” says Rita. “If you don’t give up, you will eventually reach your goal. I strongly believe that.”

Rita credits her college education with giving her tools that have proved invaluable in her business career. “Basically, I learned how to learn,” she says. “I became adept at critical thinking, problem-solving, business accounting, how to analyze business growth through economic formulas, and—something very important in my business—people skills. I learned human resources, psychology, leadership, communication, and so much more. Getting a college education was the best decision I’d made up to that point in my life.”

Throughout her college years, Rita returned each summer to work in her parent’s dealership. By the time she graduated at the age of 22, she felt ready to take over the business. But she wanted more than just the title of general manager. She wanted her parents to retire so that she was fully in charge. “I’d been working at the dealership since I was eight,” says Rita. “To everyone in the business, I was the Dealer’s Daughter. They even called me DD. I knew that if my parents were in the other office, I would never be anything to the employees other than DD. Fortunately, my parents chose to retire at only 50 years old.”

CAREER

Rita was bursting with ideas on how to expand the dealership. She built a large service department for the Honda cars and concentrated on growing the business. To expand her knowledge of the automotive industry, she went to the National Automobile Dealers Association to request that they make “Honda” a recognized car franchise. The Association agreed and selected 20 Honda dealers throughout the United States to share ideas about how to build their Honda car business. Rita was one of the 20, as was Rick Case—her future husband.

When Rita and Rick married in 1980, she moved to Ohio, where Rick had Honda car and motorcycle dealerships. Both had an equal passion for the business, and both had a strong work ethic. They were committed to being the best and the biggest. Rita, the COO, oversaw the parts and service department as well as financial operations, and Rick ran vehicle sales, created the marketing, and planned the inventory with the CEO title.

To grow their business, they could not afford to buy dealerships. Instead, they applied for franchises that had never before been sold in the United States. In 1985 they were awarded the first Acura and Hyundai franchises in the U.S. “We were determined,” says Rita, “that we would be the largest volume dealer of any new brand we were given the opportunity to introduce.”

The Cases moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to open their Acura and Hyundai dealerships and also were awarded Hyundai in Atlanta. They built all three dealerships from the ground up and opened on time for the franchise debut in the U.S. in 1986. They achieved their goal and became the largest volume dealer in the U.S. for these brands. They worked tirelessly side by side to build the Rick Case Automotive Group, which today operates 14 dealerships in South Florida and Atlanta, Georgia. Their goal never changed, to be #1, which they achieved. They hold the world’s volume records for some of their brands, and are in the top volume nationally for most of their brands annually, as well as top national award winners for customer satisfaction.

Sadly, in 2020, Rita’s husband and business partner died. Rita now serves as the President, CEO, and owner of the nation’s largest retail auto group owned and operated by a woman. “Losing Rick was very difficult,” says Rita. “Married for more than 40 years, we were together 24/7 as business partners and parents and had a great personal relationship. We did everything together. But I made a commitment that our legacy would continue. I’m going to keep growing the business and the auto group will continue to be successful.”

What I’ve Learned

When asked to address high school and college students about her career, Rita’s advice is to follow one’s passion. “I tell them to not worry about seeking a career for the money because your fortune will come when you are doing what you love to do. Once you identify your passion, then get an education that will give you the confidence to pursue it.” Her third piece of advice is to develop strong public speaking skills. “To be able to speak to a group, whether it’s five people or 500, is a wonderful skill that will take you farther in most careers.”

Integrity is a trait that has always been important to Rita. “It’s like a broken mirror,” she says. “Once your integrity is damaged, it’s almost impossible to fix. In most careers, there comes a time when a temptation to cut corners or compromise your integrity presents itself. But if you do not have a strong moral core, then the best people won’t follow you—and you can never be your best if your foundation isn’t strong.”

Mentorship and giving back to her community came easily to Rita. She and her husband were active supporters of organizations that focus on education for at-risk youth, most notably the Boys and Girls Clubs. In Broward County, the Cases were instrumental in building 12 clubs, serving 12,000 members. They also provide 4-year scholarships to Nova Southeastern University issued only to Boys and Girls Club members of Broward County. They established a vocational scholarship program also for these club members. “Rick and I always looked for opportunities where we could improve the health, education, and economic conditions of our communities. We’ve enjoyed our philanthropy every step of the way.”

Rita sees her induction into the Horatio Alger Association not only as a great honor, but as another opportunity to expand her impact on young people. “The Horatio Alger Scholars are seeking higher education, and I fully support that goal. Education is the greatest gift you can give someone at any age because once you have it, it can never be taken away.”