Hall of Fame Induction Year
2001
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Inductee Biography
Case was a prominent figure in South Florida's business community, known for building his automotive empire into one of the nation's largest dealership groups with his wife, Rita Case. A lifelong salesman, Rick Case started working at the age of 9 on a paper delivery route. At 14 years old, he purchased a used car, fixed it up and hung a "For Sale" sign on it on his parents' driveway in Akron, Ohio. By 19, he operated his first used car lot as a solo entrepreneur. By the time he was 29, Rick Case owned and operated a multimillion-dollar chain of motorcycle stores. Rick Case founded Rick Case Automotive Group in 1962 when he opened his first dealership in Ohio. He expanded the enterprise to South Florida in 1986. The company was the first to introduce multiple new brands to the U.S. market, including Toyota, Fiat, Honda, Acura, Hyundai and Kia Over the decades, the company held the title of the largest volume dealer in the nation for many years. Today, the Sunrise-based company is celebrating its 59th year in business with 16 dealerships across three states, mostly in South Florida. They include Rick Case Honda, one of South Florida's largest dealerships, with over 6,000 cars titled in 2019. Rick Case Automotive Group has over 1,300 employees and more than $1 billion in revenue. "Entrepreneurs are the artists of the business world, or the blank space," AutoNation CEO Mike Jackson said. "There's nothing happening and an entrepreneur comes along and says, 'Aha! I see how to make this magic happen.' And they bring it about. So, it’s about creativity in business; it's an artistic ability. And Rick Case had that. He had it in spades." The enterprise has won many accolades along the way. In 2001, Rick Case was inducted into the Entrepreneur Hall of Fame at Nova Southeastern University's H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business & Entrepreneurship. In 2011, Rick and Rita Case were honored as Entrepreneurs of the Year by Ernst & Young. “Rick had the most amazing mind for problem solving. He set his goals so high, most could not dream that big," Rita Case said. "His work ethic and passion to succeed was very intense and always had me chasing to keep up. He always treated me as his equal and allowed me to share in his spotlight of success. Let there be no doubt: Rick created, built and operated his company with a single passion to be the biggest and best." The Case family has long supported the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County, Feeding South Florida, Bikes for Kids, Habitat for Humanity and dozens of other local philanthropic organizations.
Digital Collection
Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame
Disciplines
Business
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Educational use only, no other permissions given. U.S. and international copyright laws may protect this item. Commercial use or distribution of this digital object is not permitted without written permission of the Nova Southeastern University Archives.
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