Ricart Automotive was founded in 1953 when the late Paul F. Ricart bought a tiny Ford dealership in Central Ohio. His goal was to become the area’s leading low-price dealer, and demand increased as the dealership’s positive reputation spread. Paul’s sons, Rhett Ricart and Fred Ricart, assumed ownership of the company in 1982 and grew it into Ford Motor Company’s No. 1 dealership by 1986. Today, they employ over 500 and annually sell approximately 14,000 new and used vehicles across multiple new product lines. Ricart’s franchises include Ford, Genesis, Hyundai, Kia, Mazda, Mitsubishi, and Nissan, as well as Harley-Davidson.

In 2019, Rhett, president and CEO of Ricart Automotive Group, served as vice chairman of the NADA and represented Ohio’s franchised new-car dealers on the board of directors. This year he serves as the NADA Chairman and is well-prepared for the role. Rhett has served on several automotive industry boards, as well as held executive positions with dealer associations. His commitment to retail automotive and to the local community led to his selection as the Ohio Business Person of the Year by The Ohio State University business school in 1993. In the following interview, Rhett shares his enthusiasm for the industry’s future, discusses his plans for NADA and talks about the importance of training and mentoring the next generation.

The ability to attract and retain service technicians is also in the limelight, as the processes to repair increasingly technologically advanced vehicles are quickly changing.

Dealer Magazine: Ricart Automotive Group is a family enterprise that began in 1953 when your father, Paul, bought a small Ford dealership. Today, you employ over 500, offer six new product lines, and annually sell roughly 14,000 new and used units. What’s been the Ricart secret to success?

Innovation is key to everything we do and what has propelled us to success. When my brother and I joined the business, we committed to innovating in all facets of the dealership, including retail, service and overall customer satisfaction. Before technology became the driver of innovation, Ricart Automotive implemented many physical innovations into our dealership.

For example, we’ve had a mobile service offering for quite some time, way before mobile service was familiar to many customers. Similarly, our dealerships have had welcome centers for customers since the 1980s and our employees, including senior leadership, have shared office space – before many other businesses adopted these ideas.

Dealer Magazine: Together with your brother, Fred, you took over the business from your father. Are you planning on turning it over to the next generation when the time comes? If so, how are you preparing them for the handoff?

I am excited that our children are interested in leading the next generation of our company. These days, I spend my time more focused on teaching and mentoring them than I do running the day-to-day of the business. One value I’ve worked to nurture in each of our kids is approachability. We’re all very approachable – not only by our employees, but also by our customers. This is something that my father showed my brother and I and we want to pass down.

Dealer Magazine: As technology improves, what will be the impact on dealerships of electric and self-driving vehicles?

Dealers are in business to sell consumers whatever vehicle they want. We don’t care if what a consumer wants is a traditional ICE powertrain or a battery electric vehicle, or if it has a particular design; we want to provide customers what they want.

The beauty of the push for autonomous vehicles is that the billions of dollars spent on R&D has provided a plethora of safety products, which are integrated into cars and trucks of today without the need for full autonomy. For dealers, we have the opportunity to sell our customers vehicles with increased safety features.

And even if we get to a point of a vehicle for retail sale that doesn’t require a driver, that vehicle will be incurring mileage and, as such, will require regular maintenance and repairs. Given the increasing complexity of vehicles, including autonomous vehicles, dealers are uniquely positioned to offer this service with their service technicians trained directly by the OEMs.

Photos courtesy of the NADA.

Dealer Magazine: Our industry is seeing more and more women serving as dealer principals. Does NADA have a plan or program for attracting more women to dealership roles?

The number of women working in automotive retail has been about 20 percent of overall dealership employment for several years, and NADA is committed to attracting more women to the industry. Last year, NADA launched an initiative, Women Driving Auto Retail, to attract more women to careers in dealerships. You’ll hear much more about Women Driving Auto Retail at the 2020 NADA Show in Las Vegas and upcoming events throughout the year.

At the dealership level, I see dealers committed to attracting more women by creating an environment that fosters diversity. There are so many different career paths that women can take in the auto retail space and as dealers, we are working to share the opportunities.

Dealer Magazine: In an age where brand loyalty seems to be fading fast, how can dealers find, create and retain loyal customers?

Transparency and a commitment to taking care of your customers are paramount to attracting and retaining customers, which many underestimate in both cost and time. Dealers are in business to give customers what they want and need. And to do this, we have to understand our customers and their preferences – not only on the sales side, but also on the service side.

Dealer Magazine: Why do consumers love Ricart?

Customers love Ricart Automotive because we have great people and a spectacular culture. We’ve been honored by Columbus CEO Magazine as one of the area’s best workplaces for seven consecutive years. We’ve placed in the top four of the Large Employee category all seven years and were awarded the No. 1 large employer in 2016 and 2019. The culture we’ve developed is directly related to our high customer satisfaction. With the help of Ford Motor Company’s CEM (Consumer Experience Movement) program, our training has accelerated our company’s customer oriented culture to new heights. Our culture is focused on compassion towards peers and colleagues, which translates into compassion and understanding in serving our customers inside our long-term sustainable business model.

Dealer Magazine: Dealers are among the most consistent and generous community supporters. Why is it important for dealers to invest so heavily in their communities and is it worth it?

I think every dealer in the United States is a community leader – whether that be a leader in their church, a leader in their city, a leader in their schools, or a leader among a philanthropic cause. America is the greatest place to live in the world, but America does have holes in its clothing that need to be patched. The best way to repair these holes and solve problems in our communities is for the private sector and private citizens, such as dealers, to fill the gaps with not only our financial resources, but also with our intellectual resources and time.

Dealer Magazine: What do you look for when hiring new talent for your stores?

For me, I want to always employ people with a passion for learning, who want to learn the business and hone their skills to grow professionally.

I always ask that new employees stay at least three years. And after that time, if they decide that the auto retail industry isn’t for them, I understand. I want people working at Ricart who find the industry rewarding and see it as a career path and not just a job.

Dealer Magazine: What’s ahead for automotive retail in the next five years?

I think the auto retail industry has a spectacular five years ahead. Dealers have been working to keep pace with the digital age. Through continued education and exposure, dealers will become more sophisticated with their digital operations.

Additionally, I see that the traditional auto retail business model, a sales-orientated business model, will evolve with service and fixed operations serving at the foundation of a dealership’s business. I see many dealers building their fixed operations particularly in light of more complex and sophisticated automobiles entering the market, which will require specialized service.

Dealer Magazine: After so much experience, what do you still enjoy most about being a car dealer?

Back in the 1980s, the automotive retail industry was somewhat archaic, and what excited me at the time was finding better, more efficient, more customer-friendly ways of operating our business. In the 1990s, I was excited by the acquisition of other businesses, which made our business complex and interesting to manage and grow. And then in the 2000s, I felt I hit my stride and really knew how to run auto dealerships, but I had to start thinking about the next generation.

What excites me today is that I get to be a teacher. I went from being a tactician to a teacher and mentor – not only the next generation of Ricarts in the business, but also to the next generation of employees and next generation of new automobile dealer.