fort lauderdale — Local auto dealer Rick Case has been posthumously inducted into the Florida Automobile Dealers Association.
Case was 77 when he died in 2020 after losing a battle with cancer, officials said. However, his philanthropy continues through the work of several groups in South Florida.
The FADA Hall of Fame induction was made to honor and recognize Case’s accomplishments.
Mr. Case grew the car dealership and turned it into a powerhouse in 1996 with his idea to roll out a 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty on Hyundai vehicles.
This concept became a standard warranty for many manufacturers and revolutionized the industry’s approach to customer satisfaction and product reliability.
Mr. Case’s entrepreneurial acumen and visionary leadership have transformed Rick Case Automotive Group into a juggernaut, with annual sales approaching $2 billion and 1,300 employees, according to the company. He says he has hired dedicated employees.
Rick Case and his wife Rita expanded their automotive empire to include 14 dealerships in South Florida and Atlanta.
In addition to being recognized as a National All-Star Dealer by Automotive News, Rick Case Automotive Group dealers are known for holding national sales records and consistently rank among the top in the markets they serve. It has been.
In 1982, Rick and Rita started Rick Case Bikes for Kids and distributed over 125,000 new, gently used bicycles to children in need during vacations in South Florida and Atlanta.
Rick also helped establish 12 Boys & Girls Clubs in Broward County, serving 12,000 members.
He partnered with the South Florida Automobile Dealers Association in 1991 to launch the Fort Lauderdale International Auto Show, which helped raise more than $5 million for the Boys & Girls Club. He also founded and directed the Boca Raton Concours d’Elegance, a worldwide competition. He has raised more than $10 million for Boys & Girls Clubs in the largest competition run by a charity organization.
Rick believed in reaching out to children and families who needed help the most. That’s evident at Broward County’s Rick Case Habitat Community Habitat for Humanity in Pompano Beach, which when completed will provide 76 homes and become the largest affordable homeownership project in county history. Become a community.
The Case family continues Rick’s philanthropy. In 2023, the family established the Rita and Rick Case Family Fund at the Community Foundation of Broward to ensure support for initiatives that have a significant impact on children, families, education and health care.