“Most people think that alternative transportation and mobility are going to be disruptors toward car dealers,” Rick says. “It’s actually not. We are going to play a critical role because these vehicles are going to move people and things around, whether they’re autonomous or whether they’re owned by a company or an individual. However that works, they still need maintenance, they’re still going to need tires and brakes, and they’re still going to need someone to facilitate and distribute them.”
The format may be different, but the need to give the best experience to your employees and customers is eternal.
“Take care of the people and the people will take care of you,” Rick says. “That’s never going to change. We’re always going to be interacting. Sure, there might be devices in our hands that are making us not have to go to the physical location every time, but if you’re in a business where you get to be face to face with people, or phone to phone with people, take care of your people.”
Takeaways:
- Culture lays the foundation for business success.
- Take care of your people and they’ll take care of you.
- Innovation doesn’t happen by accident.
Still dealin’
Ricart Automotive was founded in 1953 when the late Paul F. Ricart bought a small Ford dealership in Canal Winchester and then expanded to Route 33 at Bowen Road. In the 1960s, he opened his third location at Route 33 and Hamilton Road, site of today’s Ricart Mega Mall.
Paul’s sons, Fred Ricart and Rhett Ricart, grew Ricart Ford into a mega dealership. The guitar-strumming Fred — through thousands of TV commercials produced at his Ricart studio — became one of the most recognized faces in Central Ohio, while Rhett took care of daily operations behind the scenes.
As the third generation moves up within the company, Fred’s son, Rick, and Rhett’s son, Jared, became presidents in 2018. Their day-to-day responsibilities have increased as Rhett serves a term as vice chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association.
Today, 11 members of the Ricart family work for the company, which owns the following brands:
■ Ford dealership
■ Genesis
■ Hyundai
■ Kia
■ Nissan
■ Mazda
■ Mitsubishi Motors
■ Used Car Factory
■ Ricart To Business Fleet Division
■ A.D. Farrow Co.
■ Rabid Customs
■ The Credit Factory
The file:
Name: Rick Ricart
Title: President
Company: Ricart Automotive
What was your first job? I borrowed a truck from the maintenance department. I would go to Ohio Mulch, fill the bed, and knock on doors and sell mulch. After a couple of months, my dad goes, ‘Wait, where’d you get that truck?’ He made me take it back. I was running a lean operation with zero expenses. I even used the gas at the dealership.
Where is someone likely to find you on the weekend? Jared and I both have three kids under 5 years old, so we’re pretty busy with the home life. That’s what I enjoy about riding motorcycles, you can get a lot of spiritual cleansing.
But honestly, when I think of Saturdays, I also think of Buckeye football games.
Do you have rules about talking business at family functions? Nope. It’s a free-for-all 24/7. We could put those rules in place, but we have lots of siblings with opinions.
We try to communicate as much as we can. That’s the most important thing. There’s nothing that will disrupt your day more than a family member that doesn’t feel like they were included in the communication.
Is there anything about you that people might find surprising? Deep down, I’m a nerd. I love to read. I love to listen to podcasts. I seek knowledge.
I’m excited about these new brands we’re doing because I get to learn business-to-business marketing. I’ve never been a student of that before, but I will buy books and put myself in my own classroom.
Name: Jared Ricart
Title: President
Company: Ricart Automotive
What was your first job? I was 14 years old, going into my freshman year of high school. I thought I was going to be laying by the pool, hanging out with my friends, but my dad had other ideas. I washed cars at the dealership. I think I got paid, but I’m not sure.
Then I worked maintenance painting all the light poles at the dealership. I was a laborer. I won’t bore you with a list of jobs that I’ve done.
Where is someone likely to find you on the weekend? You can find me chasing my three kids around my backyard or riding motorcycles. Our family is very into motorsports and anything with an engine, whether it’s electric or internal combustion.
Do you have rules about talking business at family functions? There are zero boundaries because inevitably the business will be brought up, but it’s usually in a positive way. We normally talk innovation and ways we can do things better. It’s hardly ever a negative connotation. That’s the one good thing about our family; we try to accentuate the positives and minimize the negatives.
Is there anything about you that people might find surprising? I am officially a black belt in Krav Maga, which is Israeli hand-to-hand combat, and I was an instructor for civilians, police and military for the better part of three years.
