I first met Jack Fitzgerald, Jr. – founder of Fitzgerald Auto Malls and a transformative figure in the dealership world – at a National Automobile Dealers Assn. Show in the late 1990s.
He was giving a presentation during which he cited at length a WardsAuto article on best business practices.
I immediately liked the guy.
It wasn’t just because of the plug he gave WardsAuto. It was because he was so intelligent yet down-to-earth and approachable. It was my honor to know him over the ensuing years.
I last talked with him for a Q&A interview I did last month for WardsAuto.
Jack Fitzgerald, a proud Washington, D.C., native, died April 8 at the age of 89.
When we spoke that last time, he said, “I'm not anything special.”
But those of us who knew him, including my colleague, WardsAuto Principal Analyst Nancy Dunham, know he was.
He was esteemed not just for building one of the most respected dealership networks in the country but for redefining what it meant to be a consumer advocate in the auto business.
With an ability to connect with people, he quickly found his calling in the automotive world.
His customer-first philosophy was grounded in transparency, honesty and respect. It became the hallmark of Fitzgerald Auto Malls.
This year, he launched the company’s Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). He said then, “I want to ensure that our employees keep their jobs long after I’m gone.”
Fitzgerald Auto Malls includes 12 stories in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Florida, employing over 1,800 people.
The industry has lost an icon, Rob Smith tells me.
Smith joined the Fitzgerald organization as a teenager. He is now its president. “To me, I lost my mentor and friend,” he says.
My colleague got to know Fitzgerald about the same time I did when she worked at Washington, D.C., area newspapers, U.S. News & World Report and NADA.
“Each job I had required me to explore and analyze different aspects of the automotive industry,” Dunham says. “Jack was my go-to source for any and all topics. He was not just knowledgeable but patient and cordial. To say he was one of my finest mentors is no understatement. I owe him a huge debt of gratitude.”
More information is available in his obituary.
