Dick's Story

I firmly believe that opportunity knocks when you least expect it. I was 40 years old and at a crossroads in my career. My then-employer decided to eliminate its car sales operation, leaving me without a department to run. I was offered a position in another department, but I knew that meant starting over from the bottom in an area where I had no expertise.

I intended to take that position and leave behind my 22 years of car sales experience when I met Enterprise's general manager of the Philadelphia Group. At the time, Enterprise's Car Sales division had just opened in the area, and management was talking about leasing the car sales location my former company had just closed.

During those discussions, I asked if Enterprise had any interest in hiring any of my car sales employees, who would soon face layoffs. That's when I learned about Enterprise's commitment to promoting from within, meaning they couldn't take on my employees. So you can imagine my shock two weeks later when they asked if I'd be interested in joining the company as a Car Sales Marketing Manager.

The transition was a bit nerve-wracking, but I couldn't have been happier to stay in the automotive industry. When I joined Enterprise in 1991, the Philadelphia Group had only one Car Sales location - and the location doubled as a rental branch. Now, with nearly 18 years of Enterprise experience under my belt, I'm the Vice President of Car Sales in Philadelphia. We have eight stand-alone branch locations in the tri-state area (Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania) and sell about 3,500 vehicles a year.

A lot of what I've learned through the years came from my management team. The general manager who hired me was a principle-oriented guy. He taught me that having an interest in the business meant nothing if you didn't have an equivalent interest in the people who ran it. When he retired about six years ago, his successor, Bobby Keyes, picked up right where he left off.

Everyone who joins Car Sales in Philly hears the same piece of advice that I received: This is an entrepreneurial position and you will have ups and downs. The important part is to stay focused on the up that lies on the other side of the down. There you'll find the opportunities.

When I'm not at work, I enjoy spending time with my wife, Joyce, and our two children - Richard, 30, and Robin, 22. I dabble in the garden and I love to play golf. On the weekends you can often find me on the course playing a round with co-workers. I believe that if you enjoy what you do and the people you work with, they can become a big part of your professional and personal lives.

At the end of the day, people are our business. Thanks to Enterprise, I got the opportunity to witness that firsthand. I know my life would be so different had I not changed jobs mid-career. It's nice to know that age is just a number if you have the experience to back it.