Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Patron of good causes
South Florida auto dealer Phil Smith, who gave millions to local institutions, has died at 70.
South Florida auto dealer and philanthropist Phil Smith died Wednesday at age 70 after suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease, also called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Smith owned automobile dealerships in Lighthouse Point, Lauderhill and Tallahassee, as well as in North Carolina. He and his wife, Susan, spent recent years giving away millions of dollars to Holy Cross Hospital, Florida Atlantic University and other local institutions.
Keith Koenig, founder and CEO of City Furniture in Tamarac, said Smith wasn’t just about making money. “He tried to make everything he was involved in better with enthusiasm and spirit,” he said.
“He also was a really good guy. I don’t know anybody who wasn’t a fan of Phil Smith,” Koenig said.
Family and colleagues said that in his business, Smith was attuned to customers and workers alike, knowing how to drive customers into dealerships and create loyal employees,
Two of Smith’s last acts were a $5 million gift, donated in August with his wife, to Florida Atlantic University’s College of Business in Boca Raton, and a $7 million gift in September to Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale to expand its Neuroscience Institute and open a related clinic.
Smith wanted to pass on to his alma mater what he had learned about being an entrepreneur. He believed that treating customers and employees well came first.
Under the Phil Smith Management Co., he led an auto dealership and property management company with 780 employees and $500 million in annual revenue. Smith once owned as many as 17 auto dealerships in Florida and North Carolina. He also owned Coral Ridge Country Club in Fort Lauderdale.
After he was diagnosed with ALS, he was inspired to make the donation to Holy Cross Hospital, which plans to work closely with Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston to expand services in Broward and Palm Beach counties.
In an interview in 2014 after he was named the 2013 Excalibur Business Leader of the Year by the Sun Sentinel Co., Smith described himself as a “rows-and-columns kind of guy” — not flashy.
Born in New Jersey, he moved with his family to South Florida at age 3. Smith attended Chaminade High School in Fort Lauderdale and graduated from FAU, earning a degree in accounting and finance.
While at FAU, he started working at a Ford dealership in Pompano Beach. Owner Pete Menten took a liking to him. Smith sold so many cars that he stayed on the job after graduation.
Later, Menten gave him the chance to buy into a small Toyota store in Homestead. Southeast Toyota Distributors chief Jim Moran needed to approve the purchase, and Smith recalled Moran as a legend and inspiration.
“He really respected Mr. Moran and follows a lot of his philosophies,” said Smith’s wife, Susan, when the couple made the donation — one of the business college’s largest — to FAU.
And just as Moran helped him once, Smith worked with promising employees to help them become part owners in each of his ventures.
Emilio Redondo became operating partner at Phil Smith Chevrolet in Fort Lauderdale after working at a Smith dealership in 1996. Smith helped Redondo finance his stake in a Toyota store in the Atlanta area, and then in two more dealerships.
“His is truly a unique relationship with his dealers, and it’s quite frankly why he’s so successful,” Redondo said of Smith’s coownership model.
Smith served on boards for FAU, as well as the Orange Bowl Committee and other nonprofits mainly in health and education. He also enjoyed playing golf and skiing.
Eric Poms, CEO of the Orange Bowl Committee, said Smith was one of the key leaders in Broward County who expanded the Orange Bowl’s brand to all of South Florida. “He was such a statesman, passionate about everything we did. He was a guy who commanded a lot of respect because he did things for the right reasons,” Poms said.
Local honors also included Nova Southeastern University’s Entrepreneur of the Year, Northwood University’s Outstanding Business Leader, Leadership Broward’s Leader of the Year and Junior Achievement’s Business Leader Award.
Smith and his wife were married for 30 years. Besides his wife, he is survived by his daughter Shawn, son-in-law Charlie Myers, sister Judy McAvoy, and three grandchildren: James, 20; Kaelin, 16; and Cali, 7.
A visitation will take place from 3 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Baird-Case Funeral Home, 4343 Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale. A funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 4595 Bayview Drive, Fort Lauderdale.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be made to the Phil Smith Neuroscience Institute at Holy Cross Hospital.