Dealer Bob Rohrman built a Midwestern retail empire

Bob Rohrman became a car dealer when he opened a used-vehicle lot in Lafayette, Ind., in 1963. But a magazine ad he saw several years later put him on a path to megadealer.

Rohrman, who died Tuesday, Sept. 1, of natural causes at age 87, would go on to grow his namesake Bob Rohrman Auto Group into a multifranchise operation running 25 dealerships in Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin.

Rohrman was named one of Automotive News' 50 visionary dealers in 2009. He started selling cars in the 1950s after serving in the military following high school. He was born April 18, 1933, in a log cabin in Lafayette and was the ninth of 11 children. Rohrman told Automotive News in 2010 that he became a Toyota dealer after seeing an ad featuring a yellow Corona.

"I'd been looking for a new-car franchise and heard they were selling well in California," he said. "So I called the 800 number in the ad, and a month later I was selling Toyotas."

Today, Bob Rohrman Auto Group ranks No. 46 on Automotive News' list of the top 150 dealership groups in the U.S. The group sold 19,455 new vehicles and 18,619 used vehicles in 2019, with revenue of $1.2 billion.

In 2010, Rohrman described his growth strategy as he added stores coming out of the Great Recession. He said acquisition opportunities existed for dealers who were able to finance a deal. His group was the only one in the top 20 of Automotive News' 2010 annual ranking — it was then No. 15 — to increase new-vehicle sales and revenue in 2009.

Rohrman was known for his TV commercials, which often featured him in costume and included an image of a lion with his tag line, "Bob ROOOHHHRRR-man."

"I have people tell me in the stores, I just had to come in here because of the advertising," he told Automotive News TV in 2012. "And they say, 'You're crazy, but I love it.' "

Rohrman's philanthropic efforts included donations for a tennis complex at Lafayette Central Catholic High School, a performing arts center at Lafayette Jefferson High School and Rohrman Field at Purdue University's Ross-Ade Stadium.

Rohrman is survived by five children, 16 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren. Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date.

Rohrman, his family said in a statement, will be remembered most "for his unending love and loyalty, generous heart for philanthropy, feisty spirit, contagious laugh and love for Purdue football."