In Memoriam: Frank Grochal 1935-2021  -

In Memoriam: Frank Grochal 1935-2021

Frank Grochal , retired vice president, remarketing for ARI, passed away on July18, 2021 in Mount Laurel, N.J. He was 85.

Grochal retired from Automotive Resources International (ARI) and Holman Enterprises on March 31, 2005, culminating a successful career that spanned five decades. Grochal started with ARI as a clerk on June 8, 1953, after graduating from high school. Over the years, he worked his way up to his final position as vice president of used-vehicle sales. During Grochal's tenure, spanning six decades, he has seen ARI grow from 3,000 vehicles when he started in 1953, to  460,000 vehicles at the time of his retirement in 2005.

In the early days of interaction between auto auctions and fleet leasing company, Grochal put systems in place to be used by both for ease of doing business on a daily basis and refined them throughout his career.

During his career, Grochal was recognized as an industry leader and was one of the first people in the leasing business to be honored by the National Auto Auction Association (NAAA) in 1983 when he was inducted into its NAAA Hall of Fame for his major contributions to the growth of the company and the industry. In recognition of his 50-year milestone of service to ARI and the auto industry, Grochal was singled out by the NAAA and NAFRD (National Association of Fleet Resale Dealers) organizations and presented with special awards, one of which was the Lifetime Achievement Award from NAFRD. He also received the Humanitarian Award from the Knights of Columbus in 1996.

Grochal was an avid golfer, private pilot, and very active in his church. He is survived by his children, Michael Grochal (Maria) and Debra Marshall; his s siblings, Leon Grochal, Maryann Myers and Dorothy Cilurso. He is also survived by seven grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

About the author
Mike Antich

Mike Antich

Former Editor and Associate Publisher

Mike Antich covered fleet management and remarketing for more than 20 years and was inducted into the Fleet Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Global Fleet of Hal in 2022. He also won the Industry Icon Award, presented jointly by the IARA and NAAA industry associations.

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