On April 12, W. Marvin Rush became the 24th TADA member to be inducted into the TADA Hall of Legends. He was honored posthumously at the TADA Annual Conference held at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa.
Out of the thousands of dealers who have served Texas over TADA’s 110-year history, only a handful have received the honor of being named to the Hall of Legends. The distinction is reserved for the best of the best in the industry, and Marvin Rush’s generational legacy as a commercial truck dealer certainly earned him the honor.
Marvin Rush (1938-2018) was the ambitious son of a bus company owner. Following his father into the transportation industry, Marvin opened a GMC truck dealership in Houston in 1965, envisioning it as the beginning of a dealership network that would offer truck sales, leasing and service at locations across the southern United States. The company acquired its first Peterbilt franchise in 1967, and not long after, Marvin expanded the company’s offerings by founding a truck leasing company and establishing a finance and insurance division, offering one-stop sales and service.
Rush Enterprises continued to expand, and in 1994, it began an intense period of growth that would last over 25 years. The 1996 Rush IPO marked the first time a commercial truck dealer had gone public, and subsequent expansion led to the establishment of Peterbilt dealerships in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
From 2003 to 2005, medium-duty truck franchises representing Hino, Isuzu and UD expanded their offerings. In 2008, Rush acquired its first international dealerships, with nearly 80 to follow in the ensuing years. Today, Rush Enterprises remains the largest international truck dealer in the country. In 2006, Marvin’s son, Rusty Rush, was named president and CEO of Rush Enterprises, positions Rusty still holds today.
Marvin Rush’s family, friends and business associates were well represented at the Legends Dinner held in his honor during our recent Annual Conference. Congratulations to them for this well-deserved honor.
