LATHROP – Four years after it opened for business, the Lathrop USA Motors finally made a big splash in the local newspapers.
Not by design. It took a community philanthropic project to convince business owners Steve and Rhonda Ramsey to claim their own 15-minutes of fame: donating a 2000 Plymouth Neon to raise funds for the second annual Lathrop Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society.
When it came time to draw the winner of the car, they turned the celebration into a Customer Appreciation event. To many in the community, this was their first time to hear of the used-car business owners. Active community volunteer and Lathrop Rotarian Cheryl Airrington said the Ramseys are the type of business owners who don’t go out of their way to attract attention for themselves or for any philanthropic project that they do. The fund-raising for the Relay for Life was just one of the many they have done, and not just in Lathrop but also in Lodi where the couple live, and in Tracy where many of their family members reside. The Ramseys said they chose the American Cancer Society as the beneficiary of their donation because, as Rhonda Ramsey explained it, “cancer has affected both sides of our family.”
Steve Dresser of the Lathrop Morning Rotary and Lathrop Relay for Life said the money raised from the car drawing was used as seed money for the two-day American Cancer Society fund-raising event held at Lathrop High School in August.
The Ramseys had another reason for agreeing to step into the limelight in 2010 after enjoying successful anonymity for four years.
“We wanted to give back to the community that has helped us during our first four years especially during this difficult economy. The community has been good to us. When a community is good to you, you have to give back; that’s really true,” said Rhonda.
When the Ramseys expressed a desire to open up their business, Lathrop officials were happy not only because the project would be the city’s first car dealership. But more importantly, the Ramseys’ choice of location for their business would put to good use an area that was perceived to be a “hard sell.” The location is a small triangular one-acre piece of real estate on the east side of Interstate 5’s northbound onramp. The Ramseys, though, liked the location because of its freeway high-visibility.
The availability of that location ended the Ramseys’ long search for a property that fitted their business plans. The couple, who have two grown children, said they have been looking for a site for about three to four years when they found the location in Lathrop.
The business of selling cars is nothing new to both husband and wife. Rhonda grew up in the business, with her father in the car business for four decades. Steve, for his part, has been in the automobile business for two decades as manager, salesman and other aspects of the business. USA Motors in Lathrop was their first foray into owning a car dealership.
Steve Ramsey is also no stranger to the Manteca and Lathrop areas. He grew up in both communities and graduated from East Union High School in 1978.
