A Giant Leaves the Stage

Rick Caro’s influence will live on in the generations he inspired.

Rick Caro was a presence in the industry who seemed like a permanent fixture, a kind of limitless resource that would always be available for advice, contacts, or—depending on one’s individual performance—a pep talk that was a mix of tough love and paternal concern.

My “tough love” pep talk from Caro came shortly after I was hired as editor of this magazine. I had already published a couple of issues when he called me and delivered a history of the HFA’s flagship publication, along with content suggestions, pointed critiques, and a promise to help me in the future.

Caro ended the conversation, saying: “I’m telling you this because I care.”

He did care—deeply. In time, I learned just how much he cared, not just about the industry but the people in it.

As part of our tribute to Caro, HFB contacted a number of his colleagues who shared their memories of him with candor and affection. Whatever role he played in their lives—mentor, advisor, investment partner—Caro would share his thoughts freely and ask for nothing more than your attention.

Caro was a driving force in connecting the financial community to the fitness industry at a time when gyms weren’t considered reliable investments. Jim Schmaltz

I can’t tell you how many times he helped provide sources or served as an on-the-record expert for HFB. Even in this issue, he took the time to help us with a piece on preparing for an economic downturn.

Caro was a trusted authority on all topics financial. For 29 years, he organized and hosted a panel of banking and investment experts at The HFA Show. That event was always one of the highlights of the annual convention. If you were serious about the business, you didn’t miss it.

Caro was a driving force in connecting the financial community to the fitness industry at a time when gyms weren’t considered reliable investments. It was one of the reasons he helped create the trade organization that later become known as the Health & Fitness Association. Without Caro, the industry may have been wandering in the wilderness of the underleveraged and underfinanced for years.

Caro’s greatest investment in the industry wasn’t financial, it was personal. Just read the tributes to him in this issue. I regret that we couldn’t include more of the people he advised and mentored. If anyone reading this would like to share comments with us, we’ll add them to our splashy new interactive online platform at healthandfitnessbusiness.org.

There’s an old African proverb that says that every man dies twice. First, his body dies. The second time he dies is when his name is said for the last time on Earth. By that standard, Rick Caro will live for a very long time.

Health & Fitness Business is a publication of

Health & Fitness Business (HFB) is the leading Health & Fitness industry publication. Published monthly by the Health & Fitness Association (HFA) and distributed free to the industry, HFB offers analysis of the opportunities, challenges, issues and news that impact the industry.

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