Rick Christopher Joins US Equity Advantage as Regional Account Manager for the Southeast
Orlando, Fla. – US Equity Advantage (USEA), a provider of biweekly and custom loan payment services to the automotive industry, hired veteran automotive retail expert Rick Christopher as regional account manager for the Southeast. Christopher’s primary responsibility will be to develop and grow USEA’s business with new and existing automotive dealership accounts and automotive agencies in the Southeast. He will report directly to chief marketing officer, William Lathrop.
Christopher brings to USEA more than twenty years of retail automotive experience. He has a true understanding of automotive dealerships having worked as a finance manager for 13 years, as a sales manager for three years and ultimately as a dealer owner for six years. Christopher also has a deep understanding of the agency side of the business as he spent over a decade providing F&I products to dealerships, specializing in training and development through menu presentation and objection handling, along with compliance. As an agent, he partnered with major dealer groups in Northeast Ohio and Northwest Pennsylvania, where he helped to improve their per vehicle retail average (PVR) and product index by as much as 100 percent.
“Rick is an accomplished professional with a strong background and has significant experience in automotive retail and finance,” said Lathrop. “His commitment and passion for the business fuels his desire to help our partners reach their full potential. Our partners and dealerships in the Southeast will benefit greatly from his experience and I look forward to the resulting future expansion.”
Commenting on his new position Christopher stated, “I am excited to join this dynamic company. Biweekly and custom loan payment services are growing fast in the automotive industry and it is an area with huge opportunity for our company, partners, and auto dealer clients. I also am thrilled to be in a position where I can put my skill set to the best use to help drive new revenues by training, challenging and motivating dealership finance managers.”
More Industry

Pennsylvania Dealership Under New Retailers
The sale of the Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram store puts a family auto group on a leaner path as first-time dealers take the helm.
Read More →
Battery Storage Takes Priority Over EVs
U.S. automakers are prioritizing battery energy stationary storage over electric-vehicle production as the consumer demand for EVs lags the rest of the world.
Read More →
Auto Dealers Feel Better But Not Great
A second-quarter Cox Automotive poll of franchised retailers and independents found better views of the current market after a good spring but anticipation of third-quarter storminess.
Read More →
New-Vehicle Sales Picture Relative
A May forecast is complicated by last spring’s trade tariff effects on auto retail. Despite continued hard realities, many consumers took advantage of ways to bite the bullet.
Read More →
Auto Group Acquires Third Nissan Rooftop
Iowa-based Coleman Automotive Group recently acquired its seventh dealership, McGrath Nissan, which it renamed Nissan of Elgin.
Read More →
April Less Affordable
Based on prices, reduced incentives and slower household income growth, consumers found it more challenging to buy new last month, Cox Automotive reported.
Read More →
Building an Extraordinary F&I Agency
Work to determine your specialized talent, because that fact will determine everything about your agency’s future.
Read More →
Recipe for Compliance
The secret to both amazing barbecue and compliance is the same: understanding the basics and committing to a process.
Read More →
EVs Getting More Attractive
A growing percentage of U.S. consumers are open to switching and fewer are adverse to the idea, according to a recently completed survey. That’s despite the end of a tax break.
Read More →
EV Sales Drop in April Following Surge
North American electric-vehicle sales were down 28% year-over-year, a sharp contrast from global EV sales growth of 6%.
Read More →