Joseph E. Cappy
Joseph E. Cappy is an American business executive who was the final president and chief executive officer of American Motors Corporation and the first president and CEO of the Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group.
Early life
Cappy was born on May 13, 1934, in Chicago to George Antoinetta Cappy. The family was of Italian descent and changed their surname from Capizzi to Cappy, which his father felt was more "business-like". George Cappy worked in the retail business in Chicago until 1948, when he purchased a small department store in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. Cappy graduated from Wisconsin Dells High School in 1952 and received a degree in marketing and accounting from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1956. He was a member of the UW-Madison Reserve Officers' Training Corps and served six months of active duty at Fort Eustis followed by seven-and-a-half years in the United States Army Reserve.Career
Ford
Cappy joined Ford Motor Company in 1956 as an accountant for the Edsel brand. After the Edsel division folded, he was marketing plans manager of custom cars and light trucks. From 1969 to 1971, Cappy was Ford's Detroit district general field sales manager. He next worked as a special recreational vehicles projects manager and was a recreational products sales manager from 1972 to 1973. Cappy then spent a year on the marketing staff of the sales planning office. From 1974 to 1977, he was Ford's district sales manager in Louisville, Kentucky. He then moved to the marketing department of the Lincoln–Mercury division, where he became general marketing manager in 1980.American Motors Corporation
In 1982, he joined the American Motors Corporation as vice president of marketing. In 1985, he was promoted to executive vice president of operations, which put him in charge of manufacturing and supply. He was elected to the company's board of directors later that same year.On March 23, 1986, Cappy was named president and chief executive officer of American Motors. On March 9, 1987, Chrysler purchased AMC for about $1.5 billion.