Retail/Wholesale: ELIZABETH ‘LIZA’ MYERS BORCHES

Borches is named after her great-aunt, New York businesswoman Elizabeth Myers, who was the sister of Borches’ great-grandfather, H. Carter Myers.

H. Carter Myers co-founded Petersburg Motor Co. Inc. in 1924. During the Depression, he desperately needed cash to keep the business open, so Elizabeth Myers invested in his business. By 1937, she owned 75% of PMC and is credited as an integral contributor to its success.

After acquiring numerous dealerships statewide, PMC changed its name to Carter Myers Automotive in 1997, the year Borches graduated from the University of Virginia. She started out as a regional sales manager at American Honda before joining the family business as president of CMA’s Volvo Cars of Charlottesville. In 2011, CMA’s board tapped Borches as company president. She was named CEO a year later.

CMA, which has 20 dealerships and about 1,000 workers, has more than doubled in size under Borches. The fourth largest auto dealership in Virginia, it was also the second fastest growing dealership in the nation last year, moving up 29 spots to No. 88 on Automotive News’ 2021 list of the top 150 dealerships ranked by unit sales of new vehicles.