To celebrate 25 years of the International Car Rental Show, the closing keynote address at the 2020 International Car Rental Show will bring eight car rental operators to the stage who shaped the business as we know it today. 

In “Car Rental: Then, Now, and the Future,” a panel of industry experts will draw on their decades of achieved wisdom to impart their keys to survival in this business, the biggest challenges facing the industry moving forward, and how they think the industry will evolve into the new decade.

“Disruptors, icons, entrepreneurs, builders of businesses, employers of many, and fierce competitors all — these operators will candidly share their successes and mistakes and pivotal moments in their businesses and the industry in general,” said Chris Brown, executive editor of Auto Rental News and conference chair.  

“This this seminar will be lively — but it won’t be just anecdotes,” continued Brown. “The panelists will  give attendees the big-picture perspective on where the industry has been to show where it is going.”

The panel consists of:

• Sharon Faulkner: Presently the executive director of the American Car Rental Association (ACRA), Faulkner was a longtime Dollar and Thrifty franchise owner in Albany, NY, worked for and opened a number of Budget Rent A Car locations in the Northeast, served as the president of the New York Vehicle Rental Association, and testified to U.S. Congress for the repeal of vicarious liability. 

• William (Bill) Plamondon: President of ACRA, Plamondon draws on over 40 years in the car rental industry as president and CEO of Budget Rent a Car, president and CEO and ANC Rental Corp., the parent company of Alamo Rent A Car and National Car Rental, and president of Advantage Rent A Car. 

• Sandy Miller: Miller is the CEO of Carey International and sits on the supervisory board of Europcar Mobility Group. Starting in the car rental industry in 1979, Miller went on to become a franchisee of Budget Rent a Car, then served as president and CEO of Team Rental Group, president, CEO, and chairman of Budget Group, and co-chairman and co-CEO of Franchise Services of North America. 

• Doris Cassan: Cassan opened the first Dollar Rent A Car franchise outside of California in 1968, with locations today at the Portland and Seattle international airports. Cassan served on the original ACTIF (Association for Car and Truck Rental Independents and Franchises) board and was the first female to serve as the Car & Truck Renting and Leasing Association (CATRALA) president at a state level.

• Mike DeLorenzo: From a car rental career that started in 1969, DeLorenzo today president of NP Auto Group, owner of the Nextcar, Priceless, and Rent-A-Wreck brands. A former Budget franchisee and present ACRA board member, DeLorenzo has been active in legislative efforts for car rental both nationally and in Maryland. 

• Joe Knight: Entering the car rental business in 1970, Knight has held operations, fleet and administrative positions with Ford Daily Rent A Car System, Budget Rent A Car, Thrifty Rent A Car, and USA Rent A Car. Since 2000, Knight has served as executive vice president of business development for Fox Rent A Car as well as an ACRA board member since the association was reborn in 2006. 

• Robert Klyce: Klyce, whose family started in car rental in 1918 in Birmingham, Ala, recently sold his Avis franchise. Klyce was a longtime ACRA board member and a member of the Avis Licensee Association for 35 years.

• Roger Gelder: Gelder is president of the largest car rental licensee in the United States, with more than 60 Budget and Avis locations. Beginning his career in 1968 with Hertz, Gelder served in managerial positions for Budget Rent A Car Corporation before becoming a franchisee. Gelder is a past president of ACRA and was on Budget’s national advisory board for 25 years. 

The panel will be moderated by Sherb Brown, president of Bobit Business Media. Brown was instrumental in creating the event, then called the Auto Rental News Show. 

The 2020 International Car Rental Show convenes March 22-24 at Caesars Las Vegas.