Enterprise Acquires Arelco Franchise

As part of its long-term strategy for the Indianapolis market, Enterprise Holdings has announced that it is closing the National Car Sales and Service center at 7111 W. Washington St., effective Sept. 30.

Last month, Enterprise Holdings - North America's most comprehensive service provider in the car rental industry - acquired the car rental, car sales and service center operations of Arelco Inc., a privately-owned car rental franchise headquartered in Indianapolis. The transaction included Arelco's fleet of 4,300 vehicles and 31 Alamo Rent A Car and National Car Rental locations, including 21 airport stations and 10 neighborhood branch offices, across nine states. The agreement also included the Arelco company headquarters, car sales operations and service center facility at 7111 W. Washington Street in Indianapolis. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Enterprise Holdings, through its regional subsidiaries, owns and operates the National Car Rental brand as well as the Alamo Rent A Car and the Enterprise Rent-A-Car brands. Today, there are approximately 50 Alamo, Enterprise and National offices serving Indianapolis car rental customers at the airport and in local neighborhoods. In addition, the Indianapolis Enterprise Car Sales office is located at 7801 Pendleton Pike.

"Arelco has always been a committed industry leader with a great legacy of customer service. And just like Arelco, we are family owned and operated, so we also understand that all business is personal," said Greg Stubblefield, chief strategy officer for Enterprise Holdings. "We look forward to continuing Arelco's strong work ethic and enhancing it with a total transportation mindset, which includes our car rental, car sales, fleet management, car sharing and vanpooling programs."

Rod Smith, former president of Arelco, concurs. "After spending 47 years building a great family business, we are honored that Enterprise Holdings recognizes our contributions," he said. "And we know our car rental locations will continue to strengthen the National and Alamo brands."

David Pilcher, former executive vice president of Arelco, stated, "It was important that our life's work and our operations' history of excellence would be sustained under a new owner. The caliber and reputation of Enterprise Holdings certainly made that decision easier."

Kim Smith, former executive vice president and director for Arelco, has transitioned to the position of airport market manager for Enterprise Holdings, overseeing the Alamo, Enterprise and National brands at the Indianapolis Airport. He stated, "The transition process has been seamless, and there's no doubt our clients appreciate the continued focus on customer service."

Arelco is the twenty-sixth franchise purchased by Enterprise Holdings since acquiring the Alamo and National brands in 2007. The transaction included five locations in Indianapolis, in addition to offices in Anderson, Columbus, Evansville, Kokomo, Muncie and Terre Haute, Ind. Also included were two locations in Little Rock, Ark.; two in Champaign, Ill.; five in Louisiana; plus car rental locations in Flint and Lansing, Mich.; Macon, Ga.; Muskegon, Mich.; Rockford, Ill.; as well as in Longview and Tyler, Texas.

In February 2008, Enterprise Holdings acquired Steward Ventures, Inc., headquartered in Phoenix, and Eatman Leasing, a franchise which operated in Wilmington, Jacksonville, Newbern and Rocky Mount, N.C. "Continuing to bring in strong, established operations like Arelco, Steward and Eatman represents a win-win for Enterprise Holdings and for our customers," Stubblefield said. "It really helps us offer an even more consistent level of service on behalf of all three of our car rental brands and at all of our locations, which is critical to exceeding customer expectations in today's competitive marketplace."