ST. LOUIS -- The National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers (NAMAD), which represents 550 minority auto dealers nationwide, has signed a national marketing agreement with Enterprise Rent-A-Car. The agreement positions Enterprise as the preferred source for replacement auto rental services for NAMAD members.

Signed in July, the agreement also strengthens the business relationship between Enterprise and NAMAD members. Enterprise will enhance its ongoing program to purchase vehicles from minority dealers while continuing to use their parts and service units. The agreement also enables participating dealerships to acquire used cars from Enterprise.

"NAMAD is committed to building win/win partnerships for its members with companies and organizations that value diversity and can provide high-quality programs," said Sheila Vaden-Williams, president of NAMAD. "By choosing Enterprise as a strategic business partner, we're making sure our member dealerships are taken care of by a car rental company that can consistently meet the needs of individual dealers and a wide variety of manufacturers, while maintaining the highest degree of customer satisfaction."

Jeff Morrell, assistant vice president for Enterprise Rent-A-Car, pointed out that with nearly 5,400 locations and more than 500,000 vehicles in service, Enterprise has the coverage and proximity to serve NAMAD members nationwide.

"Enterprise built its reputation as the company that rents cars to local consumers in need of vehicles while theirs are being serviced or repaired and this includes catering to the loaner needs of dealerships across the country through our local offices," said Morrell.

In addition to offering competitive local rates, Enterprise said it tailors loaner programs to the individual needs of each dealership on a market-by-market basis and provides ongoing follow-up to identify opportunities for continuous improvement.

"Outsourcing not only makes it easier for dealerships to meet their customers' increasing demands for service loaners, it can also reduce the dealers' liability exposure for uninsured losses and out-of-pocket expenses," Morrell said.