When the American Car Rental Association’s board of directors lines up on stage to give you their full attention, it’s guaranteed to be for a major achievement.

On April 15, the Auto Rental News Annual Impact Award took on added merit and prestige in recognizing the lifetime professional accomplishments of Sharon Faulkner, the former executive director of ACRA. She recently stepped down from the post after 14 years and plans to stay on as membership director.

Faulkner accepted the award — which recognizes rental car professionals who deeply influence and improve the wider industry through their commitment, hard work, and results — during a general session following the keynote at the International Car Rental Show in Las Vegas. She was flanked by the ACRA board, ACRA president Sharky Laguana, new ACRA executive director Don LeFeve, and ARN associate publisher Chris Brown.

This was her second time receiving the award; she won it in 2008 when it was called the Russell Bruno Award.

In her remarks, Faulkner shared a common industry experience: No young person really sets out to work in the car rental industry; it tends to find you.

“Think about it. Did any of us really choose car rental? How it fell into my lap 50 years ago was my mother told me that I have to get a summer job. I had just quit working for Macy's as a salesgirl and was going on to college. I said I thought I'd take the summer off. And she said, ‘No, not really.’ And so, she circled jobs in the newspaper because that's how you used to find a job. She circled a car rental company.”

Faulkner added, “I went there hoping I wouldn’t get the job, but sitting down to apply, I filled out the application as fast as I possibly could. I got a phone call the next day that they wanted to hire me because my handwriting was very neat, and I filled out the application faster than anyone else. Fifty years ago, you didn't have computers; everything was handwritten. And so that's how I got into car rental.”

Two years later, she was assigned to train her new boss, a “gentleman” who was hired earning more money than Faulkner. “Fifty years ago, women were very seldom bosses, and they were paying him more money. I thought, “You’ve got to be kidding me. I've been here. I thought two years was a long time.” Her time with the trainee never ended: She married Bob Faulkner, they had three sons, and they took a journey together through the car rental industry.

“Never did I think that I would be owning multiple car rental companies and franchises with names that you newer people in the industry wouldn’t even recognize: Airways Rent A Car, Ajax Rent A Car, Dollar, and Thrifty. I even worked with corporate Budget for four years.”

A Legacy in Rental Car Advocacy and Politics

But her political advocacy and involvement in the car rental industry propelled her to industry leadership and lasting accomplishments.

Faulkner's ever-increasing role shaped New York state auto rental- and leasing-related legislation. Serving as the New York Vehicle Rental Association president for 10 years, she fought to resolve New York's CDW issue. She then turned her attention to vicarious liability reform in New York and on a federal level.

That led to her most lasting and sweeping industry accomplishment, which saved car rental operations.

“The Graves Amendment eradicated the doctrine of vicarious liability across the country,” said ARN associate publisher Chris Brown, in recognizing Faulkner at the ceremony. “There were a group of folks who were instrumental in getting the Graves Amendment passed. And Sharon was one of them.”

The federal Graves Amendment, named after Re. Sam Graves, a Missouri Congressman who sponsored it as part of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 2005. 

Before the Graves Amendment, car rental companies could be held vicariously liable for accidents caused by renters, even if the company had done nothing wrong,” Brown said. “It was really bad in the state of New York, and it had an immense detrimental effect on car rental and leasing businesses in the state. Graves changed all that — and Sharon was one of its champions.”

In 2010, Faulkner sold her upstate New York Dollar and Thrifty franchises to Dustin Valenti, owner of Execu-Ride Inc., a Dollar Thrifty franchisee with multiple locations in New Jersey, so she could become ACRA’s executive director in October that year. ACRA grew in membership and influence during her tenure, launching its annual legislative and lobbying conference in Washington, D.C., in 2014.

While Faulkner urged attendees to join ACRA and advance its voice on behalf of car rental operators with politicians and regulators, she underscored the meaning of industry bonds.

“I'm even more proud of the relationships I formed and the friendships I have made. I believe a person's value is judged by the number of people’s lives that have been touched and made better. I believe that the two most valuable attributes you can carry through life are first, the love of your family, and second, your reputation as a kind and caring individual. So my thanks for the honor, and my advice to all of you today is, first, be kind, second, be kind, and always be kind and share that with everyone you meet.”