Enterprising People: Management Trainee Emily E.

When most Enterprise Holdings employees consider going “beyond the reservation,” it likely means stepping up to ensure complete satisfaction with a rental. For Management Trainee Emily E., the phrase has an entirely different dimension.

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As a member of the Navajo tribe, Emily has literally gone beyond the reservation lands of her native Navajo Nation to explore cultures and build friendships half a world away. Before joining Enterprise, she served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Chengdu — a city of 14 million in the Sichuan province of China.

Culture shock

Having grown up in the small Navajo community of Manuelito and Chichiltah, even the city of Gallup — where Emily now works and which boasts a population of slightly more than 21,000 — is much more populated. It stands to reason that going to Chengdu in 2009 took a bit of adjustment on her part. “There are a lot of people in China,” she says. “Even the villages have a million people.”

Though she’d initially had some different destinations in mind for her Peace Corps assignment, before long Emily found herself really enjoying her post as an English instructor at Southwest University for Nationalities. “China created this university to educate minorities in that country,” Emily says. “They thought it would be a good fit for me since I’m an ethnic minority myself.”

She found the classroom work satisfying and the friendships more so. Sichuan cuisine, famous for its fiery spices, often played a role in those budding relationships. “The natives like to have fun with visitors, giving you the hot part to sample,” she smiles.

By 2013, she found herself ready to go back home. “I’m Navajo,” Emily says. “I love my community and I wanted to be near my family.”

The decision to leave China shocked her friends in Chengdu. “They told me, ‘You’re already home — you’re Sichuan Navajo now,’” she says. “It made me proud of the friendships we’d built.”

Coming home

Since her return to New Mexico, Emily’s had a chance to reflect on her experience in China and apply its lessons to the work she does every day. “There’s a lot of experimenting with the capitalist economy in China … some good, some not so good,” she says. “It made me appreciate honest business practices, and the importance of helping your customers.”

Enterprise Holdings’ focus on integrity was one of the things that drew Emily to the company. She also discovered that her appreciation for cultural differences comes in handy around the branch.

Gallup welcomes more than its fair share of world travelers thanks to tourists visiting canyon country. “Because of my Peace Corps experience, I understand the shortcomings travelers face with transportation,” Emily says. “That gives me a chance to recognize a traveler’s frustrations and ask what we can do to help.”

It’s an approach that has served her well over the past five years. In fact, it led Emily to be named one of six recipients of the Franklin H. Williams Award for 2014 — presented to Peace Corps volunteers from ethnically diverse backgrounds who exemplify an ongoing commitment to community service and the Peace Corps goal of promoting a better understanding of other peoples.

While Emily appreciates the recognition, she sometimes finds all the attention about her Peace Corps activities a bit surprising. Whether in Chengdu or Gallup, her goal remains the same: “I try to make the most out of every moment: To help people where I can, to build a good life for myself and to be a good role model in the community.”

Enterprising People: Management Trainee Regan M.

Management Trainee Regan M. (pictured second from right) was the team leader of a student group from the University of Leicester who triumphed over 150 other teams in the 2014 U.K. final of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) Global Business Challenge (GBC). This win secured their spot in the global final in Mumbai, India in August where they finished seventh out of 24 teams from all over the world.

Regan began his career at Enterprise the day after his summer ball in June — before he’d even graduated. “I found out about Enterprise as one of my friends was working in Stapleford alongside her degree,” says Regan. “When I read Enterprise’s founding values and found out that you can progress quickly if you work hard, it sounded right up my street.”

Regan’s involvement in the GBC has helped him in many ways. “It gave me the ability to question everything I do and try to improve it, and Enterprise has given me the autonomy to do just that,” says Regan. 

Because of his group’s success in the competition, they were invited to attend the Chief Financial Officers’ Summit hosted byAccounting for Sustainability (A4S) which involved a meet and greet and a conference on sustainable accounting practices.

“I found my knowledge of Enterprise very useful in networking effectively,” says Regan. “I was able to discuss topics such as theenvironmental benefits of rental cars over grey fleet and our carbon offset fee.”

About halfway through the event, Regan was ushered into a back room with several other specially selected delegates to await HRH Prince Charles.

“It was surreal when he walked into the room,” says Regan. “We politely introduced ourselves to him whilst he was drinking tea from a bone china cup. We spoke about what we did to be invited there, what we were doing with our lives now and about some of the topics discussed that morning. He was as charming and witty as one would expect from someone who does that sort of thing most of the time.”

After talking with the group for nearly ten minutes, Prince Charles politely excused himself to speak with other delegates.

“It was a wonderful experience to win the U.K. GBC title and to represent the U.K. at the global finals this year, but we never dreamt it would lead to us being invited to such a high profile event as CFO Summit with A4S,” says Regan. “To be recognized as finance leaders of the future and to meet the Prince was a true honor.”

Enterprise beautifies roundabouts to mark the brand’s 20th anniversary in the UK

Enterprise marks its 20th anniversary of operating in the United Kingdom this year. To celebrate this milestone, we have committed to a beautification program covering nine roundabouts in Enterprise’s eight operating groups in the U.K.

To support this program, we will partner with British landscape experts and local governments to transform the roundabouts into natural wildflower gardens. Noting that one of Enterprise’s Founding Values is to strengthen our communities, one neighborhood at a time, Senior Vice President and Managing Director of the U.K. and Ireland Mike N. says: “We want to celebrate our 20th year in this market by giving something back to the regions that have welcomed and supported us over so many years.”

Thanks to that support, Enterprise’s U.K. business has skyrocketed from less than two dozen cars at its start to a fleet of more than 60,000 vehicles today.

Roundabouts are vital to the flow of all traffic in the U.K. They eliminate traffic lights and stop signs necessary at traditional junctions where roads cross at right angles. Studies have shown that roundabouts reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. The U.K. has about 25,000 of them.

Enterprise will identify the nine roundabouts for beautification based on recommendations by councilors serving in local governments. The University of Sheffield and Green Estate, a nonprofit urban landscaping organization, will perform the renovations under the guidance of Nigel Dunnett, Sheffield’s professor of planting design and vegetation technology. Dunnett’s past work includes designing pictorial meadows at London’s Olympic Park in 2012 and the award-winning show gardens at the 2013 Chelsea Flower Show.

“Working with the University of Sheffield and Green Estate on this important project gives us access to some of the country’s leading experts on sustainability, horticulture and urban design,” Mike says.

The beautified roundabouts will serve two purposes. They support local ecology by encouraging habitats for local wildlife and plants, and they require minimal maintenance, which aids in their long-term sustainability.

“Our success has been dependent on these local communities,” Mike says. “They are where our branches are located, where our employees work and live and where our customers need mobility. We look forward to working on what we hope will be a memorable project — both for us and for the communities where each roundabout is located.”

Spotlight on Service: Lead Return Agent Jeffery R.

Lead Return Agent Jeffery R.’s goal is to create positive customer interactions. This was especially seen recently when he offered to drive a customer to Baltimore – Washington International Airport to help him catch his flight.  The customer commended Jeffery for going above and beyond expectations.

The customer wrote an email to express his appreciation for Jeffery’s quick thinking. “I often think our culture is in a service funk,” writes the customer. “I know as a frequent business traveler, travel is demanding, exhausting and often negatively unpredictable. Jeffery’s actions … were in a word, heroic. He literally made my day. Jeffery allowed me to be home with my wife and sons tonight and not stuck in an airport.”

Q: What was it about this customer that signaled to you that you needed to go above and beyond for him?

A:  I could see how he was panicking when he returned his car. I just wanted to calm him down, and in the process of calming him down, I found out he was running late to get home to his family. That’s when I offered to take him over to the airport. I knew if I took him directly to the terminal, he would have a better chance of catching his flight.

Q: What drew you to this position?

A: When I first started, the return agent position was the only one available. I had no idea what a handheld computer even was, so I was nervous. After a few days, I started to get the hang of it. I also came to realize that I really do have a big impact in this role. I get the chance to interact with people from all over the world and be kind to them. This seems like a small contribution, but it pays big dividends in the customer service we provide.

Q: How do you stay motivated to provide great customer service even after 13 years with Enterprise Holdings?

A:  I just love people, I always have. And I want to be the best at customer service. My two bosses make this possible. Area Manager Aaron R. and Group Daily Rental Manager Britt M. show confidence in me and my decision-making. They let me speak my mind, and they support me every step of the way.

If your managers treat you well, they allow you to feel good about the value you bring to the business. And this allows you to excel in your position and pay it forward to your customers. We studied interior and exterior customer service a few years ago. Interior means you practice the exercise of kindness with your coworkers and your managers. That allows you to be kinder to your exterior customers.

Q: In your opinion, what sets Enterprise Holdings apart from the competition?

A:  We are very focused on making sure all of our customers are completely satisfied with our service. The product is in many ways the same, so what differentiates us is the positive atmosphere we create.

I tell my team, “We are the last people our customers see before they get on that bus. Let’s make a great impression so they come back.”

Q: What’s your favorite part about your job?

A: Making people happy. I’m overwhelmed that I can make a difference in people’s lives when they are traveling.

I have literally had people bust out crying saying, “You made my day. How did you know to be so kind?” I don’t ever want to be the bad guy. I want to bring some light to a person’s life. For someone to tell me that I made their day makes me feel good as a human being, no matter what life is throwing at me. I can be having a tough time at home, and I come here and forget all about that.

Q: What three words describe your approach to customer service?

A: Happy. Loving. Kind.

Enterprise Career Path: Talent Development Specialist Carlos F

The second time’s a charm, as the saying goes. Carlos F. was optimistic during his final round hiring interview with Enterprise in 2008, even though he’d been through a similar experience with Enterprise almost a decade earlier as a fresh college graduate.

“I knew about Enterprise from the case studies covering the big St. Louis companies,” Carlos recalls of his undergraduate experience as a foreign exchange student at Saint Louis University. “And I love cars, so I thought Enterprise would be a great fit.”

Alas, the Madrid native didn’t have a green card at the time, so that’s pretty much where the employment conversation ended in 2000. Fast-forward eight years (and two degrees later, including a PhD in economics).

“I explained to the Regional Rental Manager why I wanted the opportunity,” he says. “I loved the idea of running my own business. To me, Enterprise was like owning a franchise without having to put money down. Plus I’m very outgoing and really into retail, so I figured I could do well.”

One thought didn’t occur though: The notion that success might eventually lead Carlos back to Madrid.

Growing a career in the U.S.

After signing on as a Management Trainee, Carlos discovered the Enterprise opportunity was everything he expected. “Honestly, I absolutely loved it,” he says of his first assignments in southern California.

The next career door opened when he inquired about transferring to Philadelphia at his wife’s request, so they could be closer to her family. Carlos soon climbed the rental career ladder there, taking on assignments at several neighborhood branches as well as the Philadelphia airport.

As branch manager at the airport, Carlos and his team faced one of the largest expansions in the company’s history. The logistics were daunting during the construction period: A station that rents upwards of 1,600 cars on its busiest days had to deal with major changes in traffic flow, sometimes including the shutdown of two of its four exit booths. “We had to do a lot of communicating both to our customers and to our team throughout the process,” Carlos says.

Several major snowstorms added to the operational complexity. “We handed out lots of hot chocolate and coffee that winter, while doing our best to get customers into their cars,” he says.

Opportunity arises in Spain

Just like the first few years in southern California, Carlos found that he loved it in Philadelphia. But when Enterprise acquired Atesa, the chance to return to Spain as the group’s Talent Development Specialist was appealing to him for many reasons – the main one being opportunity.

“My home is Enterprise,” he says. “I applied because I could see that there are no limits to how much we can grow in Spain. We have just 20,000 cars here today, in a country of almost 60 million people.”

Just back from paternity leave following the birth of his twins in early January, Carlos hasn’t had a lot of time to get his feet wet in the new assignment. Even so, he’s been impressed with the colleagues he’s encountered across Spain.

“They’re phenomenal—really committed to customer service, and very open to learning about the Enterprise way,” he says.

The integration process will intensify later this year, with the official launch of the Management Training program. “It’ll be huge for us to be recognized as a company that’s hiring,” Carlos predicts. “That’s great news in a country where unemployment rates are high. It’s all really just getting started here, and I couldn’t be any happier—because there is so much opportunity for growth and success.”

Enterprising People: Business Rental Sales Director Rasheen H.

Many people have their list of can’t-miss television shows, but have you ever considered starring in one of your favorite shows? Director of Business Rental Development Rasheen H. recently discovered what it was like to be cast on one of his wife Erinn’s favorite television shows — House Hunters on HGTV. The U.S. show follows people in search of a new home with the assistance of a realtor. Each broadcast features three properties, one of which is selected by the buyer.

Because of a promotion, Rasheen and his family were moving from Texas to Iowa, and his wife knew someone who knew someone connected to the show. After submitting a five-minute cell phone video audition and speaking with producers, the Hartwell family was cast on the show and filmed their episode. The producers were intrigued by shooting an episode in Iowa, a location that had not previously been featured.

“It was really neat to experience the behind the scenes activity of a TV show with a real director,” says Rasheen. “I have a whole new respect for acting, because it is a lot harder than it looks. Everything is structured; you have to rehearse, and sometimes they might need 10 takes to get it right. It makes for a long day.”

The most difficult aspect of the process was finding childcare for his two sons during filming. “My sons would get bored during the long days and my 2-year-old had more than one meltdown which caused scenes to be cut. We had to rely on coworkers and my boss’ wife to watch the kids. If I had it to do again, I would bring my mom in town to babysit.” 

Despite adding stress to the move, filming the show has been rewarding to Rasheen professionally. “Talking about the show has been a good icebreaker for sales calls,” says Rasheen. “The response from people has been amazing. So many people are big fans of the show, and it seems to resonate with them.”

In spite of the five long days of shooting, “Everyone enjoyed the whole experience,” says Rasheen. “It’s been a fun thing to talk about that most people haven’t experienced. I really did it for my wife, and you know what they say, ‘Happy wife, happy life!’”

Spotlight on Service: Branch Manager Kyle E

Kyle E. is the go-to branch manager in northern Nevada.

Exceeding expectations of customers and employees, and capitalizing on an opportunity to relocate, best describe Kyle’s paths to success at Enterprise.

When other branches need cars, a pick-up of a stranded customer, or just about any other assistance, the call goes to Kyle, the top branch manager in his region during the past fiscal year.

“He’s the leader everyone in the area goes to when it comes to customer service,” says Area Rental Manager Jennifer L.“Kyle has been known to save the day more than once.” 

Taking care of customers and employees first 

So what’s the magic formula? Equal parts employee support and customer service. “I try my best to make my people happy because their attitudes rub off on the customers and make interactions go smoothly,” Kyle says. 

A case in point was a customer who needed a car on a Saturday morning, but couldn’t locate one in Reno. Kyle told the customer a car would be ready if the customer arrived before the office closed at noon. 

The customer showed up just minutes before closing and the branch had no cars. Kyle, also without a car for himself, quickly called a manager at a neighboring branch and asked him to drive over as soon as possible, with no other explanation. When the manager arrived in an Enterprise car, Kyle turned the keys over to the customer. 

“My friend from the other branch said, ‘Did you just rent my car?’” Kyle says. “I said, ‘Sorry, man, but my wife will be here and give us a ride.’ The customer was getting a huge laugh out of it.” And that customer wound up being in the rental for 70 days while he looked for a new vehicle to replace his car that was too old to be worth repairing. 

“You just have to have that mentality with everyone you help every single time,” says Kyle. 

Internship sets the stage 

Kyle has had that mentality ever since he started as an intern in Las Vegas five years ago. He received an internship award for proposing that Enterprise staff a branch with Spanish-speaking employees in a part of town with many Latino residents. “They would come into our branch asking in English if we had anyone who spoke Spanish, and when we said no, they left,” Kyle says. “I did some research and found there were many Latinos in a part of Las Vegas who did not speak English at all, or who were uncomfortable speaking English. So they were an untapped market for us.”

During his internship and in his first few years afterward, Kyle noted he performed better when his managers built strong relationships with him. It’s a lesson Kyle took to heart when he accepted an offer to transfer to Reno for promotion to branch manager.

“You’ve got to know your people — who they are and why they are here — and use that motivation to get them going,” Kyle says. “I want them to know if there’s a difficult situation, I will be there to help them handle it. I will take accountability for anything that could happen in the office.”

Jennifer has worked with Kyle in Las Vegas and Reno. She notes that employees at Kyle’s branch have learned the mantra ofcustomer service. “He’s done a great job training new employees to have that mentality,” she says. “He makes sure they understand what it takes to exceed the customer’s expectations in every transaction.”

“Since he’s been here, he’s shown that in almost any situation, he finds a way to make it right,” says Jennifer.

Enterprising People: Reservation Team Manager Chad H

Enterprise Holdings has a rich and distinctive connection to the military through its founder, Jack Taylor, who served as a decorated Hellcat pilot during World War II. Enterprise continues to support service members and their families in a variety of ways.

One of those ways is by accommodating the schedules of reservists like Reservation Sales Representative Rahsaan W., an E5 - Petty Officer - 2nd Class in the Navy Reserve who was on active duty for four years prior to joining the reserve.

Rahsaan nominated his boss, Reservation Team Manager Chad H. for the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve’s (ESGR) Patriot Award which is presented to supervisors who support their National Guard and Reserve employees. Some of the ways they can do this is by including flexible schedules and time off prior to and after deployment.

“I decided to nominate Chad for the award, because he goes above and beyond for people on his team, and even more so for me,” says Rahsaan. “He is well-deserving of the award.”

Chad began his career with Enterprise in 2010 as a Management Trainee in the St. Louis operations. He underwent a series of promotions before joining the Contact Center in October 2013. In his supervisory rule, he now manages 25 remote employees, including Rahsaan.

“I think it’s great that Rahsaan would recognize me in this way, even more so because of what the award represents,” says Chad.

Rahsaan told Chad about the award in advance, but he kept one thing up his sleeve. “Normally the award would have been mailed to me and no one else at Enterprise would have known about it,” says Chad. “Somehow the certificate was sent to the corporate office instead, and they decided to present it to me with Rahsaan present.”

“We had a group of Contact Center Managers in town for training and thought it would be great to recognize Chad in front of his peers,” says AVP of Talent Acquisition Pam W. “We also wanted Rahsaan to be a part of the award presentation and since he works from home in Greensboro, NC, we flew him to St. Louis for the day.”

“Coming to the corporate offices was great. It really helped me to put my job into perspective and see the other pieces of the puzzle,” says Rahsaan. “The best part was the tour, and seeing the collection of memorabilia in Andy Taylor’s office.”

“Being in the military, I have seen good and bad leadership, and I know a good leader when I see one,” says Rahsaan. “Chad is the kind of person who does the right thing for his people and the company.”

Enterprising People: Group Relations Manager Fred A

When Group Relations Manager Fred A. got a call from the Los Angeles mayor eight years ago, he had no idea the group he would convene would later serve as the foundation for a significant leadership group — let alone one he would help create.

“The mayor was working on a local initiative and asked if I could gather a group of folks together who might be interested in funding it,” says Fred, who has managed community relations, government relations and supplier diversity in Southern California for more than a decade.

“I reached out to three of my counterparts who serve in similar roles as myself to see how we could help,” he says. “The four of us put together a contact list of representatives from companies and organizations in Los Angeles that we thought could make a difference.”

After the group gathered together, the initiative took off and left Fred with an idea – to continue using that contact list to benefit the educational, environmental, philanthropic and social responsibility platforms in Southern California.

It was that idea that sparked the concept for LA Community Leaders.

Repurposing an idea
In a snapshot, LA Community Leaders helps connect socially responsible businesses that are looking to make an impact through corporate citizenship. The networking group provides a unique forum for communication, peer learning and collaboration among members — all of whom are responsible for their employer’s corporate social responsibility initiatives in the Los Angeles area.

“The collective power of the group helps to further local projects and nonprofit causes,” says Fred. “For instance, in my role at Enterprise Holdings, I don’t have the resources or capability to have a huge impact on education here. But if I join forces with my counterparts from other companies, we’ll have a larger financial backing and together will be able to make a bigger difference.”

Building in numbers
Since Fred founded LA Community Leaders in 2007, the organization has grown substantially. It began with about 20 members who represented eight companies and today includes more than 120 members who manage corporate giving programs at more than 70 companies in the Los Angeles area.

With a passion for his hometown, Fred says his organization is here for the long run. “We’re strengthening our community to empower it. Great things happen when we work together, and that’s how the city benefits from our rewards.”