{"id":8999,"date":"2020-12-29T16:16:16","date_gmt":"2020-12-29T15:16:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/?p=8999"},"modified":"2020-12-29T16:16:16","modified_gmt":"2020-12-29T15:16:16","slug":"holman-enterprises","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/2020\/12\/29\/holman-enterprises\/","title":{"rendered":"Holman Enterprises: Vision for the Future of Fleet Management"},"content":{"rendered":"

Photo: ARI<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cActing on the collective voice of our customers empowers Holman Enterprises to further enhance the experience and value we deliver to clients. We are committed to staying focused on what really matters, and that is the partner at the other end of the relationship trusting us with their success,\u201d said Chris Conroy, president & COO of Holman Enterprises.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

On Oct. 5, 2020, Holman Enterprises, a global automotive services organization, the parent company of ARI, announced that Chris Conroy was named president and chief operating officer of Holman Enterprises.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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During his 25-year career with the organization, Conroy has held a number of progressive leadership positions including president of ARI, and most recently serving as president and CEO of Holman Business Services. In his new role, Conroy will be responsible for leading all Holman Enterprises\u2019 operating companies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Brian Bates will continue to lead the organization\u2019s retail division, Holman Automotive, one of the largest privately owned dealership groups in the U.S. with 40 dealership franchises representing 20 brands from the East Coast to the Pacific Northwest.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Bob White has been promoted to president, fleet & mobility, and will continue to lead ARI and will now also be responsible for Holman Insurance Services, the organization\u2019s commercial and consumer insurance division.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pete Dondlinger has been promoted to president, manufacturing & distribution, and will oversee Auto Truck Group and Kargo Master, Holman Enterprises\u2019 work truck upfitting and manufacturing businesses, as well as Holman Parts Distribution, the organization\u2019s national distributor of OEM powertrain solutions and logistics provider.<\/span><\/p>\n

AF <\/em>recently interviewed Conroy to learn more about his new position and responsibilities. Below are excerpts from a longer interview.<\/span><\/p>\n

AF:<\/strong> Could you summarize how the different business units of Holman Enterprises serve the fleet management sector?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Conroy:<\/strong> If I were to think through the lens of a fleet operator, it doesn\u2019t start with what you do, but how you do it. Holman Enterprises has long-term partnerships with many customers and we deliver a very unique value proposition in how we do things. We\u2019re transparent in our communications, and we try to be constantly in touch with our customers, listening intently, and offering the solutions they need.<\/span><\/p>\n

Holman Enterprises plays a multi-faceted role in the fleet industry. ARI is a multinational fleet management company headquartered in Mt. Laurel, N.J. ARI manages nearly 2 million fleet vehicles in North America, the UK, and Europe. In addition to funding and managing fleet assets, it also has a very specific goal to manage the total cost of risk, which is often an overlooked cost to our fleet customers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Together, Auto Truck Group and Kargo Master transform trucks and vans into vocational tools. Kargo Master manufactures everything from ladder racks to interior shelving and Auto Truck Group installs these materials and other components into trucks and vans for a wide variety of customers including energy, railroad, and telecom fleets and everything in between. Additionally, through Holman Parts Distribution, we distribute components and provide other logistical support.<\/span><\/p>\n

With Holman Automotive, we do an exceptional job of selling cars and trucks through our franchise dealerships. That plays a role in how we can cater to the needs of our fleet customers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Holman<\/span>
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Holman Enterprises was founded by Steward Holman in 1924 as a single Ford dealership in New Jersey. During the course of nine decades, the company, headquartered in Mt. Laurel, N.J., has grown into a global automotive services company comprised of a diverse range of automotive-centric businesses including ARI, a multinational fleet management company. Photo: ARI<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

AF:<\/strong> You mentioned one of your strengths is listening to your customers. What are your customers telling you are the key trends, challenges, and opportunities that are facing their businesses?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Conroy:<\/strong> Today, our focus is working with our customers through these challenging and uncertain times. We\u2019ll see some very progressive change, both from the providers of services, like ourselves, and also with customers who are trying to meet the needs of their various stakeholders.<\/span><\/p>\n

That being said, when you look to the future, what our customers are telling us is important are the same things that they were before. \u2018Be there for me when I need you.\u2019 \u2018Give me information I don\u2019t have.\u2019 \u2018Be a strategic partner.\u2019 I think the foundation of fleet management from an operator\u2019s perspective is not going to change a heck of a lot. The same challenges are here today that were there yesterday, especially being able to turn data into information, to be able to ultimately make better decisions and take proactive actions. We\u2019re all building better tools to be able to do that, empowering our customers to act proactively and not just reactively. As an industry we\u2019re doing a much better job of that, but there will be more of it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Acting on the collective voice of our customers empowers Holman Enterprises to further enhance the experience and value we deliver to clients. We are committed to staying focused on what really matters, and that is the partner at the other end of the relationship trusting us with their success.<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the years, we\u2019ve seen a shift in how fleets are managed. Today, there are many different people involved in making fleet decisions who may not have a lot of experience in management of fleet operations. This is because there is an acute awareness of the importance of a fleet operation. Today, when discussing fleet, you often have multiple people in the room because companies understand the economics and the impact that fleet can have on their business operations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Customers are looking for more out of a fleet provider than ever before, especially in the way of proactive recommendations. It\u2019s not just how do I reduce cost, but help me run my business better.<\/span><\/p>\n

AF: What is your vision for the future of the fleet management sector?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Conroy:<\/strong> Predicting a vision for the future of fleet management is tough. Anyone who would tell you what the future\u2019s going to look like in the transportation sector whether it\u2019s fleet or consumer, is probably not being entirely truthful.<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a ton of disruption happening in the transportation sector with autonomy, electrification, shared mobility, the connected car, and dealer franchise law. There\u2019s a lot of uncertainty, but also significant opportunities.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo: ARI <\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

AF:<\/strong> How does mobility management fit in with fleet Management?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Conroy:<\/strong> I do think there is a shift in thinking away from fleet and toward mobility, but mobility can be difficult to define and get agreement on what this means today and in the future.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the groups in Holman Enterprises is Holman Strategic Ventures. This is a team we set up about five years ago to look at answering the questions that either have been asked or haven\u2019t been asked yet on what is the future of fleet management, including mobility and how we as a company can serve those needs.<\/span><\/p>\n

The goal here is that we want to innovate for our core businesses. We have some key core businesses that are changing, and our customers\u2019 demands are changing. We are going to innovate for the core, whether it\u2019s through technology services, or just around the idea of getting this mobility set up where we have different options for our customers.<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019re also going to invest for adjacencies. What technologies or process improvements can we develop to help our customers? So, with a very committed group of resources, Holman Strategic Ventures is about making the experience of what we do today as good as it can possibly be, based on the customer feedback, but also looking at tomorrow\u2019s transportation mobility space and making sure we\u2019re evolving to meet those needs tomorrow too.<\/span><\/p>\n

AF:<\/strong> As the fleet management industry increasingly adds even greater operational efficiencies, does it create an opportunity to further right-size fleets to operate with fewer vehicles?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Conroy:<\/strong> How we do business is changing. We see it in our daily lives every day. One example is connecting virtually, which, I think provides tremendous opportunities that will continue for the foreseeable future. You can do things much more rapidly. Virtual communications allows you to have conversations much more easily. We\u2019ve been able to interact with our customers in a very effective manner that we\u2019re happy to continue doing.<\/span><\/p>\n

But you still have to have the personal face-to-face relationship, whether it\u2019s at a conference or it is meeting with a customer or prospective customer. This is still important. When we think about how our workforce is going to be aligned going forward, that\u2019s top of mind for us.<\/span><\/p>\n

From the fleet-customer\u2019s perspective, you\u2019re going to see people become much more efficient in how they run their businesses. Now, many of the customers we do business with across our platforms are companies that require vehicles to do the job.\u00a0 Certainly, you\u2019re going to see a focus on that.<\/span><\/p>\n

We have already seen customers say their businesses need to run more efficiently and ask us what are the opportunities for us to take cost out of the fleet. There\u2019s really two basic ways to do that. Either operate those vehicles at a lower cost, which is very difficult to do because, by and large, in partnership with all of us in our industry, we\u2019ve done a very good job of driving cost out.<\/span><\/p>\n

Or option two, is to have fewer vehicles. So, pay less for the ones you have or have less of them. I think there\u2019s absolutely going to be opportunities for fleets to right-size more so than they may have done to this point. We\u2019ve seen a little bit of that. But we shall see how far that does go.<\/span><\/p>\n

AF:<\/strong> Is fleet management a growing industry or has it plateaued? Where is future growth in fleet going to occur?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Conroy:<\/strong> I think we\u2019re in a growth industry. Certainly, there\u2019s an evolution in the skillset that\u2019s needed to operate a fleet and a business. But for me, there\u2019s one certainty. Fleet operations is going to be a key requirement to the growth and success of businesses.<\/span><\/p>\n

Just look around and you see the movement of goods and people is growing, not declining. Now that\u2019s not true of every industry. Fleet is absolutely a growth industry, and it\u2019s something we\u2019re going to build our business around. Knowing that, we believe our purpose is to serve those customers who are continuing to evolve and grow.<\/span><\/p>\n

If there\u2019s a message to any fleet operator it is to position yourself as a true business partner. I see companies becoming more and more receptive to understanding internally that the fleet manager must be viewed as a trusted partner in how a business is run. Fleet is not just an expense line.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"During<\/span>
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During his 25-year career with Holman Enterprises, Chris Conroy has held a number of leadership positions including president of ARI, and most recently serving as president and CEO of Holman Business Services. In his new role as president and chief operating officer, Conroy will be responsible for leading all Holman Enterprises\u2019 operating companies. Photo: ARI<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There are certain industries, such as the last-mile delivery and package-good delivery, that are going to continue to proliferate. I believe there\u2019s great opportunity for us as an industry, for us as individuals, and certainly for us here at Holman Enterprises, to continue to evolve. Our sole objective at Holman is to be there to serve the customers we have today, and for those that are going to emerge in the future.<\/span><\/p>\n

To me, we\u2019re going to be on the frontlines of both reacting and helping to change as an industry. As an example, I think of companies we\u2019ve established a partnership with, such as Lordstown Motors. Here\u2019s a new manufacturer who has figured out engineering and manufacturing, but they need partners that can help them sell, service, and maintain their vehicles that are going to be in the service space. Holman is a very important cog in the supply chain of companies that will be emerging in our new economy.<\/span><\/p>\n

AF:<\/strong> How quickly do you think widespread electrification of the fleet industry in the U.S. is going to take?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Conroy:<\/strong> My answer used to be it\u2019s not something I see happening anytime soon. But you\u2019ve got to follow the dollars and follow the investments. You\u2019re seeing significant investments in this space. I wouldn\u2019t put a specific time frame on it, but it\u2019s coming. It is going to affect how we do business, but the infrastructure has to be there to support it.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think there is a question that EV will eventually play a significant part in fleet operations around the world, but the speed with which we get there is still a question a lot of people are asking.<\/span><\/p>\n

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by Mike Antich<\/a><\/p>\n

Source: https:\/\/www.automotive-fleet.com<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

CUT COTS OF THE FLEET WITH OUR AUDIT PROGRAM<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The audit is a key tool to know the overall status and provide the analysis, the assessment, the advice, the suggestions and the actions to take in order to cut costs and increase the efficiency and efficacy of the fleet. We propose the following fleet management audit.<\/p>\n

FLEET MANAGEMENT AUDIT<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Photo: ARI \u201cActing on the collective voice of our customers empowers Holman Enterprises to further enhance the experience and value we deliver to clients. We are committed to staying focused on what really matters, and that is the partner at the other end of the relationship trusting us with their success,\u201d said Chris Conroy, president…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":9000,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18],"tags":[231],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8999"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8999"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8999\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9001,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8999\/revisions\/9001"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9000"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8999"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8999"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8999"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}