Holman
Automotive was founded in 1924, when Steward C. Holman signed a contract with
Ford Motor Company to become the area dealer in Merchantville, NJ.
He was financed by his partner, Charles M. Rice of Lewiston, PA.
The dealership was named Rice and Holman Ford, and sold Model T, Model A, and
the first V-8 models during its early years. Today, the Holman Automotive Group
consists of over 25 operating companies which include dealerships, two local leasing
companies, a parts distributorship, a truck up-fitting business, and the
largest privately-owned fleet leasing company in the country.
Steward
Holman's success with Rice and Holman Ford led to many other opportunities in
conjunction with Ford Motor Company. In 1939, he took over the area
distributorship for Lincoln Mercury. This operation began at the Maple Avenue
facility in Pennsauken, NJ,
and after one year - as Merlin Motor Co. - relocated to Camden, NJ. That
same year, the company began remanufacturing Ford engines and transmissions at
the Rice and Holman dealership. This operation grew steadily, and in 1946 was
established as Reconditioned Motors and Parts (RMP), a Ford authorized
remanufacturer, also located in Pennsauken,
NJ.
The
partnership with Ford Motor Company continued in 1947, when Steward Holman established
the beginning of its South Florida operations by opening a Lincoln Mercury
dealership in Fort Lauderdale.
During the following year, Ford Motor Company asked Rice and Holman Ford to
organize a leasing and rental subsidiary to supply the RCA service fleet. This
company was named Automotive Rentals, Inc (ARI) and took up a corner of the
showroom.
By the
early 1950's, the South Florida operations had doubled in size with the
addition of another Lincoln Mercury dealership in Hollywood. It was at this time that R&H
Management was formed to more effectively direct the activities of the
expanding operations. In 1959, a Lincoln Mercury dealership was purchased in Miami, Florida, and in New Jersey, a leasing
business calledR&H Leasing was formed. The company followed
in 1963 with the addition of several leasing operations in Florida in conjunction with the existing
dealerships.
"A Time of Expansion"
The 1970's
were a time for general growth and expansion of current businesses. RMP grew in
1970 through the acquisition of several similar remanufacturing companies
located in Massachusetts, Maryland,
and the DelawareValley. This added both new sales and
additional capacity to the operations. In 1972, a corporate reorganization
resulted in R&H Management becoming Holman Enterprises, a corporate holding
and management company. The South Florida operations also grew during the
1970's by establishing another Lincoln Mercury dealership in 1974, located in Pompano Beach, Florida.
ARI completed a decade of growth by building and moving into a new facility in Maple Shade, NJ
in 1979.
The Holman Automotive
Group added many new dimensions to the business throughout the 1980's. The
company entered the high line luxury business with the addition of Lauderdale
Imports, Ltd., a Rolls Royce/Bentley dealership in 1985. Later that same year, the
Company acquired a new Lincoln Mercury dealership in Stratford, NJ.
The Southern operations added a new Lincoln Mercury franchise in Margate, Florida
in 1988.
Both RMP
and ARI continued their expansion throughout the 80's. RMP acquired new
business territories in Ohio and Michigan completing expansion
into the mid-west. ARI acquired Fleet Body Equipment (FBE) in Kansas CityMissouri
in 1982, and Lend Lease Cars, Inc in 1989. The addition of FBE allowed the
company to design and build special-purpose vehicles, while the acquisition of
Lend Lease Cars, Inc., allowed the company to enter into the markets of small
to mid-sized fleets. With this expansion, ARI outgrew their Maple Shade offices
and in 1990 moved into a larger facility in Mt. Laurel, NJ.
"The Growth Continues?"
The Holman Automotive
Group continued growing throughout the 1990's. The leasing operations had grown
substantially enough that they were reorganized into two central locations for
greater efficiency. In 1990, Holman
Leasing opened in Pennsauken, NJ
and South Florida Leasing opened in Ft.
Lauderdale, FL.During the following year, FBE expanded its
operations by establishing a second location in Ft. Worth, TX.
As ARI continued to grow they began occupying two facilities in Mt.Laurel,
and one in Maple Shade. By 1995, over 900
employees were working for ARI, and they were considered to be the third
largest fleet leasing company in the industry. In 1998, RMP exited the
remanufacturing business, while continuing the distribution side of the
business.
The
dealership business was also prospering during this time. Holman Infiniti of Maple Shade and Lauderdale
Imports, Ltd/BMW in Ft.Lauderdale were added in
1991. This was followed in 1998 by the acquisition of Holman
Ford of Turnersville, and the transfer of the Stratford Lincoln Mercury
dealership to its new home in Turnersville. In 1999 new construction was
completed and Pines Lincoln Mercury opened in Pembroke Pines, FL.
The new
millennium brought even more growth for Holman. In 2002, Lauderdale MINI was
established, and operated from a shared facility with Lauderdale Imports, Ltd.
/BMW in Ft.Lauderdale. The following year, the
company acquired a Honda franchise in Ft.
Lauderdale, Fl. During 2004 Lauderdale Imports Ltd./BMW expanded into a second
location in Pembroke Pines, FL,
and the company also acquired a Volvo franchise, and coupled it with the
existing Lincoln Mercury franchise in Margate,
Florida. RMP acquired Life Star
Rescue Inc. in the summer of 2006. Life Star Rescue Inc., located in Van Wert, OH
specializes in sales, remount and refurbishing of emergency vehicles.
In 1990, Holman Automotive was
awarded the southern New Jersey
territory for Saturn. Accordingly, the company opened a point in Mt.Laurel
in 1991, Turnersville in 1993, and English Creek in 1996. Holman proudly
represented this brand for the 19 years of its existence, routinely winning
awards for customer service excellence. It was a sad day for the company
when a post-bankruptcy General Motors eliminated Saturn. Our final remaining
retail facility, Saturn of Turnersville, must close by October of 2010.
In order to maintain its solid
position in this fast paced industry, the Holman
Automotive Group took several steps to reach a broader market in both NJ and Florida. In 2007, the
company acquired DeSimone BMW and Cadillac in Mt. Laurel, NJ.
The company names were later changed to BMW of Mt. Laurel and Holman Cadillac
respectively. Also in 2007, the company
acquired a Ford dealership in Florida
and merged it with the existing Lincoln Mercury dealership in Pompano. Cherry
Hill Toyota - Scion was acquired in 2008 and was
moved to a new facility in Mt.Laurel. The company name
was changed to Holman Toyota - Scion.Also in 2008, Holman Ford in Mt.Laurel
and Holman Lincoln Mercury in Maple
Shade merged operations at the Maple Shade, NJ
location.
In early 2009, Holman was selected
to represent the MINI brand in Mt. Laurel, NJ.MINI of Mt.Laurel
is due to open in the 4th quarter of 2010. The southern operations opened Audi
Pembroke Pines, the organization's first Audi dealership, in July of 2009 and Lauderdale
Infiniti, the southern operations first Infiniti dealership, in January of 2010.
Meanwhile, RMP acquired Dealers Engine Sales, a similar Ford Authorized
Distributor in December of 2009, which allowed the company to increase their
sales territory substantially. Also in early 2010, Holman Leasing started
operating under the trade name of Steward Financial Services.
Holman
Automotive has been dedicated to providing outstanding service to its customers
for over 85 years. During the past 8
decades the Holman Family of businesses has established a record of successful
growth. Now into the third generation of family leadership, the Holman
Automotive Group is poised to continue its success for decades to come.
Holman Automotive Group
Current Operations
New Jersey Dealership Operations
Holman Ford Lincoln
MercuryMaple Shade
Holman Ford Lincoln
Mercury, Turnersville
Holman Infiniti
Holman Cadillac
Holman Toyota - Scion
BMW of MountLaurel
MINI of MountLaurel (Opening Fall of
2010)
Saturn of Turnersville
Steward Financial
Services
Florida Dealership Operations
HollywoodLincoln Mercury
Pompano Ford Lincoln
Mercury
MargateLincoln Mercury
MargateVolvo
Lauderdale Imports,
Ltd. / Rolls Royce
Bentley, Ft.Lauderdale
Holman Honda of Ft.Lauderdale
Lauderdale Imports,
Ltd. / BMW
Lauderdale MINI
Lauderdale BMW of Pembroke Pines
AudiPembroke Pines
Lauderdale Infiniti
South
Florida Leasing
RMP Powertrain Solutions
RMP Powertrain
Solutions, Pennsauken, NJ
LifeStar Rescue Inc,
Van Wert, OH
Automotive Resources International
Automotive Resources
International (ARI), Mount Laurel,
NJ
