Rice & Holman opened their first Ford Dealership in Merchantville, NJ, marking the beginning of an automotive business that has been relentlessly serving customers and communities since 1924. From the beginning, the business was built on Steward Holman’s strong personal philosophy. He said, “First and foremost, a business is people. More important than buildings, locations or equipment.” On that foundation, he built a team of well-trained employees who value serving customers and helping others.

Rice & Holman Ford began remanufacturing Ford engines and transmissions. The company’s mission was to help customers find the right product for any job, no matter how large or small.

Responding to growing success and increased demand, Steward Holman opened Reconditioned Motors and Parts (RMP), an authorized Ford remanufacturer, in Pennsauken, NJ. RMP promised to serve as a reliable and flexible partner to keep customers’ businesses moving forward through delivery of quality OEM powertrain solutions.

Responding to a request from Ford Motor Company and the RCA Corporation, Rice & Holman Ford created a subsidiary named Automotive Rentals, Inc. (ARI) to lease and rent fleet vehicles to companies and corporations. ARI was founded on family values to solve complex fleet management problems with a passion for customer service and satisfaction.

RMP acquired several remanufacturing companies in Massachusetts, Maryland and the Delaware Valley (PA/NJ). With additional companies across the country, RMP expanded its customer base, helping more businesses drive revenue to their bottom line by managing costs and avoiding downtime.

R&H Management became Holman Enterprises with the steadfast goal of building a robust family of successful businesses. These enterprises continue to provide the industry’s most complete automotive services by training, empowering, and rewarding exceptional people, and by earning the loyalty and exceeding the expectations of each and every customer.

ARI completed construction and moved into a new state-of-the-art facility in Maple Shade, NJ. In its new home, ARI continued to combine business insight and optimal life cycle analysis, sustainable fleet practices, best-in-class services and high-powered technology to drive vehicle fleet efficiency up and costs down.

ARI acquired Fleet Body Equipment, a custom upfitting company in Kansas City, MO. The business of upfitting provided ARI customers with specialized design, manufacturing and installation in a variety of industries. ARI’s commitment to excellence started from day one, offering dedicated experts to analyze customers’ needs and design, fabricate, assemble, and maintain custom-built trucks.

Holman Enterprises opens Lauderdale Imports, Ltd., a Rolls Royce/Bentley dealership. Entering the high-end luxury auto market further solidified Holman’s dedication to providing customers with exceptional experiences by focusing on building relationships and investing in people, a tradition that continues to this day.

ARI entered the Canadian market with the acquisition of Lend Lease Cars, Inc, beginning ARI’s global leadership in automotive services.

Holman Leasing opened in Pennsauken, NJ and South Florida Leasing opened in Fort Lauderdale, FL, offering flexibility for customers, providing the opportunity to upgrade their vehicle without paying the cost of ownership and making car maintenance relatively worry-free.

ARI moved into a newer, larger facility in Mount Laurel, NJ.

By 1995 ARI employed more than 900 people and was home to two locations in Mount Laurel and Maple Shade, NJ. ARI continued its expansion by transforming more and more vehicles into assets to drive growth and fuel success.

Holman opened its first Honda franchise in Fort Lauderdale, FL, adding another dealership committed to issuing top-notch customer service to all of its clients.

RMP acquired Dealers Engine Sales and the company opened Audi Pembroke Pines in Florida. These two milestones furthered RMP’s ability to provide the very best value to fleet customers, and added more expert sales associates ready to make the car buying process as convenient as possible.

Lauderdale INFINITI opens in Florida, Holman Leasing starts operating under the trade name of Steward Financial Services, and ARI acquires Auto Truck Group. A trusted name in manufacturing and upfitting services for more than 100 years, Auto Truck uniquely positioned ARI to implement powertrain-focused solutions for the productivity challenges faced by large fleets. Before long, they were in the U.S. and Canada with service centers and ship-thru service with top OEM manufacturers.

Holman marked its first $1 million campaign in support of the United Way. Ever since our start in 1924, giving back to the community has been part of our company’s philosophy. Today, that vision continues in the thousands of volunteer hours employees contribute to the common good, and through Holman’s continued charitable giving.

ARI continued its global expansion by acquiring two different companies, bringing them together as ARI Germany.

In addition, ARI was named on its first of five Fortune magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” lists. Employees believe they work for great organizations when they consistently trust the people they work for, have pride in what they do, and enjoy the people they work with. Holman continues to embody and foster a supportive, family-like environment.

ARI was named among Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” for the second year in a row, as well as Computerworld’s “100 Best Places to Work in IT.” Since its inception, Holman has steadfastly invested in its people; employees experience a culture that embodies honesty and integrity, dedication to exceptional customer service, teamwork and mutual respect, a continuous focus on improvement, and devotion to the community.

The company announced the ONE Holman. RMP was renamed Holman Parts Distribution and began using a comprehensive parts sourcing model to address the unique challenges faced by large national fleets.

In the same year, Holman acquired Audi Willow Grove, Princeton BMW and Princeton MINI, growing the company’s influence within the dealership space.

This year also brought a number of accolades. ARI was named to the CIO 100 list for a second time for the technology behind its innovative driver safety program. In addition, ARI Driver Excellence® and ARI received the International Fleet Industry Award from Fleet Europe for its innovative, unbundled solutions. ARI also continued to hold a spot among FORTUNE’s “100 Best Companies to Work For,” and earned a spot on the list of “100 Best Workplaces for Millennials in the US.”

ARI opened the Technology & Innovation Center in Mount Laurel, NJ and Holman Insurance Services, LLC was founded. Risk Partners, a Medford, New Jersey-based commercial insurance brokerage, and Managing General Underwriter (MGU) were acquired. This acquisition officially launched the commercial division of the company, and allowed Holman Insurance to continue building its platform of personal and commercial lines of insurance products and services

Holman Automotive also acquired Kuni Automotive, becoming one of the largest privately owned dealership groups in the nation. This acquisition nearly doubled the dealership operation, expanding its footprint across both coasts.

ARI was once again named Fortune magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” and “100 Best Workplaces for Millennials in the US,” along with Computerworld’s “100 Best Places to Work in IT.”

Auto Truck acquired Kargo Master, a leader in truck and van productivity solutions. Kargo Master complemented Auto Truck’s existing upfitting offerings by manufacturing and distributing equipment and accessories for vans and trucks.

Holman Enterprises partnered with Cox Automotive in a joint venture of the Flexdrive brand (now Drivesy, a vehicle subscription app). The mission was to create an alternative mobility solution, enabling dealers to offer vehicle subscriptions for consumers who want to get around without the commitment of a lease or loan.

Holman Parts Distribution and ARI were both named in the 2017 “Best Places to Work in New Jersey” list by NJBiz, ARI was named to Fortune’s “Best Places to Work in Canada,” and ARI was named on Fortune’s “100 Best Places to Work For” list for the fifth year in a row.

Holman launched LYNKD and Holman Growth Ventures to sustain innovative development. Holman Growth Ventures is a corporate venture capital firm that partners with early-stage companies as a lead or co-investor. As part of Holman, they draw on years of experience to invest in opportunities that will shape the future of the automotive industry.

Holman opened their Mercedes-Benz Van Center in Maple Shade, NJ and acquired Holman Motorcars St. Louis. Once a single Ford dealership, Holman is now one of the largest privately-owned dealership groups in the United States, with 40 dealership franchises representing 20 brands from the East Coast to the Pacific Northwest.

After nearly 100 years, once again, Holman brought all of its companies and divisions together under a single, unified brand name. Bringing the full organization together formally allows us to better communicate the full breadth of our competencies to the marketplace, and inspire employees and job seekers with the strength of a larger, more competitive, and more dynamic enterprise.

The foundation of our success has been built on doing the right thing. Our tagline – Driving What’s Right – represents our promise that this commitment will continue to guide us in everything we do.