Holman Automotive History

“The Early Years” 

            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 includes 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 called   R&H Leasing was formed. The company followed in 1963 with the addition of several leasing operations in Florida in conjunction with the existing dealerships.   

            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 Delaware Valley. 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 also added a new Lincoln Mercury franchise in Margate, Florida.

            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 City Missouri 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 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, Lauderdale Imports, Ltd/BMW in Ft. Lauderdale, and Saturn of Mt. Laurel were all added in 1991. Saturn expanded its operations in 1993 with the addition of a second facility in Turnersville, and a third location in English Creek in 1996. 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, Lauderdale Imports Ltd./BMW expanded into a second location in Pembroke Pines, FL. Later that same year, the company acquired a Volvo franchise, and coupled it with the existing Lincoln Mercury franchise in Margate, Florida. This was followed by the acquisition of another Volvo franchise in Egg Harbor Township, NJ in 2006. 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 order to maintain its solid position in this fast paced, and ever-changing industry, the Holman Automotive Group took several steps to reach a broader market in NJ and Florida. During August of 2007, the company acquired DeSimone BMW and Cadillac, now located in Mt. Laurel. Later that year, the company acquired a Ford dealership in Florida and merged it with their existing Lincoln Mercury dealership in Pompano. Cherry Hill Toyota was acquired in May of 2008 with plans to move the operations to a much larger facility in Mt. Laurel by the end of the decade. In November of 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 Fall of 2010.  Not to be outdone, the Southern operations opened the organization’s first Audi dealership in July of 2009 in Pembroke Pines.

            Holman Automotive celebrates its 85^th Anniversary in 2009. 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.     

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