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 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 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.
“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 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 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 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 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 Mercury Maple Shade
Holman Ford Lincoln Mercury, Turnersville
Holman Infiniti
Holman Cadillac
Holman Toyota - Scion
BMW of Mount Laurel
MINI of Mount Laurel (Opening Fall of 2010)
Saturn of Turnersville
Steward Financial Services
Florida Dealership Operations
Hollywood Lincoln Mercury
Pompano Ford Lincoln Mercury
Margate Lincoln Mercury
Margate Volvo
Lauderdale Imports, Ltd. / Rolls Royce
Bentley, Ft. Lauderdale
Holman Honda of Ft. Lauderdale
Lauderdale Imports, Ltd. / BMW
Lauderdale MINI
Lauderdale BMW of Pembroke Pines
Audi Pembroke 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
Fleet Body Equipment, Kansas City, MO
