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Local Voices

Enterprise Holdings Supports Women Leaders

Wayne, NJ (July 21, 2014) – Fayth Litke Holt didn’t grow up dreaming of a career at a rental car agency. But now, almost 23 years later, she couldn’t imagine herself anywhere else. Through hard work, dedication and help from mentors, Fayth has earned herself a seat at the executive table. Today she is the Vice President of Human Resources for the New York operations (which encompass the greater portion of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Vermont) of Enterprise Holdings, the company that operates the Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands. The rental car industry is not a boy’s club like many people perceive – women can, have and are excelling in this industry every day. Fayth is a true example of this success.

Having grown up in North Bellmore on Long Island, Fayth graduated from high school and went on to attend the State University of New York at Albany. From there, she graduated with a degree in Communications with minors in Business and Sociology.

“After graduation, I could have worked for an ad agency in the city, but to be honest, living on Long Island and making the commute day-in and day-out to and from Manhattan did not excite me. I discovered Enterprise Rent-A-Car was hiring for about the same compensation and decided to take the interview,” said Fayth. “I didn’t start with the intention that I would make this my career. My mother even questioned me on my choice. But I found that not only was I good at what I was doing, but I also loved doing it at the same time. My mom still jokes with me today that I only succeeded to prove her wrong!”

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Fayth started her career on Long Island as a Management Trainee, the entry point into the company and where nearly all employees start their career with Enterprise and are promoted from within. The Management Training program provides a solid understanding of every aspect of the business- from car rentals to fleet management, to financials. She then worked her way up in the Daily Rental division, where she spent almost five years learning the core of the business, rising to the position of Branch Rental Manager. Fayth then utilized her knowledge to further her career in the world of Human Resources. She was promoted to Regional Recruiting Manager for the New York City Region, where she oversaw all recruitment efforts for the five boroughs of New York City. Fayth was then promoted to Group Recruiting Manager where she supervised recruitment for all regions in the New York operation. Her next role was Group Human Resources Manager, and today she is the Vice President of Human Resources.

“I am lucky to have had these opportunities to grow within Enterprise Holdings. When you combine my passion for the work, with great people around me, and a wonderful company – you have the formula for a happy employee. It’s very common in this day and age to job hop from one opportunity to the next, but with Enterprise Rent-A-Car, I was given opportunities for promotions, growth and increased compensation. What more could I ask for?”

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Today, as the Vice President of Human Resources, Fayth oversees all aspects of Human Resources and manages the teams responsible for recruitment, training and development, and cultural relations as well as the generalist functions for the New York operation of Enterprise Holdings, which consists of 11 regions and four business lines in four states.  Additionally, she consults with other members of the senior leadership team utilizing her expertise to strategically align Human Resources with key operational objectives.

When asked if she had to choose one achievement or shining moment out of her 23 years, Fayth attributes her greatest accomplishment to her role in co-pioneering the New York operation’s Diversity and Inclusion efforts.  Over 13 years ago, she played a key part in laying the foundation for local initiatives that would ultimately support workplace inclusion, supplier diversity, and community engagement. The success of these initiatives has helped the New York operation to receive Enterprise’s highest honor,  The Jack Taylor Founding Values Award, in each of the past 10 years. This award is presented to Enterprise Holdings’ operations that excel in core areas of their business including: diversity, community relations/philanthropy, and government relations.

But it wasn’t always easy. Fayth has faced her fair share of challenges through the years. “Everyone has challenges – harder days than others – slumps even. But it’s how you handle them that will set you apart,” she says.

Fayth recalls one particular time when she was a branch manager. “My numbers weren’t great and I was struggling. I turned to my mentors for help and was lucky enough to have a wonderful individual step in and guide me,” says Fayth. “In this instance, instead of commiserating with me about how the branch was struggling, he came one night after work and asked me some hard questions. It was a big wake-up call for me. I realized that I was the only one who could impact my own results. In that moment, I truly appreciated his advice. And, I often remind myself of that situation in my own mentoring efforts. You can either surround yourself with people who can make you better or the other  people who will just sit there with you and commiserate, not eliciting positive change. Sometimes the biggest hurdle we have is looking internally and figuring out that only you can save you from yourself.”

Now, Fayth returns the favor and takes great pride and joy in being able to help shape and nurture someone’s career as a mentor. “My favorite mentoring experience happened a few years ago. One of the Management Trainees, who was a real up-and-comer, was set to take his required exams. When he got the test result back, he saw that he had failed. He was very upset and said he was quitting,” says Fayth. “It just so happened our area was having a holiday party as a team that night. I remember picking him up and taking him out to let off some steam. He relaxed and when I drove him home that night I would not let him out of the car until he agreed he would show up to work the next day. He eventually agreed, and now I’m happy to say he’s a Regional Vice President in our New Jersey region. I really felt like I changed a negative situation into a positive. I know that as a mentor, it’s not just about taking care of employees when they’re excelling, it’s about helping them find the gusto to keep on fighting when they are failing.”

Finding a way to integrate what matters most in life on a personal and professional basis can be difficult. Enterprise strives to help their employees focus on ways to have a fulfilling life and accomplish what is most important, both professionally and personally. “Quality of life is something Enterprise wants for all of its employees. The company is very supportive of family and career. As a wife and mother I’m able to enjoy my time with my family and come into work every week ready to accomplish my professional goals as well,” says Fayth. In the summer months you might find Fayth in Montauk out on Long Island, enjoying the beach with her husband, daughter, son and dog. Or, you might see her at the yoga studio. “Yoga is something I like to do to decompress. It’s Fayth time.”

“I’m very lucky to have been and continue to be part of the Enterprise Holdings family. I hope young women everywhere understand thatwomen can, will and currently are holding outstanding leadership positions within the workforce, and those numbers will and must continue to climb. One way to ensure this happens to is live in the moment,” says Fayth. “All too often we can get ahead of ourselves. Remember to first perform in your current role that will lead to opportunities, and eventually to the next role. Work hard, perform well and remember that the impact you have today will open doors tomorrow.”

About Enterprise Holdings 
Enterprise Holdings, through its regional subsidiaries, operates more than 1 million cars and trucks, the largest fleet of passenger vehicles in the world today. Enterprise Holdings is North America’s largest and most comprehensive service provider in the car rental industry, operating the Alamo Rent A CarEnterprise Rent-A-Car and National Car Rental brands. Other affiliated business lines include Enterprise Fleet ManagementEnterprise Commercial TrucksEnterprise Car SalesEnterprise Rideshare vanpooling and Enterprise CarShare car sharing.

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