Enterprise Holdings Foundation Gives $2 Million to University of Missouri

The gift will go toward sustainability research.

A $2 million gift to Mizzou from The Enterprise Foundation will be used for sustainability research, St. Louis Business-Journal reports.  The funds will be used to  "create an endowment for sustainability to support research, education and applications that sustain health, culture, economic vitality and quality of life," according to the report. Mizzou Chancellor Brady Deaton even declared the day of the donation a "green day" for the school, the Columbia Missourian reports. Enterprise Holdings owns Enterprise Rent-a-Car.

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How Does Clayton's Enterprise Holdings' Size Compare to Other Private Companies?

Forbes released its list of top private American companies. Enterprise Holdings in Clayton is among the largest.

Enterprise Holdings, North America's largest car rental company, is also one of the largest private companies in the United States.  The Clayton-based company is the 20th largest private American company, according to a ranking from Forbes that was reported by the St. Louis Business Journal on Wednesday: Enterprise Holdings ranked No. 20 this year on Forbes' list with 2012 revenue of $13.5 billion and more than 74,000 employees companywide. Enterprise ranked No. 15 on the Forbes list last year and topped the Business Journal's Top 150 Privately-Held Companies list this year. To see which other St. Louis companies made the list, read the full article on the St. Louis Business Journal website. Enterprise has been headquartered in Clayton …

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Clayton Executive Pam Nicholson Among Most Powerful Business Women

The president and chief operating officer for Enterprise Holdings received recognition from Fortune magazine, the St. Louis Business Journal reported.

President Pam Nicholson of Clayton-based Enterprise Holdings has been named among the most powerful women in business by Fortune magazine, the St. Louis Business Journal reported. Nicholson, who also is chief operating officer, attained a ranking of No. 30 out of 50. Quoting from the Business Journal article: "This is the sixth year in a row Nicholson has been featured on the list. Fortune mentioned how under Nicholson’s leadership, the company was able to close on several key acquisitions including Citer SA, a Paris-based car rental company with 30,000 vehicles in France and Spain, from PSA Peugeot Citroen in November last year." Read more about Nicholson's accomplishments and the Fortune list in the complete Business Journal article. …

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100 Years of Clayton Business

Jack Taylor Turned Enterprise in Clayton Into Car-Rental Empire

The company started by this Clayton High School graduate began with two employees. Enterprise Holdings now employs 70,000 people worldwide, and thousands of them work in Clayton.

Enterprise Holdings founder Jack Taylor grew up in St. Louis, graduated from Clayton High School and attended Westminster College and Washington University in St. Louis, a company biography states. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy after Pearl Harbor was bombed, and he served as an F6F Hellcat fighter pilot while based with the U.S.S. Essex and U.S.S. Enterprise. After he came back to St. Louis, he started a trucking company in Clayton before accepting a sales job with Lindburg Cadillac in 1948, the biography states. Less than a decade later, he launched his own company—then called Executive Leasing—in the same building. While he no longer works actively with Enterprise, a family connection remains: His son, Andrew C. Taylor, is its chief …

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Olympics 2012 Ads Have Roots in Clayton

Two local companies partnered on the TV spots, which highlight the Enterprise 50 Million Tree Pledge, the St. Louis Business Journal reported.

Clayton-based Cannonball advertising company has teamed up with Enterprise Holdings for the 2012 Olympics to spotlight a tree-planting program, the St. Louis Business Journal reported. Quoting from the Business Journal's St. Louis Biz Talk blog: "The ad will be broadcast on NBC’s family of networks, including NBC, NBC Sports Network, NBCOlympics.com and MSNBC. Enterprise spent an estimated $6 million on the ad campaign, Enterprise Brand Director Jim Stoeppler said." See the ad and read more about the focus of the Olympics ad from Enterprise in the complete St. Louis Biz Talk post. More about the 2012 Olympics on Patch:

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$69,000 Design Contract Authorized for Shaw Park Pavilion

The Clayton Board of Aldermen voted to move forward with the project April 24.

A design contract has been authorized for a new corporate pavilion at Clayton's Shaw Park. The Clayton Board of Aldermen approved the formation of a contract with Clayton-based Christner at its April 24 meeting for the Enterprise Holdings Pavilion. The company previously designed The Center of Clayton. Aldermen approved a $69,000 contract with Christner, which according to a city memo will: The aldermen also authorized $6,000 to cover unexpected expenses. The city had budgeted a total of $75,000 for the design work. Enterprise Holdings and the Enterprise Holdings Foundation are paying for the permanent structure in cooperation with the Clayton Century Foundation. Construction is expected to begin in September after a four-month design …

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UPDATE: Enterprise Rent-A-Car Backs Legislation on Vehicle Recalls

California mother Cally Houck has launched a petition after battling Enterprise Rent-A-Car, part of Clayton-based Enterprise Holdings. Her two daughters died in an accident allegedly caused by a car known to be defective.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car officials stated Thursday afternoon they will join the industry in supporting federal legislation that oversees how companies, such as theirs, manage the vehicle recall process. The statement comes after a grieving mother’s recently launched Change.org campaign requesting that Enterprise Rent-A-Car stop opposing proposed legislation that would prohibit rental car companies from renting cars recalled because of safety risks. As of late Thursday afternoon, nearly 130,000 people had signed the petition. On Wednesday, Clayton-based Enterprise Holdings' representatives said that the company conducts nearly 50 million vehicle rental transactions every year and that customer safety is a top priority. Enterprise is the nation…

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Meeting Highlights: World War II Veteran Honored by Clayton Mayor, Aldermen

The Clayton Board of Aldermen met Tuesday night at City Hall.

An update on projects by the Clayton Century Foundation and details about a Shaw Park pavilion are among the items planned for discussion Tuesday by the Clayton Board of Aldermen. The following is a look at highlights from the meeting as it happened. An agenda overview published earlier. Ask a question or share thoughts by posting a comment to this article. REGULAR MEETING (PART 2): 7:51 P.M.: The aldermen have voted to return to closed session. 7:48 P.M.: Goldstein said she recently heard Clayton High School graduate Bob Fox speak about the importance of the immigrant community in the St. Louis region. Fox founded Casa de Salud. She and other mayors also will be meeting for an informational breakfast with Sen. John Lamping, R-St. Louis. 7…

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