Company Overview
Avis Car Rental and its subsidiaries operate one of the world’s best-known car rental brands with approximately 5,450 locations in more than 165 countries. Avis has a long history of innovation in the car rental industry and is one of the world’s top brands for customer loyalty. Avis is owned by Avis Budget Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CAR), which operates and licenses the brand throughout the world.
Quick History
Founded in 1946 by Warren Avis (who sold his interest in 1954), Avis was the first company to rent cars from airport locations. The company grew rapidly during the 1950’s through franchised and corporate-owned expansion. In 1963, Avis introduced the award-winning “We try harder®” campaign and the tagline remains the company’s rallying cry even today. Ten years later, Avis launched its innovative Wizard system, the company’s proprietary reservation technology. Avis changed ownership multiple times in the 70’s and 80’s, becoming employee-owned in 1987. That same year, Avis introduced the Roving Rapid Return, a handheld computer terminal allowing customers to bypass the Avis counter. Two years later, the company launched Avis Cares® a program aimed at promoting renter and employee safety. In 1996, HFS Incorporated acquired Avis and then spun off as a separate public company all but the franchising rights, Wizard system, and reservation operations. In 2000, the company introduced Avis Interactive, the first Internet-based reporting system in the car rental industry, which was significantly enhanced and re-launched in 2006. In March 2001, Cendant Corporation purchased all of the outstanding shares of Avis Group Holdings and later that year moved its world headquarters to Parsippany, NJ. In 2006, Cendant Corp. separated into four independent companies: Realogy, Wyndham Worldwide, Travelport and Avis Budget Group, Inc., which is now the parent company of Avis Rent a Car System, LLC.
AVIS MISSION & VALUES
Read what Avis is all about!
“We will lead our industry by defining service excellence and building unmatched customer loyalty.”
“We will ensure a stress-free car rental experience by providing superior services that cater to our customers’ individual needs…always conveying the ‘We Try Harder®’ spirit with knowledge, caring and a passion for excellence.”
- We will honor all commitments to our customers, employees and shareholders.
- We will conduct business with unwavering high standards of honesty, trust, professionalism and ethical behavior.
- We will communicate openly and frequently, sharing what we know, when we know it.
Respect for the Individual
- We will treat each person with whom we work with respect, professionalism and dignity.
- We will communicate expectations to employees, and provide honest and timely feedback on performance.
- We will embrace a diversity of ideas, cultures, ethnicities, and backgrounds to enhance our promise and value to customers.
- We will provide career development opportunities for employees who show initiative, and performance results to help them individually manage their careers to maximize their potential.
Quality
- We will place the interests of our customers first.
- We will be dedicated to providing an individualized rental experience that assures customer satisfaction and earns the unwavering loyalty of our customers
- We will ensure that the “We Try Harder®” philosophy underlies everything we do and shines through in our service to customers.
Teamwork
- We will work as one cohesive team from the smallest unit to the organization as a whole.
- We will develop and retain leaders who continually raise the bar, provide direction, remove barriers and empower people to successfully accomplish goals.
- We will maintain a caring and supportive work environment that fosters a sharing of ideas, skills and resources.
Growth and Profitability
- We will be dedicated to continuous innovation and pursue new ideas and opportunities to accelerate profitable growth.
- We will deliver value in all we do to assure consistently high returns to our shareholders.
- We will recognize and reward excellent performance, which drives superior results.
Community Responsibility
- We will be active participants in our communities and encourage employee involvement in civic and charitable activities.
- We will be role model business leaders in the countries and communities in which we operate.
- We will develop and implement business practices consistent with safeguarding the environment.