Rob W. is 28 years into his Enterprise career, yet every day he comes to work excited about the challenges and opportunities ahead.
Rob has good reason to be excited – he recently made the move from Southwest Florida, where he was General Manager, to Enterprise Corporate Headquarters in St. Louis, where he now serves as Corporate Vice President of Northeast Operations.
If there’s one thing Rob has learned over the course of his robust career, it’s that in order to grow, you need to get out of your comfort zone. We recently sat down with Rob to learn how he tackles new challenges and get his perspective on the business.
What excites you most about your new role?
I’m excited to work with such a large group of diverse employees who make up Northeast operations. Being in St. Louis is also a fantastic opportunity to work alongside Enterprise’s senior leaders. They inspire me, and I’m certain they will challenge me to find new ways to help build on the past successes of the Northeast team.
What are your thoughts on leadership, and what advice would you give to aspiring managers?
Leaders remain in constant service to others. By that I mean, effective leaders put the interest of their team ahead of their own. They do this by learning to approach challenges with a unique holistic vision – not only looking at the immediate impact of a decision, but about how it affects the whole team.
As employees look to take on manager roles, I encourage them to get out of their comfort zone and be open to the possibility of a move. I can attest from firsthand experience, taking on an opportunity in a new city is an incredible experience. It can be unnerving to take that first leap. But once you do, you realize your Enterprise family will always be there to welcome and support you.
Tell us about your Enterprise career path.
I began my career as a Management Trainee in Southern California. After several promotions in California, I took on a new challenge as Area Manager in the Toronto Group. I was then promoted to City Manager in the South Central Group. After five years in that role, I headed to the Southwest Florida team as Group Rental Manager. I was later promoted to Regional Vice President of the South Florida Group. In 2005, I took on the role of VP/GM back in the Southwest Florida Group. In October, I enthusiastically accepted the role of Corporate Vice President of Northeast Operations.
What’s something people might not know about you?
This might come as a surprise having spent a good deal of time in Southern California and Florida – I’m an avid snowboarder. One of my favorite places to snowboard is the Interior of British Columbia.