ST. LOUIS -- Enterprise Fleet Services, a full-service fleet management company for businesses with mid-size fleets, won the 2006 American Business Award for Best Support Organization. The award was announced June 12 at a dinner gala in New York City. Enterprise Fleet Services won the award for demonstrating exceptional teamwork in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina by focusing on taking care of employees displaced by the storm and serving the needs of local customer companies. Many were businesses that urgently needed replacement vehicles to help restore electric, plumbing and other vital relief and recovery services in the devastated areas. "With more than 1,200 nominations from companies of all sizes and virtually every industry, Enterprise Fleet Services is thrilled to be selected a winner," said Steve Bloom, senior vice president of Enterprise Fleet Services. "The credit for this award goes to the entire Enterprise Fleet Services team and their continuous dedication and commitment to providing exceptional customer service." In the aftermath of the disaster, in addition to establishing a toll-free hotline for displaced employees and maintaining all pay and benefits for employees affected by the storm, Enterprise's Emergency Assistance Program was offered to those suffering severe financial hardship and $1 million was donated to the American Red Cross' Hurricane Relief Fund through the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation. At the same time, internal teamwork and quickly improvised technology support enabled Enterprise Fleet Services to continue serving customers. With branches in New Orleans closed, phone lines to assist customers were redirected to the company's Houston office and approximately 15 employees from New Orleans were relocated to Houston. Together, both groups worked long hours, six days a week, for nearly 5 weeks. With no lead time, new technology modifications had to be developed to accommodate two different groups operating from a single computer system. Because Houston and New Orleans are in different groups, according to Enterprise's corporate structure of separate profit centers, each has distinct access for posting checks, paying bills, managing payroll and more importantly, acquiring new and replacement vehicles for customers. At corporate headquarters, Enterprise's IT department quickly rewrote and activated new internal codes for remote access for some of the most critical functions. The disaster also created an urgent need for vehicles. But replacement vehicles not only were in short supply, it was difficult to transport to them to New Orleans. Working collaboratively with Enterprise groups in Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia and many other locations, Enterprise utilized its extensive network of internal resources to locate and deliver replacement vehicles, replacing approximately 150 vehicles for customers in the first few weeks. Also known as The Stevies(TM), the American Business Award is a national, all-encompassing awards program that recognizes outstanding performance in the workplace in several categories. Enterprise Fleet Services was a finalist in the 2005 and 2004 American Business Awards programs. "The Stevie Award is one of the most coveted business honors in America," said Michael Gallagher, founder and president of The Stevie Awards. "Being a winner is an important achievement, because it means that independent judges have agreed that the company is worthy of national recognition." Enterprise Fleet Services, a division of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, is a full-service fleet management company for businesses with mid-size fleets. With 50 fully staffed offices nationwide, it supplies most makes and models of cars, light and medium duty trucks and service vehicles to businesses across the United States. Enterprise has been recognized with the Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) "Blue Seal of Excellence" award for nine consecutive years, an industry record. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.enterprise.com/fleets or call toll free 1-877-23-FLEET.