Hertz Breaks Ground on Its Global Headquarters in Estero, Florida

State-of-the-art headquarters construction expected to be completed by 2015, leading to 700 jobs

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Nov 26, 2013, 12:33 ET

ESTERO, Fla., Nov. 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hertz Corporation (NYSE: HTZ) today held a groundbreaking ceremony for its state-of-the-art global headquarters to be located at the intersection of U.S. Route 41 and Williams Road in Estero, Florida. The project is expected to create an estimated 400 headquarter jobs to be filled locally, and approximately 300 positions to be filled by Hertz employees relocating to the Estero area upon its completion in 2015.

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Hertz Announces Worldwide Headquarters Campus Design: Building design reflects Hertz's global branding and mission to be 'employer of choice.' (PRNewsFoto/The Hertz Corporation) (PRNewsFoto/THE HERTZ CORPORATION)

"Florida is a global tourism epicenter, with more than 89 million visitors last year alone and almost one million Floridians employed in the industry. As the world's largest car rental company, we believe Southwest Florida is the perfect location for our worldwide headquarters," said Hertz Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mark P. Frissora. "We are gratified, as we commemorate the groundbreaking today, by the ongoing support and warm welcome from public officials at all levels and citizens throughout the region. We are already calling Southwest Florida our home and we will quickly become an important part of the community."

Dignitaries who attended the ceremony included Governor Rick Scott, Enterprise Florida President and CEO Gray Swoope, and Lee County Commission Chairman Larry Kiker and his immediate predecessor Cecil Pendergrass, all of whom were instrumental in bringing Hertz to Southwest Florida. During the ceremony, Governor Scott dedicated the American flag to Hertz as a symbol of the beginning of a long-term partnership and continued prosperity. The dedicated flag was flown over the Florida state capitol on Friday, November 15, 2013 to coincide with the governor's announcement that Florida had achieved a record third quarter for visits from travelers the world over.

As part of Hertz's rebranding efforts, the new headquarters building will apply best practices in sustainable design and construction to achieve LEED Gold certification – from energy-efficient lighting and equipment, and recycled building materials and finishes, to the installation of solar panels and water-saving fixtures. The building design will help Hertz create a best-in-class work environment for its employees.

For the project, Hertz has employed Turner Construction, a leader in sustainable construction that has been building in Florida for 105 years, as well as Gensler, the global leader in corporate headquarters design.

In May 2013, Hertz announced that it would move its global headquarters to Estero, Florida following its November 2012 acquisition of the Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group. Construction will begin on a site at the intersection of U.S. 41 and Williams Road in Estero, Florida. As of November 2013, Hertz established a temporary headquarter operations in Naples, Florida, while the Estero building is under construction.

About Hertz

Hertz Global Holdings, through its subsidiary The Hertz Corporation ("Hertz," the "Company" or "we"), operates its car rental business through the Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty brands from approximately 10,460 corporate, licensee and franchisee locations in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia, Australia, Africa, the Middle East and New Zealand. Hertz is the largest worldwide airport general use car rental brand, operating from approximately 8,960 corporate and licensee locations in approximately 150 countries. Our Dollar and Thrifty brands have approximately 1,500 corporate and franchisee locations in 85 countries. Our Hertz brand name is one of the most recognized in the world, signifying leadership in quality rental services and products. We are one of the only car rental companies that has an extensive network of company‑operated rental locations both in the United States and in all major European markets. We believe that we maintain the leading airport car rental brand market share, by overall reported revenues, in the United States and at 120 major airports in Europe where we have company‑operated locations and where data regarding car rental concessionaire activity is available. We believe that we also maintain the second largest market share, by overall reported revenues, in the off-airport car rental market in the United States. In our equipment rental business segment, we rent equipment through approximately 340 branches in the United States, Canada, France, Spain, China and Saudi Arabia, as well as through our international licensees. We and our predecessors have been in the car rental business since 1918 and in the equipment rental business since 1965. We also own Donlen Corporation, based in Northbrook, Illinois, which is a leader in providing fleet leasing and management services.