It Only Hertz When Enterprise Laughs

Tough luck: First, Shannon J. O'Donnell nearly totaled her 1986 Cadillac on Nov. 9. Then she discovered that her insurance company provides just $20 a day to pay for a replacement rental. Turns out $20 was enough. Enterprise Rent-A-Car Co. delivered a 1995 Ford Taurus to her suburban Chicago driveway the same day, and O'Donnell signed the rental papers in her kitchen.

A car-rental outfit that makes house calls? That's just one secret behind the rapid growth of St. Louis-based Enterprise, the privately held company that shook up the industry in late November when Auto Rental News named it No.1 in the U.S.--bigger than Hertz Corp. The trade publication based its rankings on the size of Enterprise's fleet (232,000 vs. Hertz's 215,000) and the number of office locations (2,000 vs. 1,175).