Warren Avis—business
Birth
Warren Edward Avis, businessman: born Bay City, Michigan 4 August 1915; twice married (two sons, one daughter); died Ann Arbor, Michigan 24 April 2007.
http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article2488787.ece
Education
Warren Edward Avis was born at Bay City, Michigan, on August 4 1915, and educated at a local high school.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/new...
Work
Warren Edward Avis was born at Bay City, Michigan, on August 4 1915, and educated at a local high school. ... He is survived by his second wife, Yanna Elbim, a French-born former actress and nightclub chanteuse whom he married in 1981, and by three children of his first marriage.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/new...
Avis Rent A Car, Warren Avis passed away at the age of 92. He was an innovator and entrepreneur who left an indelible mark in American business as the founder of Avis Rent A Car. He died of natural causes at his home in Ann Arbor, Michigan. ... He started with two employees and fewer than 200 cars. Avis said he got the idea for the business when he was a pilot and was unable to find ground transportation at airports. Avis became the nation's first company to rent cars at airport locations.
http://www.avis.co.uk/AboutAvis/Latest-News
To travellers everywhere, Avis is familiar as one of the world's biggest names in car rental, an airport fixture as humdrum - albeit handy - as Burger King or Sunglass Hut. Yet few now will know what an innovator Warren Avis was. He founded his company in December 1946 as Avis Airlines Rent-A-Car Systems. His frequent exasperation at the long wait for a taxi at airports gave him the then-novel idea for a car-hire company that was based at terminals, rather than in city centres. His first was at the Willow Run airport in Ypsilanti, Detroit, with a fleet of three cars; the second was in Miami, Florida.
http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article2488787.ece
Warren Avis, the US founder of Avis Rent A Car, died yesterday. He was 92. A decorated bomber pilot with the US Army Air Corps in World War II, Avis formed his car rental company in 1946 at airports in Miami and Ypsilanti, Michigan, with an investment of $US85,000 ($A102,000). Avis said he got the idea for the business when he was a pilot and could not find ground transportation once he arrived at airports. Avis built what became the world's largest car rental system until it was overtaken by Hertz after years of ferocious competition. Avis sold his interest in the business for $US8 million in 1954. The company is now Avis Rent A Car System LLC and is part of Parsippany, New Jersey-based Avis Budget Group Inc. Avis died of natural causes at his farm in Ann Arbor Michigan with his wife, Yanna, at his side, his family said.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/travel/us-car-rental-pioneer-dies/2007/0...
Warren Avis, a canny entrepreneur who was the first to build a car rental agency around the clientele from airports, died yesterday.
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/obituaries/articles/2007/04/25/warren...
Warren Avis, a pilot who started the first car rental business with airport locations because he couldn't find ground transportation at airport, died Tuesday at the age of 92 at his Michigan home. Avis founded the company in 1946 with locations in Miami and Ypsilanti, Mich. He sold the business for $8 million in 1954 and continued as an entrepreneur with ventures that included high-tech electronics, sporting goods, real estate and business management. He wrote seven books; "Take a Chance to Be First," was the story of Avis Rent A Car, which is now part of the newly created Avis Budget Group.
http://www.modernagent.com/Resources/Editorial.aspx?n=24678
Warren Avis opened the first Avis car rental location at Willow Run Airport in Detroit which was also the first car rental operation ever at an airport location. Warren Avis sold his interest in 1954 and during the 50s the company grew rapidly through franchised and corporate owned expansion.
http://www.carhireworldwide.net/car-hire-avis.html
