Eric Zhang of Naperville receives Enterprise Holdings Scholarship to attend Washington University in St. Louis

2012 Jul 23

Eric Zhang, son of Liqun and Zhiyi Zhang of Naperville, Ill. (60504), recently was named an Enterprise Holdings Scholar at Washington University in St. Louis. Zhang, a 2012 graduate of Naperville Central High School in Naperville, Ill., will be a freshman at the university when the fall semester begins Aug. 28.

While in high school, Zhang served as an officer in the French Club and was a four-year varsity member of Science Olympiad. Zhang has volunteered at a local hospital and a nearby Chinese school.

Zhang's scholarship is made possible by Enterprise Holdings, operating the Alamo Rent A Car, National Car Rental, as well as the Enterprise Rent-A-Car brands. Enterprise Holdings has provided $50 million to Washington University over the past 11 years to help the university "develop the best and brightest minds from all segments of our society."

Scholars are selected on the basis of academic merit, leadership skills and a commitment to community service. The Enterprise Holdings Scholars Program makes it possible for approximately 60 to 80 exceptionally talented students from across America to attend Washington University each year.

The Enterprise Holdings scholars are recognized at a dinner in their honor during the school year.

About Washington University in St. Louis

Washington University is counted among the world's leaders in teaching and research, and it draws students and faculty to St. Louis from all 50 states and more than 110 nations. The total student body is nearly 14,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students.

The approximately 3,400 faculty teach in seven schools: Arts & Sciences, Brown School, Olin Business School, Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, School of Engineering & Applied Science, School of Law and School of Medicine. Twenty-three Nobel laureates have been associated with Washington University, with nine doing the major portion of their pioneering research there.

The university offers more than 90 programs and almost 1,500 courses leading to bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in a broad spectrum of traditional and interdisciplinary fields, with additional opportunities for minor concentrations and individualized programs.

About Enterprise Holdings

Founded in 1957, Enterprise Holdings is the most comprehensive service provider in the car rental industry, operating - through its regional subsidiaries - the Alamo Rent A Car and National Car Rental brands as well as its flagship Enterprise Rent-A-Car brand in North America.

Enterprise Holdings' worldwide network includes more than 7,700 neighborhood and airport locations, with 6,000 offices located within 15 miles of 90 percent of the U.S. population - and more than twice as many locations as Enterprise Holdings' nearest U.S. competitor.

With annual revenues of $14.1 billion and more than 70,000 employees, Enterprise Holdings owns and operates more than 1.2 million cars and trucks, making it the largest car rental company in the world measured by revenue, employees and fleet. For more information about St. Louis-based Enterprise Holdings, visit www.enterpriseholdings.com.

Ranked No. 15 on the Forbes "Top 500 Private Companies in America" list, Enterprise Holdings is owned by the Taylor family and headquartered in St. Louis. Enterprise Holdings and its affiliates offer business and retail customers a total transportation solution, which includes hourly rental, car leasing, WeCar car sharing and Enterprise Rideshare vanpooling programs, as well as the Enterprise Car Sales, Enterprise Commercial Trucks and Enterprise Fleet Management business lines.

Andrew C. Taylor, chairman and chief executive officer of Enterprise Holdings, is a Washington University trustee. His father, Jack C. Taylor, who founded Enterprise in 1957, attended Washington University and is an emeritus trustee of the university.

The Taylor family initiated a $25-million scholarship gift in 2001 - which at the time was the largest to date for undergraduate scholarships - to support "a world-class university located in Enterprise's hometown of St. Louis."

Jack C. Taylor gave Washington University an additional $25 million in March 2011 for undergraduate scholarships on behalf of the company. The gift has been added to the existing endowed scholarship fund that Enterprise Holdings established in 2001.