What brought an accountant to lead one of the largest vanpool operations in the nation?
Perseverance, energy and a desire to win.
Always up for expanding his comfort zone, Mike M.’s more than 20-year Enterprise career took an exciting turn last year when he was named Vice President of Commute, the division of the company that offers sustainable transportation options and cost-effective solutions to commuters across the U.S.
Like many who work at Enterprise, Mike had the opportunity to take his career in a whole new direction. He was excited to take the developing position and help shape the future of Commute with Enterprise, a business that now takes 67,000 individual cars off the road and reduces 1.1 billion pounds of carbon emissions annually.
Formerly Enterprise Rideshare, Commute with Enterprise was founded in 1994 and operates 11,300 vanpools in 45 states. One of Mike’s first tasks was overseeing the successful rebranding efforts of the business to Commute with Enterprise last November.
We asked Mike about his career path and what has him excited about the future.
It’s been nearly a year since the division’s rebranding to Commute. How are things going?
Commute had a “van-tastic” year! Along with the rebranding, we launched a new website and introduced our first ever mobile application. The promote-from-within philosophy at Enterprise enables us to hire team members who are already trained and knowledgeable about our industry. We’re staffing to grow the business quickly across the U.S., which in turn grows the careers of our employees.
What has you excited about Commute?
Everything! There are so many opportunities in front of us. The mobility space is moving at a rapid pace and commuting challenges are only becoming more prevalent. A Commute vanpool program has the unique ability to help with these challenges.
The concept of a commuting benefit – through employer subsidies or other pre-tax benefits – is gaining momentum in the U.S. This will only increase the use of our services. We have several projects in the works to evolve the vanpool offering to be more personal and flexible, and we are evaluating international expansion opportunities.
What are your thoughts on leadership, and what advice would you give new managers?
Leadership starts with leading by example and staying close to your team. Be visible. Make time to talk to your team to get to know them and better understand their challenges and opportunities. You can learn so much about your business from your team. It’s also about the little things! A high five for a job well done, positive reinforcement when things are not going well or a simple and sincere, “Thanks for all you do,” goes a long way.
What is your Enterprise Career path?
I began my career in 1996 as a staff accountant in South Florida. I was soon promoted to Regional Business Manager, overseeing the finances for our business in the Miami area. I then crossed the state to the Southwest Florida region in 2000. After four great years there, I made my way to St. Louis as a Corporate Business Manager for the North Central team and later to Vice President of Business Management for the West Coast team. In 2018 I was presented the unique opportunity to shift to the operations side of the business as Vice President of Commute.
What is something people might not know about you?
I recently completed my first (and last…) half Ironman triathlon. It was the hardest thing I have ever done, but one of the most rewarding. I believe challenging yourself to do things you never thought you could do is awesome. Now all the focus is on my golf game!
