- Peter Holt
Infobox Celebrity
name = Peter M. Holt
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birth_date =1949 (Age 58)|birth_place =Peoria, Illinois
death_date =
death_place =
occupation =Owner ofSan Antonio Spurs , CEO ofHolt Cat
salary =
networth = profit $80 Million
spouse = Julianna Hawn Holt
website =
footnotes =
children =Peter M. Holt (born 1949 in Peoria,
Illinois ) is abusinessman . He is theCEO ofHOLT CAT , the largest Caterpillar dealership in theUnited States and chairman, CEO, and owner of Spurs Sports & Entertainment, which owns the 4-time NBA championSan Antonio Spurs , the
WNBA'sSan Antonio Silver Stars , the AHL'sSan Antonio Rampage , and theNBA Development League 'sAustin Toros .Life
Peter Holt is the great-grandson of
Benjamin Holt , who developed the first practical track-type tractor 100 years ago. The Holt family’s history in San Antonio began in1933 , when Peter’s great uncle, William K. "Bill" Holt, moved to San Antonio to start a Caterpillar dealership. He had no heirs, so Bill invited B.D. Holt (Peter’s father) to get involved in the business. In1961 , B.D. Holt moved to Corpus Christi and started his own Caterpillar dealership.Peter Holt, a
Peoria, Illinois native, lived inSan Antonio, Texas as a child before moving toCorpus Christi, Texas . After high school in Corpus Christi, Peter Holt went into theUnited States Army , serving two years, including a one-year tour of duty as an infantryman inVietnam . He ended his military duty as a Sergeant E5 with a Silver Star and threeBronze Stars for Valor and aPurple Heart for wounds received.Upon returning to the
United States , Holt went toCalifornia , working for an investment banking house and became involved in a bar and restaurant business. Holt rejoined his father in the Holt Companies in1983 in Corpus Christi. As president and CEO, Holt implemented a strategy to diversify the company’s markets, taking it from one of the smallest Caterpillar dealerships to the largest one in the country today. In September1987 , Peter and his father purchased Holt Machinery Co., in San Antonio, reuniting the original Caterpillar dealership that Bill Holt started in1933 . Holt would later expand the company's Texas presence by purchasing Darr Equipment Company of Dallas, the Caterpillar dealer for the DFW Metroplex.Not one for formalities and pretense, he set up offices in a San Antonio corporate headquarters building made of metal corrugated siding and dubbed "The Barn."
Business and the Spurs
Holt believes a values-based management philosophy, in which the community gains benefits from association with a company that is committed to proper business ethics. A company's responsibility leads to the company supporting community projects, leading to mutual benefit for the community and company. These values were one of the primary factors in Holt's
1993 decision to invest in the Spurs. His desire was to keep the team in San Antonio to help the community and vice-versa. He and his wife Julianna Hawn Holt are now the franchise’s principal owners.Holt and the Spurs later purchased other franchises – the
Austin Toros of theNBA Development League , theSan Antonio Rampage of theAmerican Hockey League , and the renamedSan Antonio Silver Stars of theWNBA . In each case, the team colors were changed to silver and black, the motif used by the Spurs.In the last several years, Holt has seen his "community project" succeed in extraordinary ways. In June
1999 , Holt joined with hundreds of thousands of Spurs faithful in celebrating the team’s firstNBA Championship . In order to keep the team in San Antonio, Holt led a successful effort to secure community support to build a new community arena, theAT&T Center . The new home to the Spurs and the San Antonio Livestock Exposition broke ground in August2000 and opened with the2002 season. Holt's Spurs secured three more championships in2003 ,2005 , and2007 . He is one of the few owners in the league that has gone over theluxury tax threshold to secure needed talent.With a long commitment to community service, Holt served as Chairman of the United Way of San Antonio and
Bexar County . He is a member of the World Presidents’ Organization, and is a trustee of the Palmer Drug Abuse Program. GovernorRick Perry appointed Holt as a commissioner of theTexas Department of Parks and Wildlife . A strong supporter of international trade, Holt is a board member ofFree Trade Alliance-San Antonio , as well as the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation. He also served as Chairman of the Board ofSt. Mary’s Hall , a private school in San Antonio, and is on the corporate board ofChase Bank-San Antonio .Holt plans on staying in San Antonio, and active in the Caterpillar business, looking forward to the possibility of welcoming his children into the family business.
Peter Holt was inducted to the
Texas Business Hall of Fame in2004 and information in this article was obtained from a short biography listed on their website [http://www.texasbusiness.org] .External links
* [http://www.nba.com/spurs/ San Antonio Spurs official web site]
* [http://www.holtcat.com/ Holt Caterpillar web site]
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