(COLUMBIA, Mo., AP) – A St. Louis-based rental car company has announced a $2 million gift to the University of Missouri.
The donation from Enterprise Holdings Foundation, the philanthropic arm of St. Louis-based Enterprise car-rental company, will fund research related to biofuels, biomass and energy efficiency, The Columbia Daily Tribune reported.
Missouri Chancellor Brady Deaton said the money will be used to create an endowment “to support the work of our sustainable energy initiative,” a core component of the Mizzou Advantage effort to promote cross-disciplinary collaboration.
“We are truly looking toward this fundamental aspect of sustainability globally in all that we are doing,” Deaton said.
Enterprise Holdings, which owns Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands, was founded in 1957 by St. Louis native Jack Taylor. He named the company after the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier, which Taylor served on during World War II.
The company has more than 74,000 employees, and more than 600 of those, including several senior executives, are Missouri alumni.
Carolyn Kindle, executive director of Enterprise Holdings Foundations, said the company’s ability to provide support to institutions and efforts that matter have increased as the company has grown.
“We hope our gift . will truly make a difference,” Kindle said.