35
YEARS Lawrence Pudlowski, (Senior Vice-President) and Darren Currie, the President and CEO
The Calmont Group: 35 Years of Driving Success By Nerissa McNaughton
T
he year was 1966. Lawrence Pudlowski was fresh out of school and had put in a couple of years working for PepsiCo when he figured there had to be a better way of life. He answered an ad for Avis Truck Rentals and joined the franchise. It wasn’t long before Pudlowski and his franchise partners looked up at the Avis banner and had the same thought, “why are we paying for the use of the Avis name when we could run a truck rental company on our own?” With that thought, the partners sold their Avis franchise and the Calmont Group was born. The name, Calmont, is derived from Calgary to Montreal; the franchise locations (Edmonton, Calgary and Montreal) of the original Avis Truck Rental company. As for Pudlowski, this original business partner is still fully active in senior management and cites Calmont as “the only job I’ve really had.” “It’s an exciting business,” Pudlowski says as he reflects on the many years and changes he has seen at the Calmont Group. “You look forward to coming to work because you know some-
thing is going to happen, and it’s usually something good.” Something good indeed. What started out as a modest light truck rental business with a fleet of 25 units has grown to a massive enterprise with over 2000 rental and leasing units. Approximately 1400 of those units are rented or leased from Calmont’s headquarters in Edmonton, which operates from the original business site at 14610 Yellowhead Trail. It is from this Edmonton location that Calmont has grown, changed and adapted into the success it is today. The Calmont Group provides financing and leasing of company trucks and cars, service vehicle leasing, short-term leasing, daily rentals, trucking fleet sales, and a parts and service department that includes complete maintenance, top repair stations, and emergency roadside assistance. Calmont’s sleeper, day cab, straight truck and shunt truck fleets have the latest technology for commercial transport rental and leasing needs across Canada.