DES PLAINES, Ill. and ALPHARETTA, Ga. and HAMILTON, Bermuda, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Following the previously announced LeasePlan USA and Wheels Donlen merger under Athene, the company today announced that they will brand the combined organization as Wheels.
The new Wheels brand builds on the shared history of all three legacy organizations as leaders in fleet management and mobility, while leveraging the strong brand recognition of the Wheels name. Each company has many contributions and history within the industry, always putting clients at the heart of everything they do.
Although the name Wheels remains, this is a New Wheels which builds upon:
- Wheels strong, established reputation for reliable service with their history as a pioneer in the fleet leasing and management industry
- Donlen’s dynamic creativity—the ability to reimagine what’s possible and the ambition to “get it done”
- LeasePlan’s innovation and passion—a commitment to take the initiative and make the difference for customers
CEO Shlomo Crandus said: “We’re thrilled to unify our three organizations into one cohesive business under the new Wheels brand. We approached the branding process with careful consideration, utilizing both internal and external resources to establish a clear vision for the new organization. Our primary focus is on providing exceptional mobility management services for our clients to ensure they are successful.”
The new Wheels is a corporate fleet mobility leader, with greater scale, enhanced investment capacity and differentiated capabilities to better serve clients globally. The combined company manages more than 800,000 vehicles, has $7 billion of assets in the US and Canada, more than 1,900 employees and (through its global alliance with ALD) serves customers in 59 countries worldwide. The company also maintains a partnership with LeasePlan Corporation to support the needs of multinational customers. Wheels' announcement of a new name and brand does not entail any major changes to the day-to-day interactions and experiences of clients, drivers, and supplier partners, at least in the short term. While the Wheels name will begin to appear on corporate websites, advertisements, and select areas, the company does not anticipate any significant operational changes during this stage of the transition.
President Matt Dyer said: “What people can expect from the new Wheels is a company with added capabilities that is even better positioned to offer great customer service, a partnership approach, a wider set of solutions and a commitment to innovative thinking and new products during a dynamic period for the fleet and mobility sector. Our commitment to our clients success has not changed – we will continue to put customers at the heart of everything we do to keep their businesses moving forward. This includes the wide range of services and tools we offer to drivers so they can stay safely on the road delivering for their business. As our new tagline states; Together Let’s Go Far.”
About Wheels
Wheels is one of the largest and most reputable fleet management companies in North America, leveraging over 180 years of combined industry expertise through the unified strengths of three established organizations: Wheels, Donlen and LeasePlan USA. The newly formed Wheels is a global leader with a team of dedicated fleet professionals who are passionate about advising clients on how to make their fleets safer, eco-friendly, more productive and cost efficient. With more than 800,000 vehicles under management and $7B in assets in the US and Canada, we serve a diverse range of customers, from small businesses to Fortune 100 companies. In global partnership with ALD Automotive and LeasePlan Corporation, we provide services in 59 countries. For additional information, please visit www.wheels.com.
About Athene
Athene, through its subsidiaries, is a leading financial services company specializing in retirement services with total assets of $246 billion as of December 31, 2022 and operations in the United States, Bermuda, Canada, and Japan. Athene specializes in helping its customers achieve financial security and is a solutions provider to institutions. Founded in 2009, Athene is Driven to Do More for our policyholders, business partners, shareholders, and the communities in which we work and live. For more information, please visit www.athene.com
| Wheels | |
| Kevin Riley | Frans Mahieu |
| Vice President, Marketing | Director of Marketing |
| kriley@donlen.com | frans.mahieu@leaseplan.com |
| Athene | |
| Kelly Woerdehoff | |
| AVP, Corporate Communications | |
| kwoerdehoff@athene.com |
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fe571528-169f-427d-bdbd-310744ebbfb0
