Interview: Carl Ortell, CEO, Holman Enterprises

Carl Ortell

CEO Holman Enterprises

How is Holman helping its clients navigate today’s challenging landscape?

It goes without saying that the pandemic has fundamentally changed the way many organizations conduct business and we certainly weren’t immune to the pandemic’s impact. Fortunately, our organization was well prepared to overcome many of the shortterm challenges and we remain in a strong position for sustained growth. However, as we emerge from the pandemic, this continued recovery will be a particular area of focus for our entire Holman family of businesses.

From a business perspective, we remain focused on helping both our B2B and B2C customers navigate this time of unparalleled uncertainty. Our truly unique perspective of the entire automotive landscape and ability to leverage the competencies of our various businesses continue to be a key differentiator for Holman. Whether that means offering creative solutions to retail customers who are shopping for their next vehicle during this time of unprecedented demand or working with fleet operators to adjust their strategies to align with the new realities of their business, we welcome the opportunity to travel the road ahead together.

What is Holman’s economic impact on the South Jersey community?

Among the core tenets of our corporate philosophy is an unwavering commitment to supporting and making a meaningful contribution to the communities in which we live and work. That being said, I couldn’t be prouder of Holman’s economic and social impact on the South Jersey community – a place we’ve called home for nearly a century.

Today, we employ nearly 3,000 individuals throughout the region and provide automotive services to countless others. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t touch on our philanthropy and community service, which continue to be fundamental to who we are as an organization.

New Jersey’s main power sources in 2019 were natural gas and nuclear power.

( ) location, companies often look to infrastructure as a barometer of a region’s attractiveness. Strong public transport, commuter links and proximity to efficient airports is often sought after. In South Jersey, the transit and transport systems have been highlighted as a potential barrier to future economic growth, according to the Southern New Jersey Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) for 2020-2025. South Jersey has historically been isolated from the rest of the state and the greater Philadelphia area by a lack of four-lane or interstate highways. Public transport links are sparse and the NJT Route 553 bus from Bridgeton to Atlantic City is one of the most active transit lines in the entire NJ Transit system, highlighting high unmet demand.

Another area highlighted for improvement is the Jersey Shore’s prolific boardwalks, which are in need of replacement and repair so the region remains an

Kris Singh

President & CEO – Holtec International

New Jersey can be the headquarters of small modular reactors (SMRs), the hub for innovation and supplier to the world. Each SMR costs about $1 billion. The worldwide demand for SMRs is estimated to be 3,000 right now, or $3 trillion. Just imagine the effect supplying that demand would have on the local economy. It is very possible to produce a great bulk of the equipment out of our New Jersey plant if the state government appropriately participates in the growth. We believe the cost of nuclear energy through SMRs will compete favorably with natural gas. The new generation of nuclear power will be competitive even with natural gas at $7 per million BTU.

attractive tourist destination. According to the CEDS, “the region lacks infrastructure in the places most attractive to the growth industries of the present and future. This includes broadband and internet connections which are so vital to the communications industry and all sectors of business as well as limited access to public water and sewer in many areas of the region.”

This year, President Joe Biden is pushing for a $973 billion infrastructure deal, which could see an upgrade in key infrastructure across the country. The American Jobs Plan aims to build new rail corridors and transit lines, ease congestion, cut pollution, slash commute times, and open up investment in communities that can be connected to the cities. The administration has shown interest in improving rail connectivity, allocating $80 billion to Amtrak, which could go some way to beginning the Gateway Program – the planned expansion of the system between Newark, New Jersey and New York City.

Regionally, there are more new projects in the pipeline. The New Jersey Department of Transport recently announced $30.1 million in funding for improvements that will facilitate heavy-truck traffic to ease logistics. In its green roadmap, the Murphy administration has also detailed plans to turn the entire bus fleet green in the next 20 years. An intermodal New York-New Jersey port-rail project is progressing, with Waverly Loop scheduled to open at the end of 2021. The next step is to build a light rail line between Glassboro and Camden, providing South Jersey residents a direct route into Philadelphia’s metro area. At the end of 2020, the governor also announced the state would replace two bridges and resurface Route 27/Dehart Place to ease traffic flows. Climate change As a coastal community, South Jersey is particularly vulnerable to sea level rises, storms and flooding. Although 2020 saw a relatively mild storm season, eight coastal flooding events occurred along the Atlantic City coast, caused by smaller winter storms. These storms were rated minor or moderate yet still caused flooding, indicating a worrying rise in sea levels, according to experts at the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium.

With a more active season expected in 2021, this could be costly for the state, with costs for dune fencing and dune damage repair reaching $600,000 per event. In April this year, the state released its State of New Jersey Climate Change Resiliency Strategy, which outlined 125 actions across six policy areas that must be implemented to counteract the effects of climate change.

In January 2020, Murphy unveiled New Jersey’s Energy Master Plan, which sets out strategies to reach the goal of 100% clean energy generation by 2050. Infrastructure is a key component of the plan with goals including the electrification of transportation systems, ( )