William Lobeck
William E. Lobeck is co-founder of the Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation. An entrepreneur, he has a strong desire to help others break down the barriers of successfully launching their own businesses. He began his career in Norfolk, Virginia creating the first dealer repurchase program and established a special purpose leasing company which became significant financing components of the daily car rental industry.
In 1971, Lobeck became CEO of Dallas-based American International. During his tenure, the company grew from 18 offices to nearly 300 offices across the country. In 1981, Lobeck and partners purchased Thrifty Car Rental in Tulsa. Under Lobeck’s leadership the company’s profitability and growth led to a successful initial public offering in 1987.
Chrysler acquired Thrifty in 1989 and as CEO Lobeck formed Pentastar Transportation Group and acquired three additional car rental companies. In 1995, Lobeck together with his wife Kathy Taylor and partners acquired National Car Rental from General Motors. Lobeck then sold National to AutoNation, and he became president and CEO of AutoNation’s Rental Group. Lobeck retired from AutoNation in 1999.
In 2003, Lobeck and Cerberus Capital Management acquired the assets of Autonation car rental, bringing them out of bankruptcy as Vanguard Car Rental USA and moved the headquarters to Tulsa. The company became one of the industry’s most financially successful companies. In 2007, Lobeck and partners sold Vanguard to Enterprise Rent-A-Car.
Lobeck has served on the Boards of Nordam, a Tulsa based aviation and aerospace company, Legal Shield, a provider of legal services, the Board of the Philbrook Museum of Art and a Trustee of the University of Tulsa. Lobeck has been inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame, the TU Business Hall of Fame as Outstanding Business Leader and the Old Dominion University Entrepreneurial Hall of Fame. He holds an Honorary Doctorate Degree from the Old Dominion University.
He enjoys every opportunity to spend time sailing, cruising in one of his classic cars, relaxing at home with pets, Chieftain and Lola, or traveling with family and friends.
Kathy Taylor
Kathy Taylor co-founded the Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation in 1997.
Working her way through college after losing her parents, she experienced firsthand the stress of financial instability, an experience which has guided her work. After a career in law and business, she served as Oklahoma’s Secretary of Commerce, Tourism and Workforce Development. In 2006 she was elected Mayor of Tulsa. She focused on reviving downtown Tulsa through the completion of the award-winning BOK Center and developed a public/private partnership to build a new multi-sports venue for the Tulsa Drillers. She launched the city’s first entrepreneur business competition and led the city through the worst recession in 70 years.
Kathy served on the Board of Sonic Corporation, until its $2.3 billion sale to Inspire Brands in 2018. She has served on the board of Reading Partners, a literacy organization for children. She is co-founder of ImpactTulsa, a nonprofit aimed at improving education outcomes. She serves on the board of 36 Degrees North, Tulsa’s basecamp for entrepreneurs and on the advisory board of StitchCrew, a business accelerator. In 2020, she became a founding member of VEST, a network of C-suite women working together to expedite the pathways for women in positions of influence.
She has been honored by numerous state and local groups including the 2018 Anna C. Roth Legacy Award from YWCA Tulsa, the inaugural Order of the Owl from the OU Oklahoma College of Law, the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame, University of Tulsa College of Law Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma City Public Schools Wall of Fame, the Tulsa Historical Society and the Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice.
Kathy enjoys spending time with family and friends – and is frequently seen playing with her grandchildren. Fun follows her everywhere she goes whether sailing, painting, gardening and traveling, cataloging many cooking classes along the way.