Enterprise has a rich and distinctive heritage. It's a truly remarkable story of how entrepreneurship, hard work and a big dream can turn a tiny start-up into a world-class company.
Today, Enterprise employs nearly 6,000 military veterans and reservists. However, the story begins with our founder, Jack Taylor. Born in our company's home town of St. Louis in 1922, Jack heeded his country's call after the attack on Pearl Harbor drew the United States into World War II. In 1942, he enlisted and served as a decorated WWII Hellcat pilot in the skies over the South Pacific.
Then, like so many others of the "Greatest Generation," Jack returned home to raise his family and start a business. Lessons learned in the Navy – including the values of integrity, hard work, team spirit and simply doing the right thing – helped shape his personality. They also made their mark on the company he founded in 1957, and that his family owns to this day.
USS Enterprise
As Jack's company grew, the Navy veteran expanded operations into new markets and named the company after an aircraft carrier on which he had served, the World War II USS Enterprise. The ship was the most decorated vessel in the U.S. Navy fleet before its decommissioning in 2012. The Secretary of the U.S. Navy has since announced the Enterprise name will live on as the official moniker for the CVN -80, the next nuclear aircraft carrier to be constructed. This marks the ninth time the U.S. Navy will have a ship called Enterprise in its fleet.