Advantage Launches National Corp. Sales Effort, Taps Thunell

San Antonio-based Advantage Rent A Car today is rolling out a nationwide corporate program aimed at small- and medium-sized businesses, one day after announcing the appointment of Bob Thunell as vice president of sales.

Thunell started at Advantage on May 1, after previously serving as staff vice president of sales at Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, where he worked for 22 years. He will be based out of Minneapolis and will report to executive vice president Mary Jane Wells.

"Advantage has been fairly aggressive on a city-by-city basis, but as far as rolling out programs that affect nationwide travelers, at least within the Advantage network, this is really the first time that corporate programs have been rolled out to impact the entire base of Advantage locations," Thunell said. "We're being very aggressive in the corporate market."

The program will provide a combination of rates and benefits based on annual volume commitments. "It's designed for the small and medium-sized companies that are looking to save money and take advantage of the network of Advantage locations," he said.

The company also is looking at developing an online program targeted toward smaller businesses that offer predetermined rates.