This year, San Antonio, Texas-based HOLT CAT, the largest Cat dealer in the United States, celebrates its 75th anniversary as a dealer for Caterpillar Inc. HOLT CAT began the celebration of this milestone with its customers and employees at 12 of its Texas-based store locations.
In June 1933, company founder William K. “Bill” Holt established Wm. K. Holt Machinery Co. in San Antonio, to serve as the Cat dealership for 60 south Texas counties. His first location, a small store at 1333 South Flores St., was staffed with only three employees. Bill Holt was the second son of Benjamin Holt, who is credited with developing the first practical track type tractor in 1904, which he named the Caterpillar.
“My great uncle started this dealership in 1933,” said HOLT CAT CEO Peter M. Holt.
“My father, B.D. Holt, is celebrating 60 years of service at Caterpillar and this dealership this year. The Holt family has deep roots in Texas. I grew up in San Antonio and Corpus Christi and joined my father’s dealership in 1983. Our partner, Caterpillar, provides superior products for us to distribute. We complement those products with a level of service and parts support that is unmatched in the industry. Our employees are guided by a set of core business values which ensure that we operate in an ethical manner with each other, with our customers and within the communities in which we live and work.”
Since its inception, HOLT CAT employees have provided Caterpillar products and service and built relationships with customers. Today, the company is one of the largest Caterpillar dealers in the world with more than 2,000 employees. HOLT CAT serves machine and engine customers from 20-plus locations, from the Red River to the Rio Grande.
HOLT CAT’s 800 service technicians support the large volume of Caterpillar machines and engines operating in its 118 county Texas territory.
Although HOLT CAT is primarily a Caterpillar distributor, it has fabricated its own line of land clearing tools and Spray King water tankers since the late 1940s. Using the company’s extensive machining and fabrication capabilities, HOLT CAT also designs and fabricate many unique equipment items for customers on a custom basis.
HOLT CAT sells Caterpillar equipment ranging from 5,000-lb. (2,260 kg) skid steer loaders to massive track-type tractors and off-highway trucks.
For more information, visit www.holtcat.com.
