I’m a VP Whose Job Can be Unpredictable, But the Support of the Women Around Me Is Constant

When Regional Vice President of Enterprise Holdings, Joy Fiasconaro, talks to new employees on their first day of work, she stresses the importance of finding a mentor or coach of their choosing. “I explain how passionate I feel about helping them expand their network and develop a strong support system,” Fiasconaro tells us. “I do this not because it is required but because it helped me become successful.”

Reflecting on her own career, Fiasconaro notes that she cannot emphasize enough how important female mentorship was for her professional career and life — both as a mentee and now as a mentor. Mentorship “is a process that expands in both directions, a true win-win and something worth prioritizing,” she says. “One of our company’s founding values is, ‘Our Doors Are Always Open,’ and the mentorship program reflects that.”            

This value of unconditional support is reflected beyond the mentorship program and extends throughout the entire company, too. At Enterprise Holdings, women “are blessed to have so many different resources to help us develop and evolve into strong leaders,” shares Fiasconaro. For her part, she wants to make sure that she’s an outlet other women can connect to on a personal and professional level. As she knows from personal experience, it’s imperative to have support when life throws you challenges. 

“In 2010, as I was excelling in my Area Manager role, I was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer,” Fiasconaro says. “I had a fantastic support system, not only at home but with my Enterprise family, too. I never wanted cancer to change my life or deter the advancement of my career. During this difficult time, I used work as my outlet. After two years of treatment, chemotherapy, multiple surgeries, and radiation, I was cancer-free.”

Since then, she’s told her story to many women who are also fighting breast cancer or facing difficult life situations. “We need to utilize and lean on each other during difficult times as well as for support after the battle is won,” Fiasconaro tells us. “You will learn how resilient you are, that you are not alone, and that you have support. One of the hardest things for many women to do is to reach out and ask for help, but you’ll be amazed by how a strong network of women will stand by you and fight and support you along your journey. Just lending an ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on, or a smile, is an infectious gesture that might help someone more than you know.”

Here, Fiasconaro tells us more about her work, career growth, how she forms and utilizes such strong support systems, and more.

To start, can you tell us about your job?

I work for Enterprise Holdings and was promoted to Regional Vice President, overseeing the Wilmington, North Carolina area, in June 2022. My region has approximately 9,500 cars and consists of seven cities and five airports. Geographically, the region is widespread, covering the cities of Wilmington, Greenville, and Fayetteville as well as the eastern coast of North Carolina, including the Outer Banks. 

One of the most enjoyable aspects of my day-to-day life is that it’s rarely predictable. It’s energizing to be in the field with my team, to interact, to train, and to develop each employee. It’s extremely important to be visible and accessible to engage and motivate each member of the team to continue to advance their career. 

Some of my job responsibilities are overseeing our region, group, and company’s initiatives, such as growth (fleet planning), customer service, and revenue and cost control — all of which drive the businesses’ overall performance. When I remain in the regional office, I meet with my department heads, conduct interviews, facilitate training classes, and handle concerns that may arise.  

How have you grown to where you are today?

Ever since my professional journey began in 2001 as a Management Trainee and Management Assistant, I’ve taken a variety of roles in cities across the country — all of which lead up to my current position as a Regional Vice President.

It would be impossible to achieve my present position without personally maturing and increasing my business sense. Every promotion requires you to increase your knowledge and “big picture” mentality. New challenges present themselves at each level, but working through them builds confidence, experience, and an overall sense of accomplishment and achievement.  

Our company certainly supports women’s careers, and watching us expand the female presence in upper management has been a motivating factor for advancing my career. Having a woman president/CEO, Chrissy Taylor, leading our company is incredibly inspiring, not only to myself as an officer of the company but as an incentive to the new female hires starting their careers with Enterprise Holdings. Being a female leader is an honor, a privilege, and a responsibility. That responsibility is something I learned through the help and guidance provided to me by other women in my career. Everyone hits a wall at some point in their career, and having the support, mentorship, and leadership to help them through the tough times is key to getting back on track. 

What career move are you most proud of?

My recent promotion to Regional Vice President is the career move that makes me most proud. Being an officer in the company has been a long-term career goal of mine since I started in Connecticut, and accomplishing it is extremely rewarding.        

What are your top five tips on how other women can help advance the careers of those around them?

1. Share your knowledge

2. Be a mentor

3. Lead by example

4. Be accessible

5. Be trustworthy

Do you have any books, podcasts, or other forms of media that you would recommend women read to help them better support other women?

There are so many forms of media that we can listen to or read, but one book that I enjoyed and still own is Play Like a Man, Win Like a Woman by Gail Evans. We shared this book at one of our many Women in Business events, and it was a great success.  

Finally, how does Enterprise Holdings support women?

Our company does an excellent job supporting women, and I personally have benefited from taking part in many women’s leadership events throughout the years. These events, meetings, and committees are extremely important for helping us be involved at all levels within the company. 

Some examples are the Women in Business events, Female Management Leadership meetings, the Women’s Leadership forums in St. Louis, our support of International Women’s Month, events with acknowledgments, pictures, and stories, and the abundance of media and tools available to women on our internal network.  

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