Selig Leasing Names Schaefer President

Selig Leasing Company, Inc. has appointed Steve Schaefer as its president to succeed Sari Selig Kramer, who is retiring but will remain on the board of the Milwaukee-area fleet management company.

Schaefer brings more than 20 years of experience in the fleet industry to the role, most of which was spent with Enterprise Fleet Management. He left that company in 2015 as a director who was based in Milwaukee. His most recent role was as vice president of sales with Hydro-Thermal Corp., a Milwaukee-area manufacturer of direct steam injection fluid heating solutions.

Selig Leasing, which is based in West Allis, Wis., specializes in fleets from 10 to 250 vehicles.

Selig Kramer is the daughter of Allan "Bud" Selig, the company's owner and the former commissioner of Major League Baseball. Bud Selig's father, Benjamin Selig, founded the company in 1949.

"Steve Schaefer brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his new role at Selig Leasing," said Bud Selig. "He also brings a deep appreciation for the core values that helped a family-owned company grow. I'm confident Steve is the right man at the right time to continue building our company with a culture of personal attention to our customers and employees."

Ben Selig started the company after he left his job in advertising sales at the Milwaukee Journal to join Mertz-Knippel Ford in 1920. He was made a partner a year later, and became the sole owner of the dealership in 1966. He started Car Lease Co. in 1949 and later established Selig Executive Leasing. Bud Selig's brother, Jerry, became owner and president of Selig Leasing Co. in 1971. Bud Selig bought the leasing company from Jerry in 1976.

"Multiple people approached to buy Selig Leasing over the years, but Mr. Selig has always wanted to keep family ownership and the Selig name and traditions of the company," said Schaefer. "It's an opportunity of a lifetime to move into this family business and to continue to build a strong foundation of service and integrity for our customers."