U-Save Holdings, parent company of U-Save Auto Rental, announced on Jan. 8 that Sandy Miller, former chairman and CEO of Budget Group, Inc., has become a new co-owner of the company. Miller will take on the role of co-chairman and co-CEO of U-Save, a franchise-based car-rental company with more than 800 locations nationwide. "This is exciting news for U-Save," noted Tom McDonnell, co-owner of U-Save Auto Rental who now shares with Miller his title as chairman and CEO. Miller is a former Avis employee, who bought his first Budget Rent a Car franchise in Daytona Beach in 1981. From there, he and his partners began buying and opening other Budget franchises and became the company's largest domestic franchisee. Miller and his partners went public and eventually bought their franchisor, Budget Rent a Car Corp., which is now owned by Cendant Corp. Together, Miller and McDonnell plan to accelerate the growth of U-Save Auto Rental through franchising. "Our goal is to be the largest franchised car-rental company in the U.S. With 280 U-Save franchisees and 800 locations, we are likely the largest franchised neighborhood car rental company already," stated Miller. U-Save currently has local market franchise locations in 42 states. Miller, through his private equity firm Basin Street Partners, is also U-Save's largest franchisee and is converting his Florida- based Specialty Van Rentals business to the U-Save brand. Specialty Van Rentals is a regional rental company which primarily serves European travelers and tour operators through locations in Tampa, Orlando, Sanford, Miami, and Ft. Lauderdale.