Article by:
Sydney Martin
Customer Experience
“It’s all connected. Building strong internal partnerships is essential for delivering exceptional service externally.” — Larry Mills
Customer experience isn’t a modern invention—it’s been at the heart of HOLT for decades. When Larry Mills, Corporate Board Member, accepted his 55-Year Service Award in December, he put it simply, “HOLT is a customer experience company.”
Larry’s commitment to customer experience started in 1970 in the Parts Department.
“We were open 24/7—because downtime costs customers money. Being on call at 2 a.m. wasn’t a hassle, it was a mindset. ‘I’m so glad you called. It’s no problem at all—I’m happy to help.’” This attitude defined his career at HOLT.
Larry recalls an unforgettable lesson: “South Texas Construction was waiting on a critical part.” He picked it up from a chaotic bus station, only to find it missing when he got back. He rushed back, searched, and found it buried behind packages. That moment shaped his approach: “You can’t rely on luck—every step must be reliable, or you risk letting the customer down.”
Service wasn’t optional. “Everyone knew keeping the customer happy was the top priority because Mr. Holt expected it.”
Working under the Holt family, Larry notes, “Customer experience was always personal. We operated with strong principles even before we formalized our values in 1988.”
When asked what he’s most proud of, he smiled and said, “Integrity.”
Our Vision Statement says it all. “We manage our business based on values to provide a safe, productive, fulfilling work environment for employees and legendary service for customers.”
“The faster we help our internal customers, the faster they can help the external customer.” Larry emphasized that internal service is just as critical as external.
“It’s all connected. Building strong internal partnerships is essential for delivering exceptional service externally.”
Our Net Promoter Score (NPS) is world-class because of you. If you haven’t already, sign up for the Customer Experience – High 5 & Legendary Service class to continue our mission… you need to.
Larry’s journey is a testament to dedication, empathy, and love—for our customers, and service. “Our values are like oxygen—you can’t live without them.” His story inspires us all to uphold HOLT’s legacy as a true customer experience company.