Peter M. Holt (born July 26, 1948) is an American businessman. He is the former CEO of HoltCat, the largest

Caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...

dealership in the United States and former chairman, CEO, and owner of Spurs Sports & Entertainment, which owns the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

, the USL's San Antonio FC, the AHL's

San Antonio Rampage The San Antonio Rampage were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League based in San Antonio, Texas. The Rampage was primarily owned by Spurs Sports & Entertainment throughout the team's existence. In 2020, the franchise was so ...

, and the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...

Austin Spurs The Austin Spurs are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Cedar Park, Texas, and are affiliated with the San Antonio Spurs. The team plays their home games at H-E-B Center at Cedar Park. The team has made the po ...

Early life and military career

Holt is the great-grandson of Benjamin Holt, who developed the first practical track-type tractor in 1904. His family's history in

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

, Texas began in 1933, when his great-uncle, William K. Holt, moved to San Antonio to start a

dealership. As he had no heirs, Bill invited B.D. Holt (Peter's father) to get involved in the business. In 1961, B.D. Holt moved to

Corpus Christi, Texas Corpus Christi ( ; ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat and largest city of Nueces County, Texas, Nueces County with portions extending into Aransas County, T ...

and started his own Caterpillar dealership. Holt, a

Peoria, Illinois Peoria ( ) is a city in Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Located on the Illinois River, the city had a population of 113,150 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Ill ...

native, lived in San Antonio as a child before moving to Corpus Christi. After graduating high school in Corpus Christi, Holt went into the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

, serving two years, including a one-year tour of duty as an infantryman in

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. He ended his military duty as a sergeant with a

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...

, three

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

s, and a

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

Early business career

Upon leaving the army, Holt went to California, working for an investment banking house and became involved in a bar and restaurant business. Holt rejoined his father in 1983 to work in Corpus Christi at his Caterpillar dealership. Holt diversified the dealership's markets, growing it to its size today. In September 1987, Holt and his father purchased Holt Machinery Co. in San Antonio, reuniting the original Caterpillar dealership that his great-uncle started in 1933. Holt would later expand the company's Texas presence by purchasing Darr Equipment Company of Dallas, a Caterpillar dealer in the DFW Metroplex.

Sports franchise ownership

In 1993, Holt decided to invest in the

, wanting to help keep the team in San Antonio. He and his wife Julianna became the team's principal owners. Holt and the Spurs organization later purchased other franchises – the

Austin Toros Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

, the

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

, and the renamed San Antonio Silver Stars of the WNBA. With each purchase, the team colors were changed to silver and black, the motif used by the Spurs. To keep the team in San Antonio, Holt led a successful effort to build a new arena, the AT&T Center, through a ballot measure that would provide public funding for its construction. The new home to the Spurs and the

Livestock Exposition broke ground in August 2000 and opened for the 2002 season. During his tenure as owner, the Spurs won five championships in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014. Holt retired in 2016, and his wife, Julianna, succeeded him. His son Peter J. Holt has since succeeded his mother.

Personal life

Holt served as Chairman of the

United Way United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit organization, nonprofit fundraising affiliates. Prior to 2015, United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public. Individual Un ...

of San Antonio and Bexar County. He is a member of the World presidents’ Organization, and is a trustee of the Palmer Drug Abuse Program. He also served as chairman of the board of St. Mary's Hall, a private school in

. A frequent contributor to the Republican Party, Holt has contributed over $500,000 to the campaigns of Governor

Rick Perry James Richard Perry (born March 4, 1950) is an American politician who served as the 14th United States secretary of energy from 2017 to 2019 in the first administration of Donald Trump. He previously served as the 47th governor of Texas fr ...

, who appointed Holt as a commissioner of the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife. A strong supporter of international trade, Holt is a board member of Free Trade Alliance-San Antonio, as well as the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation and Chase Bank-San Antonio. According to documents obtained by the San Antonio Express-News, Julianna Hawn Holt filed for divorce December 22, 2017 in Bexar County District Court. Holt was inducted to the Texas Business Hall of Fame in 2004.Texas Business HOF – Texas Business.org
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Awards and honors

75px, Holt is a Silver Star recipient for his military service Military *Silver Star *Three Bronze Stars *Purple Heart Business *CAT Circle of Excellence Award winner *Texas Business Hall of Fame inductee (class of 2004) *2014

USAA The United Services Automobile Association (USAA) is an American financial services company providing insurance and banking products exclusively to members of the military, veterans and their families. It was founded in 1922 in San Antonio, Texas ...

/NaVOBA Vetrepreneur of The Year Award winnerHolt wins award – Victory Media.com
/ref> Sports ownership *Five-time

NBA Champion The NBA Finals is the championship series for the National Basketball Association (NBA) held at the conclusion of its postseason. All NBA Finals have been played in a best-of-seven format, and are contested between the winners of the Easter ...

(as owner of the

– 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014) *Two-time

Champion (as owner of the

) – 2012, 2018 Other *2001 Golden Plate Award of the

American Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a nonprofit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest-achieving people in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet one ano ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holt, Peter 1948 births Living people People from Corpus Christi, Texas San Antonio Spurs executives Businesspeople from San Antonio San Antonio Stars owners San Antonio Spurs owners Women's National Basketball Association executives United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War United States Army soldiers Recipients of the Silver Star People from Peoria, Illinois Caterpillar Inc. people