In 2019, Cart Mart CEO Brian Rott was named Most Admired CEO of the Year by the San Diego Business Journal. The honor arrived as the family-founded company celebrated six decades in business and earned additional recognition for growth at both the regional and national level.

That same year, Cart Mart appeared in the Inc. 5000 guide to America’s fastest-growing privately held companies and was recognized among San Diego County’s fastest-growing private companies. Together, those milestones reflected a period of sustained growth built on the work of Cart Mart’s people.

Leadership rooted in the family business

Rott’s connection to the business reaches back to his grandfather, Ben Bellman. In the early 1950s, Bellman worked with what were then called electric caddy cars—compact electric vehicles used to move people and materials. He later entered distribution and opened the company that became Cart Mart in El Paso, Texas, in 1959.

Growing up around that business gave Rott a close view of the relationships, practical service and team effort required to keep a company moving forward. The 2019 award recognized not only business performance, but also leadership that supported a purposeful organization and community involvement.

“I’m so honored to have been named Most Admired CEO of the Year.”

— Brian Rott, Cart Mart CEO, 2019

A team achievement

Rott credited Cart Mart’s employees for making the company’s growth possible. His response placed the focus on the people behind the work and the company’s long-standing “Make it Happen” approach—an operating mindset centered on solving problems and taking care of customers.

This page preserves an important moment in Cart Mart’s history. It reflects where the company stood in 2019 while recognizing the family roots and team culture that continue to shape the business.