BUSINESS
John Santoru, CEO of Albuquerque’s Holmans USA, dies at 58
He started at the firm in 1992 and became its top executive three decades later
John Santoru, the president and CEO who helped build Holmans USA into a nationally recognized IT services company, has died, the firm announced Tuesday.
A spokesperson for the company said Santoru died Saturday following a medical incident. He was 58.
“John led with conviction and believed in doing business the right way — with integrity and respect for people,” Holmans Chief Operating Officer Carlos Garcia said in a statement. “He meant more to this organization than a title could capture.”
Santoru, originally from the Bronx, grew up in Florida before coming to New Mexico and graduating from Belen High School. Santoru remained in the state during college and eventually received his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of New Mexico in 1992.
Santoru started as a distribution specialist at Holmans while at UNM but had climbed the ladder to marketing director in the early 2000s. He became the company’s president and co-owner in 2010. In 2022, Santoru took on the role of CEO and sole owner of Holmans.
Established in 1955 by founder E.S. Holman as Holman’s House of Maps, the firm initially specialized in surveying equipment and aviation maps for Albuquerque engineers and contractors. Two decades later, it began selling the HP 35 scientific calculator before adding other HP and Apple products to its retail services.
But with the increased competition on the retail front from companies like Best Buy in the ‘90s, the company shifted gears and put more of a focus on its IT services for customers spanning government agencies and national laboratories.
When Santoru purchased the company in April 2022, he increased the wages of roughly 75% of its employees and instituted a bonus program tied to sales performance. Santoru was managing around 52 full- and part-time employees at Holmans at the time of his death.
“One of the first orders of business was to focus on investing in the employee and the employee’s growth so the employees of Holmans saw a future in the company,” Santoru said in a November 2022 Journal article.
He added, “I really wanted to energize the whole company. … And I definitely wanted to keep the key people.”
Santoru was also a prominent figure in New Mexico’s larger business community, having served on the boards of the National Hispanic Cultural Center Foundation, the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce.
Ernie C’deBaca, president and CEO of the Hispano Chamber, said Santoru was “one of the most giving people in the community.”
“He was always one of the guys you could count on anytime you needed him,” C’deBaca said. “His leaving is really significant for the community in so many ways because he was really loved and he loved everybody.”
Tony Trujillo, the former chief executive and owner who sold the company to Santoru, said the late business leader “was my protégé and like a son to me.”
“We first met on the softball field, where his talent as an athlete was immediately clear — he was competitive, disciplined and a natural leader,” said Trujillo. “I am heartbroken by his passing, but deeply grateful for the years we worked side by side and for the lasting impact he made on all of us.”
Added Terri Cole, president and CEO of the Greater Albuquerque Chamber: “John brought joy and boundless enthusiasm to everything he touched. … He never knew a stranger, and his remarkable success was matched only by the depth of his friendships. His loss is deeply felt.”
Santoru is survived by his wife, Sarah Smith Santoru; children, Zach, 26, and Meghan, 24; and his mother, Tata Santoru.
Matthew Narvaiz is the Journal’s business editor. He can be reached at mnarvaiz@abqjournal.com.
