During the Annual Business Meeting on Tuesday morning, NAFA President Bryan Flansburg, CAFM®, took a moment to honor two individuals who have brought far more than time and effort to their roles within the Association: Joe LaRosa and Ron Lasman.
"NAFA’s Honorary Lifetime Membership Award recognizes those who have gone above and beyond for NAFA, year after year," said Flansburg. "They have devoted so much time, energy, and passion toward the Association that we couldn’t conceive of NAFA without them…and that’s why they are given lifetime memberships."
"(Joe LaRosa) served as the Association’s first-ever International Vice President when that position was formed by the former Board of Trustees in 2011. His expertise and foresight helped bring the International Fleet Academy and NAFA's first Global Fleet Management Guide into being.
LaRosa has faithfully served NAFA for more than 25 years but, as Flansburg pointed out, he has also been a great humanitarian. "Near the end of his fleet career, (Joe) volunteered his fleet and accounting expertise for Millhill Child and Family Development Center in Trenton, New Jersey, an inner-city charitable organization serving abused and neglected children and families by providing them individualized and culturally sensitive educational and behavioral health services."
Starting with an automotive dealership and eventually finding his way into the world of fleet as a service provider, Ron Lasman has brought more than expertise to his efforts. Serving on the boards for Philadelphia Chapter on multiple occasions, as a Regular and Associate Member, and having been active with at least 17 Chapters in total, Lasman's dedication to NAFA is unquestioned.
"(Ron) is regularly first at the door with a smile and a handshake, ready to greet established and brand-new attendees," Flansburg said. "He has brought that same level of goodwill and cheer to many, many Institute & Expo conferences through the years...Yet he's also a wellspring of knowledge about the auto industry in full and trends that shape it."
After 46 years of work and service in the auto industry -- as a car dealer, a fleet manager, and as an OEM representative -- he has recently retired. Even so, Lasman's participation in the Association seems a certainty. By awarding him Honorary Lifetime Membership, NAFA can continue to rely upon his smile, his handshake, and his wealth of knowledge.
Thank you, Joe and Ron, for all you have brought to NAFA!