NAFA Members Honored At The I&E

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Distinguished Service Award

Being NAFA's President wasn't an easy job, but Gayle Pratt was up for the challenge. Under her leadership, which ended last year, NAFA launched a new logo, print magazine, and website, and the CAFM program passed a milestone. Perhaps that's why Pratt was honored Saturday morning with the Distinguished Service Award.

"This is our highest award and great care and discretion are used when selecting a winner," said NAFA President Christopher Amos, CAFM.

While serving three years as NAFA's Treasurer, Pratt had helped in the revamping of NAFA's financial management.

 "Her work gave us clearer allocation of expenses, diversification of revenue sources, and streamlined the budget process," Amos said. "As NAFA President, this leader kept NAFA moving forward with increased focus on the strategic plan, using her leadership and social skills to build strong teams. She was also the driving force behind getting NAFA's Certified Automotive Fleet Manager program college accredited when others did not yet see the strategic importance of this step."

Pratt was "overwhelmed," she said. "I'm honored to accept this award. I can't imagine a life without NAFA."

Lifetime Honorary Membership

Tom Lubas, Deputy Director, Operations Services Department, Port Authority of NY & NJ, was presented with a Lifetime Honorary Membership, one of NAFA's highest honors. Throughout his career, Lubas has served in many NAFA capacities, including three terms as vice president and five as chapter chair.

"I had two thoughts while I was coming up here," Lubas said. "One of them was that it's really wonderful to be a NAFA Member. The other was more personal. The most important thing in the business world is for someone to have the esteem of your friends and colleagues. I thank my colleagues for being so kind and being my close friends."

Excellence in Education Award

NAFA President Christopher Amos, CAFM, honored NAFA's Vice President for Canada, Lt. Col. Katherine Vigneau, CAFM, with the Excellence in Education Award for her long-standing devotion to the organization's certification programs.

In 2003, NAFA created the Excellence in Education Award to honor continued exceptional contributions to fleet management education, specifically NAFA Education product and program initiation, development, and delivery.

Bobit Awards

John Alley, CAFM, was named the 2010 Government Fleet Public Sector Fleet Manager of the Year by Bobit Business Media. The company once again used the I&E gathering to present three awards for leading fleet industry professionals.

Alley was lauded for his efforts to reduce underutilized vehicles in his work as the Deputy Director, Fleet Services, for the City of San Diego. By removing obsolete fleet vehicles, Alley reduced the fleet by 300 vehicles, with a cost savings of $12 million and an additional annual savings of $3.5 million. His team also received delivery of 14 new fire engines and reduced downtime for heavy fire apparatus citywide, increasing the operational ready rate from 65 to 85 percent in less than seven months.

Michael Sims, Fleet Operations Manager, Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, was named Professional Fleet Manager of the Year by Automotive Fleet. Mike Lahr, Director of Logistics for LKQ Corporation, was named the 2010 Fleet Financials Fleet Executive of the Year. 

Goill Award Honors Creativity, Savings

It's no secret that 2009 was a time for creative thinking in terms of increasing productivity and creating bottom-line cost savings. That's why David Vasquez, the Manager of Fleet Operations for SECO Energy, and Bob Adamsky, Fleet Manager for Del-Air Heating and Air Conditioning, were this year's winners.

Vasquez developed a simplified process to justify vehicle assignments based on the percentage of commuting use versus business use. His vehicle justification model, based on NAFA's Lifecycle Cost Analysis, calculates vehicle assignment based on the actual costs, defining cost of ownership by year, month, and mile.

Bob Adamsky increased his fleet's fuel mileage by 10 percent, lowered fleet emissions, and enhanced driver safety by limiting his vehicles' top speeds – and accomplished all of this in just 10 minutes! By reprogramming all of his vehicles' electronic control modules to limit the vehicles' speed and simply having a technician plug in the system, his simple yet effective plan was underway.

Past winners have run the gamut of innovative uses of Internet technology; the formation of both internal and external strategic alliances; the design of unique vehicles to meet special needs; creative lifecycle analysis and decision-making; cost and efficiency savings realized through the restructuring of personnel; and unique hiring and retention practices.

"The Goill Awards are an opportunity for fleet managers to get recognized for their innovation and problem-solving techniques," explained NAFA's Executive Director, Phillip E. Russo, CAE. "They showcase how fleet professionals turn situations into solutions. They are among the best ideas in today's fleet management profession."

Sustainable Fleet Awards Honor Green Ideas

Four fleet managers won Sustainable Fleet Awards, proving that being environmentally friendly can also bring cost savings. From idling and purchasing policies to a holistic approach to reducing petroleum use, the innovative solutions were not only worthy of honor, but also of replicating. 

The awards were presented to:

• For Sedan and Light-truck Fleet Located in the Mandated Areas of the United States or Canada: Dave Seavey, CAFS, Director of the Fleet & Facilities Department for the City of Seattle, Washington. The city developed policies on idling, purchasing, right-sizing, and down-sizing, and pursued alternative fuels. Doug Bond, Motor Vehicle Manager for the County of Alameda, California, received the honorable mention.

• In the Truck & Heavy Equipment Category for Fleets Located in the EPAct and Clean Air Mandated Areas of the United States or in Pollution Emission Management Areas of Canada: Paul Condran, Equipment Maintenance Manager for the City of Culver City – Transportation Department. Culver City anticipated state-mandated clean air rules and committed to using compressed natural gas in 1996. Now, some 80 percent of all fuel dispensed is CNG, which is used throughout all departments.

• In the Sedans and Light-Duty Fleets Located in Non-mandated Areas of the United States or Canada: Anthony Foster, Fleet Manager for Chesapeake Energy, received the award on behalf of his department, which implemented green practices within every aspect of their fleet. Art Hale, State Fleet Manager for the State of Colorado Division of Central Services, currently serves on the Greening State Government Administrative Team, the Governor's Biofuel Coalition, and also works on the State's energy conservation plan. His department's primary objective is to reduce petroleum consumption 25 percent in five years and to reduce the number of vehicle miles traveled. A web-based data management system helped track their petroleum reductions, which are down 11.6 percent already.