NAFA's 2012 I&E: Another Stellar Conference Concludes

2011 raised the bar very high for NAFA's 2012 Institute & Expo, held April 21-24 at the America's Center convention complex in St. Louis, MO. Many felt 2011's conference in Charlotte, NC was one of the very best the Association had put together, so it was incumbent upon all to not only meet this challenge, but to surpass it. By all accounts, this goal was successfully achieved.

Starting a day earlier, volunteers from NAFA, LeasePlan USA, and other attending organizations pitched in to help St. Louis' Habitat For Humanity (for more details, see our complete post of this event in this FleetFOCUS issue). Having hit the ground running, visitors were treated on Saturday to one of the best-attended Public Safety Group Roadeos in the existence of the event, held in the parking lot of Busch Stadium, home of Baseball's World Champion Cardinals.

The presence of daily coffee breaks in the America's Center atrium meant even more opportunities to network and to take a breather from intensive sessions like Coping with Fleet Mandates from Executives and Elected Officials; Reducing Losses from Commercial Vehicle Crashes; and the Global Workshop: What to Do When Your Fleet Goes Global.

Instructive and entertaining keynote speeches from Peter Bishop, PhD and Jim Kenzie, automotive journalist (held on Sunday, April 22 and Monday, April 23, respectively) explored the future as an abstract concept and as a very real aspect of our current fleet outlook. Their insight into fueling and finance, roads and vehicles, and individual driver processes proved enlightening and thought-provoking.

Along with the Goill, Sustainable Fleet, and Honorary Member Awards (covered in full in this issue of FleetFOCUS), NAFA honored both the present and future of fleet with the Safety Leadership Award, Chapter Service Awards, and the inaugural DaSilva NAFA Scholarship Award.

Owing to the importance of safety in the modern fleet landscape NAFA awarded three luminaries of the driver's safety field: Jack Hanley, Executive Director, Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS); Janet Froetscher, President & CEO, National Safety Council; and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

2012's Chapter Service Award winners are Pierre Moquin and Mark Petersen. Pierre Moquin, Laval, PQ, has been an active member of the Quebec chapter since joining NAFA in 1966. Pierre has served as the Chapter Safety Committee Chair from 1992 to 1996; Chapter Public Service Fleet Committee Chair from 1995 to 1996; Chapter Reception Committee Chair from 2003 to 2004, 2010 to 2011; and is the current Chapter Reception Committee Chair. Moquin also served as the Chapter Program Committee Chair from 2005-2006.

FleetED Advisory Council Vice Chair, Mark F. Petersen, Senior Sales Executive for Hourglass Management Corp. is this year's winner on the Affiliates side of the Chapter Service Awards. As a member of NAFA for more than twenty-five years, Petersen currently serves as an Affiliate for the Rocky Mountain Chapter, and has been instrumental in integrating web-based communications into Chapter practices.

The new Willard H. DaSilva Fleet Management Scholarship Fund was established to honor DaSilva, who ended his 50-plus year term as NAFA's legal counsel in 2011. The winner of the award for 2012 is Matthew Manchik, Ferris State University, Big Rapids, MI. Manchik was unable to attend I&E and receive the award, $3,000 of scholarship funds, in person due to dual commitments of starting a fleet career and his own upcoming wedding. However, in a statement delivered by Ferris State Professor Gary Maike, Manchik said, "This scholarship makes me feel that all my hard work in college and out of college would pay off. I have a great work ethic and when someone appreciates it, I'm more than grateful."

Now it is your turn. Let us know your take on the 2012 Institute & Expo by participating in our survey (by clicking here). Your input ensures the continual positive growth that keeps the I&E the fleet industry event of the year.

NAFA Fleet Management Association
125 Village Blvd., Suite 200
Princeton, NJ 08540

Telephone: 609.720.0882 Fax: 609.452.8004