Celebrating Membership Milestones

September 2012

NAFA thanks all of the members celebrating their anniversaries this month for their years with the Association. It is the strength of the membership that has helped make NAFA the fleet industry's strongest association.

55 years

George E. Wilson
Palm Bay, FL

With distinctly audible melancholy, Co-Founder George Wilson looked back on his early years first with the Round Table Group and then with what that group would ultimately become: NAFA Fleet Management Association. Now in his 90s, Wilson thought of those who shared the formative years with him and said, "I guess there’s not too many people around from that time now."

Wilson, who celebrates his 55th year with NAFA in September 2012, spoke of those who worked with the association's forerunner Round Table Group, like Walter Langseder and Jonathon Sibley.

These first steps in the early 1950’s led to formation of the Round Table Group, localized specifically to fleet managers in the New York/Mid-Atlantic region. While only consisting of twenty fleet managers, each member rotated responsibilities and, more importantly, pushed forward the needs that the SAE could not – sharing the information that was most pertinent to the management and maintenance issues that most affected the fleet professional. It was the place to network and to share ideas. It was also, however, quickly outgrowing the boundaries Langseder, Sibley, and Wilson had set for it.

In 1957, a pivotal moment had come where containing the Round Table Group no longer seemed like a sustainable plan. "We met with S.J. "Sam" Lee, who operated a leasing business in Detroit. He said he would have his attorneys draw up papers to establish a national association for fleet managers, so that is pretty much how it all started."

Wilson would become the Third Vice President of the Association, Chairman for the New York region, and head of the Membership Committee. Sibley took the position of Assistant Treasurer. Langseder was Chairman of the Safety Committee, served in several Vice Presidencies and later, in 1962, succeeded Lee A. Westberg as NAFA’s President.

The efforts of the nascent association were welcomed by the companies which employed its membership. "The people above me at Lever Bros. fortunately were very much involved in supporting my being with NAFA," Wilson said. "They felt we couldn’t learn enough. They always wanted us to make our fleet better than it currently was. They supported me in every way including allowing me to go to meetings, getting speakers, and things like that."

30 years

Steve Anderson
Omaha, NE

Janis Christensen, CAFM
Director, Corporate Fleet Management Svcs.
Mercury Associates, Inc.
Rossmoor, CA

Janis Christensen is Director of Corporate Fleet Services with Mercury Associates, an independent consulting firm dedicated to providing objective, unbiased advice and technical guidance to organizations that operate fleets.

With over 25 years of fleet management experience, Christensen began her fleet career as a fleet manager in 1982. She has provided consulting services since 1998 to a wide array of private and public fleets, fleet service providers, automotive trade associations, and automotive publication companies. Prior to merging her company with Mercury in 2005, Christensen was President of Christensen & Day Group. Previously, she worked at TRW where she was responsible for fleets of 3,000 vehicles during fifteen of her 21 years with the company.

Christensen is an active member of the fleet management profession and is a past Vice President of NAFA. Since 1984, she has served NAFA in a variety of national and local positions and in 1999, was honored with NAFA's highest award for Distinguished Service. She is currently serving as Co-Vice Chair of the Education Development Committee and as an instructor for NAFA’s Fleet Management Seminar. She is a Certified Automotive Fleet Manager (CAFM).

Susan Montemorra
Brooklyn, NY

"30 years...As the saying goes time truly doesn’t wait for anyone!

"I remember starting my fleet career in banking as a rookie out of college. My knowledge of fleet was limited so I had to learn the business from the ground up. Even back then, managers didn’t have time for training so I learned by asking questions, lots of them. Moving from banking I went to the cosmetics industry and managed a fleet thirty-seven times larger than what I had previously done. This was a significant challenge but it allowed me to delve deep into all aspects of fleet and really learn what it was all about. I eventually went back to banking where I was involved in the consolidation of the fleets as a result of three bank mergers. My role there was expanded to include various support services functions and with it the promotion to VP.

"My most recent assignment was as the GM of fleet for an HVAC company. This role led me to an expanded one, Vice President of Operations. While I am proud of my accomplishments and enjoy the challenge of new responsibilities, I always look back on my fleet assignments as my favorites.

"Currently I am on hiatus, enjoying time with my husband, family, and many friends."

25 years

John McCorkhill, CFM/CAFM
Fleet Services Director
City of Lynchburg
Lynchburg, VA

John McCorkhill’s fifty-year work career has been spent as a farmer, gas station attendant, soldier, accountant, lighting specialist, and fleet manager. Thirty of the fifty years has been in fleet management.

All of McCorkhill’s fleet "life" has been spent managing a municipal fleet beginning in Indianapolis and ending in Lynchburg, VA, and as he nears the end of his fleet career he feels his greatest fleet accomplishment has been to help elevate the respectability of municipal fleet management. When McCorkhill began his fleet career in 1982, customers were told to take their vehicle to the garage for service, and now they’re told to take it to fleet. " Not much in the way of a word change, but those who have been around municipal fleet circles as long as I have can acknowledge this really does denote a change in mindset," McCorkhill said.

During his fleet career McCorkhill has earned four professional certifications, was named Public Sector Fleet Manager of the Year in 2006, and received Honorary Lifetime Membership in NAFA in 2012. He’s served in leadership roles for NAFA and APWA and has been an instructor at many fleet workshops and conferences over the years.

Born and raised in Indiana, McCorkhill says he will always be a Hoosier, ("Whatever that is," he joked), and upon retirement he, his wife Melody Ann, and mother-in-law Lois will pull up stakes from Virginia and resettle in the Midwest where he plans to plant a big garden.

Ernest A. Moroz
Milford, CT

Ernie Moroz started his long run in the food and beverages (45+ years) industry as a salesman with the Duffy Mott Company, Inc (Mott’s) in January, 1963.

After two years in the field, he was promoted to the Customer Service Department in the New York City office. This was followed by promotions to Supervisor - Accounts Payable; Assistant Supervisor - General Accounting; and Assistant Manager-Personnel and Office Support Services.

In mid-1978 he inherited Fleet as one of his new responsibilities – all of fifteen sales vehicles. The company was taken over by Cadbury Schweppes Inc. in 1982 and relocated to Stamford, CT in 1983. Moroz was promoted to Manager, Administrative Services and Fleet. "After several acquisitions and reorganizations, my fleet grew to 1500 units including fleet responsibilities for Canada," he said.

While working fulltime, Moroz completed his undergraduate work at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ Campus and transferred to, and graduated from, the University of Connecticut earning a Bachelor’s Degree – major Communication, minor History.

As a proud NAFA member (Intercounty Chapter), he has helped in positions as Chapter Chair and Treasurer, and participated in many meeting presentations.

In 2008, Cadbury Schweppes' east coast operations and jobs transitioned to Plano, TX to be integrated into the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group. "This set the stage in my life – retirement," Moroz said. He has been married 35 years to wife Karen, has two daughters, and is the proud grandad to four grandchildren. "Today my daily activities center on my grandchildren and church; I am responsible for building and grounds."

Stephen O'Shea
Fleet & Equipment Manager
Sachs Electric Co.
St. Louis, MO

For more membership milestones, visit: www.nafa.org/milestones

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

Telephone: 609.720.0882 Fax: 609.452.8004