The First Word: Remembering An Icon

I was working at my dining room table Sunday afternoon, June 29, when the email came in announcing the passing of Ed Bobit. I put aside my work and bowed my head. I thought about the past 25 years during which NAFA has collaborated with Ed and Bobit Business Media on editorial projects and promotional campaigns. I thought about some of the differences of opinions we’ve had, which were mostly about the means to ends, not the ends themselves. Then one particular memory came back that put a smile on my face because it so perfectly captured who Ed was to me.

The NAFA President and I were in Los Angeles for a Board meeting just a few years back. We naturally scheduled a meeting with Ed, in part to talk business, but also just to connect and keep our relationship alive. The morning of the meeting, Ed sent a stretch limo to pick us up, which was a classy move. (Ed always knew how to make someone feel important.) When we arrived at the BBM offices, Ed greeted us as if we were long-lost family, with hearty handshakes, backslaps, and introductions. (Ed always knew how to make someone feel welcome.) Naturally, we had to take the obligatory group picture on the steps leading to his office, which made us feel very special!  We talked for a few hours that day, but I honestly don’t remember what we talked about. What I do remember is Ed’s hospitality, his warm personality, his depth of knowledge about fleet, and his passion for this industry.  

Over the past few days I’ve read great tributes to Ed, not only about the contributions he’s made to the profession, but also his humanitarian side. Unfortunately, I never got to know Ed in those ways or see some of the other sides of his personality. Our relationship was always a business one, never on a personal level. I think BBM and NAFA could have accomplished a great deal more together had Ed and I gotten to know each other better. Perhaps there’s an opportunity to collaborate now, and to do so in Ed’s honor.

A memorial service for Ed will be held July 9. NAFA will honor Ed by making a contribution in his name to his selected charity, the Torrance Memorial Healthcare Foundation, 3330 Lomita Blvd., Torrance, CA, 90505.

Please join me in raising a glass for Ed Bobit!