Back Pages: Where NAFA Was In 2011
Momentum is a term that gets thrown around a lot, but as an action is difficult to achieve. When one finds themselves in that golden position of momentum, where things seem to take on an energy, excitement, and forward motion of its own, the best thing to do is hang on and go with it. In 2011, NAFA found itself picking up considerable amounts of momentum, and we don’t intend to fight it in the coming year.
What prompts us to believe this? In January of 2011, NAFA Executive Director Phil Russo, CAE, mentioned in his FleetFOCUS First Word column that a "communications audit" was to be launched in that New Year. A lot was learned from the results and has subsequently become a guiding principle in all of NAFA’s dealings. With the business sector riding a rollercoaster of ups and downs, and personal anxieties becoming just as unsettled, the mantra of "NAFA listens to its Membership" became a mission statement.
Douglas Weichman, CAFM, was announced as NAFA's new President, and his sense of purpose and urgency fueled everything that followed in the year, with a clear vision of what NAFA was, needed to be, and how it was to arrive there. He offered up the goal of a more interactive and accessible organization, never forgetting the daunting realities of an increasingly global Member base.
Several initiatives have since debuted including a desire to make the annual I&E (to be held this year in the home of the World Series Champion Cardinals, St. Louis, MO) the most affordable, most flexible, and most welcoming in the Association’s history. Rigorous, regimented plans have been separated into pricing and scheduling tiers that are focused on offering everyone an opportunity to attend regardless of budgetary and time constraints.
Speaking of the I&E, thanks to a highly motivated fleet sector (and the presence of Football coaching legend Joe Gibbs as a keynote speaker), the 2011 edition in Charlotte, NC had a completely sold out expo floor at the beginning of March. That was good news, but better news was that, not long after it, slots started selling for the 2012 event. Even in an economy that was starting to upright itself, the value of the event could not be denied, with affiliates and exhibitors recognizing the (wait for it...) momentum and seizing upon it early. Space is still available for 2012, but it is going faster than previous I&E showings, marking unprecedented enthusiasm and opportunities.
More efforts are slated to debut in 2012, centering on the life of the fleet professional as a valued employee, and how NAFA’s efforts and membership can strengthen and secure that employment status. These plans took root in 2011 through months of discussion, design, and development and you will see how it all comes to fruition in the months and years to come.
NAFA was actively representing fleet in all its legislative positions such as its support of the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to waive requirements for State II vapor recovery, because of widespread use of on-board refueling vapor recovery (ORVR) for capturing gasoline vapor emissions when gasoline-powered vehicles are refueled; its urging of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to move quickly with rulemaking addressing the use of mobile devices by commercial drivers; and in a letter sent to the Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, stated that the inability to use hybrid vehicles to meet mandates (that currently require that seventy-five percent of a covered state fleet’s annual light-duty acquisitions must be alternative fuel vehicles) is in clear conflict with the intent of Congress. NAFA once again has shown itself to be the unequivocal voice of fleet in the halls of power, assuring the Membership that their concerns would be heard, without exception or reservation.
Education was a major player in 2011 with the ever-increasing value of the webinar coming into the fold. NAFA's Professional Development Primer was a 6-week, 12-session, 18-hour webinar course offered online via live webinar sessions to help certification students and other fleet professionals achieve professional goals. The reaction was so positive that 2012 will see even more of a webinar influence, and to keep the great information alive and available, the archives for these recorded presentations are now available for free to active students and Certified Automotive Fleet Manager (CAFM) graduates.
With an endorsement agreement in place between NAFA and the Association for the Work Truck Industry (NTEA) the longstanding ambition of making the CAFM program the industry standard moved a little bit closer to its eventuality.
The Narrated Version Of Lifecycle Cost Analysis For Fleets became one of the Association’s hottest products and the Risk Management, Professional Development, and Law Guides all reasserted the goal of never settling on old information and always striving for the best practices now; not those of ten, five, or two years ago. Engagement in the varied Fleet Management Seminars reaffirmed that, for as much as NAFA was bringing fleet professionals, they in turn were coming back with focus and commitment.
Government Fleet Magazine's 100 Best list for 2011, presented on June 13, included sixty-seven Members of NAFA. They say bragging is unbecoming so, rather than say much more, we respectfully will allow the numbers to speak for themselves.
And so, we reach the last month of the year with much accomplished and much more to do. Exciting movement is occurring in the chapters, on a macro and micro scale. The entire structure of the chapter system is looking for a shake-up and the time seems right to get it going. NAFA’s publications are becoming more dynamic, more eye-popping, yet at the same time retaining all the current and pertinent information you’ve come to expect. And NAFA, as the community you have decided to be a part of, is on the verge of becoming even more visible, more recognized, and ever stronger thanks to your unwavering support and continued membership.
Momentum is often synonymous with "moving forward." In 2012, that’s exactly what we intend to do.