Jim Garland
Vice President of Operations
Houston Distributing Co. Inc.
Houston, TX
Linda A. Socia, CAFM Manager, Vehicle Acquisition & Maintenance
Lorillard Tobacco Company
Greensboro, NC
Linda Socia assists in managing 1,000 vehicles throughout the United States. Socia's responsibilities include replacing 300+ vehicles each model year, ensuring driver compliance with maintenance policies, and communications to drivers relating to cost savings. Due to her continued efforts, Lorillard’s National Account usage has averaged over ninety percent since 2002 and over ninety-five percent since 2008. She was instrumental in changing drivers’ fuel purchasing habits from fifty-six percent Tier 1 stations Q1 2009 to twenty-seven percent Tier 1 Q4 2011. Socia earned her CAFM in 1993. Prior to joining Lorillard, she was Fleet Administrator at Colgate-Palmolive Company in New York City. Socia served the New York Chapter as Secretary, Treasurer, and Chair and has been Secretary and Treasurer for the Carolinas’ Chapter. She participated in GE Fleet Services’ Vehicle Acquisition Client Council in 2008 and is currently a member of their Customer Web Council. Socia holds a B.A. from Kalamazoo College with a major in French and a minor in psychology. Socia’s hobbies range from gourmet cooking to NASCAR.