Affiliates Forum: NAFA Is The Umbrella That Covers Fleet
Through serving on the Canadian wing of NAFA's Affiliates Committee, I'm sometimes struck by the thought that fleet managers might not be fully aware of the benefits of NAFA. It is a realization that matters a lot to me, both personally and professionally, as I myself have gained so much from my connection.
I joined NAFA in 2008 on the recommendation of Roger Constantin, Fleet Manager of Gaz Metro, and Julie Furlotte, CAFM, who was at that time Vice-President of NAFA Canada (and is National Manager of the Land Fleet of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police). I sought to work with fleet managers, providing business solutions which integrated parts inventory management, which was developed by NAPA Auto Parts in the United States and adapted to the Canadian market.
During this time I recognized how I could be a conduit of information on many levels, not only from a product/service provider to client/user base, but also as an envoy who brings information from the U.S. back home to Canada. The relationships I gained through this worked both ways as I learned firsthand about the needs and requests from fleet professionals to me, without the ususal divisions that would ordinarily (and often negatively) filter that conversation. Through the chapters, the I&E, and the many other networking opportunities the Association affords, we all somehow fit beneath the umbrella of "fleet."
I was named Canadian Representative to the Affiliates Committee in 2010, and my primary mandate is to participate in NAFA's annual conference (I&E) and ensure that the Affiliates have a voice in the ongoing conversation with fleet managers. I'm also responsible for relaying the news coming out of NAFA's American chapters back to the Association in Canada. Maintaining this connection is what has made the Association so strong for these many years. That can only continue as we look to new international connections, with an extremely bright and far-reaching future ahead for us all.
In reality, we want to know what fleet managers expect from us, their parts suppliers. We want to create a partnership with them in the arena of parts and inventory management through integrated solutions and e-commerce. NAFA provides that ability, and yet they do much more for fleet. Through the Beyond Fleet program, that message of the intrinsic value of fleet to every thriving business and organization is being carried "above the heads" of the department to the administrators. The CAFM program is an unsurpassed education waterline that very clearly identifies the best in the field through their knowledge base. When it is said it is the industry standard for fleet education, that's a commitment and not mere bluster.
In other words, NAFA has done much for me and other Affiliates, but the Association has done much for all its members and continues year-after-year in expanding and achieving. NAFA is all too often a well-kept secret, considering how much the Association has meant for light-duty vehicle fleet managers, and continues to as the definition of "what fleet is" expands, from thousands down to only a handful of vehicles. I am privileged to see the benefits from a different perspective: as an Affiliate.
NAFA Affiliate Alain Primeau is National Director of sales of UAP NAPA, Canada. He also serves on the Affiliates Committee for the Association.
