Gayle Pratt And Tom Lubas Announce Retirements
On March 23, NAFA Vice President Tom Lubas announced he had retired from the Port Authority of NY & NJ just a few days prior, with little fanfare or announcement. Tom is the chair of this year's I&E Arrangements Committee in Atlantic City, so despite his retirement he has stayed knee-deep involved with NAFA. He promises to continue to stay involved, including with the NAFA Foundation.
Also on March 23, former NAFA President Gayle Pratt announced her retirement as well. Her company Ecolab presented her with a retirement package too good to turn down, and so she has decided to take them up on the offer and fulfill new pursuits.
Gayle's time with NAFA has been long and distinguished, but her career has been equally impressive: 1978-1986 starting with Onan Corporation (a subsidiary of Cummins Inc.); 1987-1988 with Labor Services, Minneapolis, MN; 1989-1998 with medical services company LabCorp; and 1998-2004 with the State of Michigan, Lansing, MI. She has served as Director Global Fleet and Director Fleet & Indirect Purchasing for Ecolab from 2004 to 2013.
The direction of North American fleet operations means Gayle was responsible for over 8,000 vehicles in sales and service fleets, 16 business units, and operating budget of $90+ million, as well as overseeing the global fleet of 18,000 vehicles in 78 countries (among many other duties of her position).
Gayle said, "I have no immediate plans for another job or career. I'm just going to take retirement in and do some gardening, relaxing, and all the things that I have not had the opportunity to do for the 30+ years working for others."
Tom and Gayle are living proof of NAFA's Beyond Fleet assertion: a fleet manager must have exceptional skills in a wide range of fields. They exemplify the knowledge base, put to work, that fleet professionals need every day and are terrific examples in their own right of the value of fleet. They have definitely earned their rewards!