By Steve Bender, President/Owner, Fleet Street Remarketing
February 12, 2025
Last year was without a doubt one of the most challenging I have ever faced.
As many of you know, my son Sean was struck by a boat in the Florida Keys last summer, and for a while, our family didn’t even know if he was going to pull through – a pretty scary thing for any parent.
Today, I’m happy to report that Sean is not only alive and well, but thriving. And, if you can believe this, attending college!
Steve Bender – Fleet Street Remarketing
In fact, my wife Jill and I returned a few weeks ago from setting up his new dorm room, something we weren’t sure would ever happen during not only the weeks Sean spent in the hospital, but during the months and months of rehab he spent trying to reclaim his life. As you can imagine, it’s been a very emotional time, but all of us are thrilled with Sean’s progress and hoping for a full recovery.
From the bottom of my heart, I can’t thank everyone in my fleet family for sticking by us through this horrible ordeal. Your prayers have met the world, and I have little doubt they went a long way towards helping Sean get to where he is today.
On another note, 2024 was also the year I finally realized my dream of mashing up my two greatest passions: Remarketing end-of-lease corporate vehicles and hunting for lost treasure. Undoubtedly two of the most disparate activities one could possibly think of, but at the same time, both my hobby – and my day job – for more than 20 years.
And just how did I manage to combine two so wildly different activities?
I mean, on the surface – even to me – it doesn’t seem like treasure hunting and remarketing vehicles have all that much in common save for finding the occasional diamond in the rough?
But trust me – they do.
Darrell Miklos
In case you didn’t catch our “mash up” when it debuted last year, our team here at Fleet Street wrote and produced a 6-episode mini-series that combined these two seemingly different focuses in ways you might not imagine. And found me and my lifelong buddy – and world renown treasure hunter – Darrell Miklos trekking through a strange new world to reach 6 destinations located on an ancient map I found in a filing cabinet in one of Fleet Street’s old warehouses.
Reach all 6 destinations and Darrell and I will break an ancient curse that’s been put on fleets. Fail, and doom our beloved clients and industry to a future of minimal returns and mountains of hassles – truly – a lot at stake!
I won’t tell you how things turn out if you missed our original run, but the beauty of the series is that it highlights the important guiding principles we apply here at Fleet Street every day. In fact, we had so much fun making it – and the message has so much value – that we’ve decided to run it again as a lead up to this year’s AFLA Conference this October in Marco Island, Florida, where we’ll celebrate with customers and friends across fleet and once again give away a priceless piece of treasure found on our journey just like we did last year when Fuji Film fleet manager Jim Petrillo was our big winner!
And while there will certainly be lots of thrills, chills and hijinks galore, the real hero of our series are the guiding principles we not only employ to reach the 6 mysterious destinations on the map, but to provide the best remarketing experience in fleet – period.
Here’s a look at a few of the places we’ll be headed and the important principles that help us reach each destination:
MAX ROI – the place where our clients receive the highest return on their vehicle investment and Fleet Street’s PERSEVERANCE makes it happen!
SAVIA – a vibrant destination where clients save time and money, and we focus on the importance of Fleet Street’s remarketing EXPERTISE.
EZPZ – the place that highlight’s Fleet Street’s DETERMINATION to provide a fast, easy remarketing experience.
As I said. A crazy mash up of my two greatest passions – outside my family of course!
Whacky?
Perhaps.
A little over the top?
For sure!
But undoubtedly the most fun I’ve ever had doing the two things I love most. And while we think you’ll enjoy the whacky nature and big reveal at the end of the series, the real star of our story are the guiding principles that dictate how we’ve rolled here at Fleet Street for over 35 years, and something we plan to kick into overdrive in 2025. This mini-series is just a small part of that effort, but it tells a big story about how committed we are to helping our customers meet – and exceed – their biggest goals every day.
Finally, on a personal note. I’d like to thank you all again so much for your prayers and well wishes for my son Sean. The kindness you have bestowed on my family – and the loyalty you have shown our company – is humbling. It drives me (and everyone here at Fleet Street) every day, and we all stand committed to helping you and your fleet make 2025 your best year ever!
So, join us for the journey of a lifetime by going to our YouTube channel at www.YouTube.com/@FleetStreetRemarketing and checking out one of the 6 exciting episodes – or by binge watching the entire series! And be sure to pay special attention to the special “mission” words in each episode that highlight are guiding principles. Trust me, by the time you’re through, you’ll have a better understanding of why no one has more ways to get your used assets sold faster or for more money than Fleet Street!
About the author
Steve Bender is President and Owner of Fleet Street Remarketing and past President of the Automotive Fleet Leasing Association (AFLA.) He can be reached at [email protected].
