By Steve Bender, President, Fleet Street Remarketing
October 8, 2025
Marco Island, Florida
As I sit here writing this, basking in the afterglow of the recent AFLA conference in beautiful Marco Island, I have to admit it’s kind of hard to believe that we’re already nearing the end of the year. Especially given that it was almost 100 degrees every day of the conference, but here we are slipping into the 4th quarter and already thinking about the holidays.
To say this year has been a blur might sound like the usual trite, end of year thing that the president of a small company like ours might say. In fact, you’re likely to hear it a lot over the next couple of months as we trundle through the 4th quarter and look to 2026.
But to be sure – trite comments aside – this year truly has been a blur. A hot mix of ups and downs, highs and lows, and without question the toughest challenges my family has ever faced.
For those of you who remember, our lives were turned upside down a little more than a year ago when my son Sean was struck and nearly killed by a boat as we looked for lobsters in the Florida Keys. That moment was the scariest of my life, and the year since has seen Sean go from a young man clinging to life to a thriving college student just entering his sophomore year.
To say the turnaround has been miraculous would be an understatement – it’s hardly the outcome any of us expected a year ago. As I sit here and remember the moment it happened, there isn’t a second that goes by that I don’t thank God for saving his life and putting our whole family back on track.
To say we are blessed would be an understatement. And a big part of that blessing has been the incredible gift our family in fleet has given us. Every one of you. You see, from the moment Sean’s life was tragically changed when he was struck by that boat, the fleet community has banded together and stood by our side – whether it was starting a fund to speed Sean’s recovery, or saying prayers to keep Sean in their thoughts, or reaching out to let our Fleet Street family know how much the fleet community was pulling for Sean.
To say we were humbled would never do justice to how much your prayers meant on those challenging nights when we were unsure if Sean would recover. And believe me, there hasn’t been a day since that we haven’t thanked our lucky stars to have such an amazing group of people behind us.
From the bottom of our hearts – to everyone in fleet’s big, beautiful family, especially our competitors who donated within days – Thank You. A million times, Thank You. Your kindness and generosity have changed our lives, and if my wife, Jill and I could find a way to thank each and every one of you personally we would spend the rest of our lives doing so.
To our team here at Fleet Street – the best group of remarketing professionals ever assembled – thank you for having my back. And for doing such great things while I’ve been focused on Sean’s recovery. When I look at all you’ve accomplished, I’m beyond proud – but hardly surprised. Given your professionalism, I was always confident you’d do nothing less.
So, here we are – a short year after that tragic day that changed our lives. A year in which the fleet space has changed dramatically. FMC’s have consolidated. Long time friends and industry superstars have moved on. And the landscape for used wholesale assets has changed significantly.
It’s enough for a small businessperson to take a breath – a very deep one – and wonder if it might be time to pack it up. But as I survey the landscape and take stock of the challenges ahead, nothing could be further from my mind.
In fact, I’ve decided it’s time to double down and get back to the business I’ve been committed to for over two decades. The business of helping our customers do great things by selling their used vehicles faster and for more money than anyone other remarketing provider.
Sounds simple, right?
But to do things right is going to require the time, commitment, and dedication that our whole family has been focused on giving my son during this critical time. And while focusing on Sean is something I’d do a million times over, I’m excited to switch gears and get back to the task at hand!
Even better, I know our whole team here at Fleet Street is committed to doing the same. And to doing the hard of work finding new ways to help customers succeed.
Over the coming weeks we’ll be working hard to set our agenda for 2026 and on identifying the strategies that will help our customers streamline and simplify their remarketing function while saving time, money and resources that could be better spent elsewhere. That’s not going to be easy in a world that changes seemingly by the minute. But I know there’s no better company to set the tone for our clients’ success, or team to figure out the best way forward.
I’m excited about the road ahead.
And humbled by the road my family – and everyone here at Fleet Street – has traveled over the last year. In a lot of ways, it’s brought us closer. And regardless of whether Sean’s recovery had anything to do with that, I’m grateful for the outcome that’s put him back on track.
With so much happening in the world today – especially the fleet world – we all face uncertainty and significant challenges. But as someone who’s seen – and experienced first-hand – the power of the human connection that defines this industry, I’m confident in the road ahead. And thrilled to count you all as colleagues.
I don’t think I could ever find a way to thank the fleet world – or all of you individually – for the incredibly wonderful gifts you have given to me. The gift of family. The gift of caring. The gift that helped pull my family and our team here at Fleet Street through our darkest hour.
I’m going to take that gift – and the energy that came from it – and use it to become even better. Better at life and certainly at this profession of fleet we all love.
Thank you all again for this extraordinary gift and here’s hoping you and your loved ones have a great end to 2025 – it’s coming faster than you think. Be sure to tell the people you love how much you do and hug them extra tightly and we’ll look forward to seeing everyone soon!
About the author
Steve Bender is President of Fleet Street Remarketing, a 20-plus year veteran of the fleet space and a past President of the Automotive Fleet Leasing Association (AFLA). In addition, he’s an amateur treasure hunter with a TV series to his credit and can be reached at [email protected].
