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Phillip E. Russo, CAE, NAFA’s Chief Executive Officer, has left the association after more than 14 years at its helm. “I have loved my time with NAFA,” Russo said. “I’ve made many great friends and have so many great memories.” Russo, who led NAFA since 2005 as its Executive Director and CEO, had an employment contract that was set to expire at the end of this year. Russo and the NAFA Board of Directors agreed on an exit strategy that will permit Russo to leave before then. Under Russo’s leadership NAFA accomplished the following:
– A rebrand which included a name change, a logo redesign, and a revision of bylaws
– Growth in annual conference sponsorship
– An increase in reserve funds
– An increase in member engagement through a fleet sustainability credential, a micro-certificate exam, extensive government affairs activities, and an online community initiative Read more.
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Many of you already know that the AFLA Conference is amazing for learning and networking, and may likely also know that this year is the 50th anniversary (with all kinds of great extras in store!). But do you know how absolutely gorgeous the Arizona Grand Resort & Spa is? Nestled at the base of America’s largest urban park and wilderness preserve, Arizona’s only AAA Four Diamond all-suite resort features spacious one and two-bedroom suites. AFLA has negotiated a special rate of $199/night for AFLA attendees at the Arizona Grand. All rooms are first-come, first-served and rates are only guaranteed until August 23, 2019. REGISTER for AFLA and book your room HERE
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Merchants Fleet has expanded its fleet consulting group by hiring three senior fleet consultants: Chad Edmonson, Lawrence Liu, and Eric Miller. The hires bring a combined fifty years of experience from the fleet and financial industries and are based across the country. The expansion is the latest success in the company’s FleetIQ initiative, which is dedicated to recruiting and retaining the best talent in the fleet industry. To date, the initiative has attracted over 50 professionals to the Merchants team. READ MORE
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Auto Truck Group, a work truck upfitter of truck and van equipment announced plans to build an all-new production facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The company plans to invest more than $6 million to build a 72,000 square-foot manufacturing complex which is scheduled to open early next year and is poised to nearly double the production capacity of Auto Truck Group’s current Fort Wayne location. “Our Fort Wayne facility and its employees have played a vital role in our company’s continued success and as a result of this unprecedented growth, we’ve quickly outgrown our current location,” said Pete Dondlinger, President, Auto Truck Group. Read more.
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By Ed Pierce, Fleet Industry Marketer Last month, we began our discussion of inbound marketing by addressing the three-phased start to developing an effective program – Discovery, Brainstorming Phase, and Planning Phases. Conor Bond, marketing blogger for Wordstream, succinctly defines the value of an effective inbound marketing effort for any B2B business: “It allows you to build trust with high-quality leads who demonstrate an active interest in your product or service, particularly important if your business has a relatively long sales cycle.” In the fleet industry, prospects generally require time to assess myriad needs, research different offerings, and weigh the pros and cons of each alternative. For suppliers then, building brand awareness and trust over that long buyer decision process is mandatory. READ MORE |
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What interests the boss fascinates the worker By Jim Noble, VP of Risk Engineering, eDriving Road safety is moving in the wrong direction, and our unsafe driving habits are contributing to this. We know that about 94% of crashes are caused by incorrect driver behavior and attitudes – not skills – and, because of this, attempting to improve driver skills is not the solution. Instead, it’s guiding drivers to safer attitudes and behaviors that will have a lasting impact on road safety, and one of the ways to encourage drivers to form good habits is through coaching. Consider this: people tend to remember 10% of what they read, 20% of what they hear and 30% of what they see. But they tend to remember 90% of what they do. READ MORE |
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Department plans to go all-hybrid by 2024 CBSLocal.com The New York City Police Department will begin patrolling the city’s streets with hybrid cruisers this fall, and plans to convert all of its 10,000 vehicles to hybrid models over the next five years. The move is expected to save the NYPD millions of dollars a year in fuel costs and significantly reduce tailpipe emissions. The first of the department’s new vehicles will be the Ford Fusion-based Police Responder Sedan, the first true hybrid built for police purposes. Although it sounds and drives like a typical police vehicle, Ford estimates the cars will save more than 1,500 gallons of fuel per car per year. The department currently spends about $15 million a year on gasoline. The bulk of [the] fuel savings come during the five hours Ford estimates a police car spends idling nearly during a typical eight-hour shift. The electric motor on the hybrid allows the gas engine to turn off, saving more than 900 gallons a year per cruiser. READ MORE |
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