Wheels, Inc. has recognized Midway Specialty Vehicles as the recipient of its inaugural Upfit Supplier of the Year Award for superior performance, exemplary service and innovation.
The award was presented to Midway’s executive team: Mike Violi, President; Gary Mathers, Chief Financial Officer; Russ Gilpin, Vice President of Sales; Brad Brubaker, Director Engineering; and Kathy Franklin, Executive Administration on October 4th, 2016 at the Midway facility in Elkhart, IN.
This is the first year that Wheels has recognized an Upfit Supplier of the Year. Through Wheels Preferred Supplier Program, Wheels has built long-term relationships with a select group of strategic suppliers that create long-term value for its clients. The Supplier of the Year distinction rewards the supplier who achieved best performance overall based on quality, on-time completion, cost competitiveness, innovation and risk mitigation.
“Wheels actively monitors our upfitters, and using their performance data as a basis to recognize and reward them creates a powerful incentive for our suppliers to drive continuous improvement. This year Midway Specialty Vehicles was selected out of more than 200 suppliers because they completed 99.5% of vehicles on time for Wheels, with zero defects. That record exemplifies excellence,” said Mark Campbell, Wheels Assistant Vice President, Service Vehicles & Remarketing.
In addition, Midway displayed a client-centric culture and dedication to responsive service that aligns closely with Wheels corporate values. “Wheels has a reputation for genuinely caring for its customers and vendors, and during our 36 years of working within this industry and Wheels, we have attempted to mirror this same attitude. This award shows that Wheels has observed and documented our efforts to achieve continuous improvement of our manufacturing process, and that our performance enhances and increases Wheels credibility and business with its customers entrusted to our company,” said Mike Violi, CEO of Midway Specialty Vehicles.
Based in Elkhart, Indiana with a second location in South Carolina, Midway Specialty Vehicles LLC is a leader in customized commercial van conversions. For 36 years the company has worked closely with customers to develop customized solutions that fit their unique transportation needs.
Wheels, Inc. was established in 1939 as the world’s first automotive fleet leasing and management company. Seventy-seven years later, Wheels is one of the largest privately-held companies in North America, featuring a portfolio of more than 300,000 vehicles under management across the continent, capabilities in 40 countries worldwide, and a client base that consists of some of the best-known businesses in the world. In addition to vehicle acquisition and leasing, Wheels provides numerous specialized services that help all sorts of organizations manage their fleets. These include driver/vehicle support functions like maintenance management, fuel cards, and registration processing, as well as strategic account-level consultation to drive optimal fleet efficiency and measure results. For additional information, please contact [email protected].
Pictured from right to left: Joe Brightwell, Supply Chain Manager, Wheels; Mike Violi, President and CEO, Midway Specialty Vehicles; Mark Campbell, Assistant Vice President, Service Vehicles, Wheels; Russ Gilpin, Vice President Sales, Midway Specialty Vehicles; Michael Violi, Sales, Midway Specialty Vehicles; Brad Brubaker, CFO, Midway Specialty Vehicles
