NAFA announces finalists for 2014 Fleet Excellence Awards

NAFA Fleet Management Association announced the finalists for NAFA's 2014 Fleet Excellence Awards last week. The Fleet Excellence Awards (or FLEXY for short) shine a spotlight on those who have impacted fleet management in both the corporate and public fleet segments during the previous year. Three finalists were chosen for each of the seven categories. Winners will be announced during the Second Annual Fleet Excellence Awards Gala on Tuesday, April 8 at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, MN during NAFA's annual conference.

“NAFA is proud once again to open our 2014 Institute & Expo with these prestigious awards,” said NAFA's Chief Executive Officer Phillip E. Russo, CAE. “These individuals have demonstrated the highest level of achievement in their respective categories and exemplify the work that is going on in the fleet profession today.”

The FLEXY Awards are open to all fleet professionals, regardless of whether or not they were members of NAFA Fleet Management Association. Industry leaders, acting as judges in the selection process for finalists and winners, never saw the names of nominees or the organizations they work for. Voting was 100 percent blind; based solely upon the actions and ideas listed by the nominees on their submission forms. This allowed for unbiased selection based strictly on the quality of nominee accomplishments.

“The excitement generated from the 2013 debut of the FLEXYs was astounding, and very gratifying,” continued Russo. “Fleet professionals are some of the most creative thinkers and dedicated professionals when it comes to finding cost-savings, increasing safety, and fostering sustainability in their organization's fleet. NAFA wanted to honor that, and we have; and to see how the fleet community has embraced it says so much more than I ever could.”

The 2014 list of finalists is as follows:

Outstanding Achievement in Corporate Fleet Management     
Jonathan Kamanns, Fleet Manager, Ingersoll-Rand
Patricia Smith, Senior Specialist – Facilities/Fleet Management, Diageo North America, Inc.
George Survant, Senior Director – Fleet, Time Warner Cable

Outstanding Achievement in Public Fleet Management             
Mike Plato, Director – Fleet (EMS), Alberta Health Services
Kelly Reagan, Fleet Administrator, City of Columbus
Kevin Schlangen, CAFM; Fleet Manager; Dakota County

Excellence in Corporate Fleet Sustainability  
Bonnie Brown, Manager of Administrative Services, Roche Diagnostics Corp.
Bruce Donovan, Director of Global Fleet Operations, DeAngelo Brothers Incorporated
Doug Swistock, Division Service and Operations Manager, TruGreen LandCare
                
Excellence in Public Fleet Sustainability          
Keith Leech, Fleet Manager, City of Sacramento
Kelly Reagan, Fleet Administrator, City of Columbus
James Reinish; Manager, Central Automotive Division; Port Authority of NY & NJ

Excellence in Corporate Fleet Safety               
Jonathan Kamanns, Fleet Manager, Ingersoll-Rand
Albert Powell, DOT/Fleet Manager, Express Energy
Andy Sacha, Global Fleet Manager, Nestlé
                
Excellence in Public Fleet Safety       
Jacquie Deitch, Director – Fleet Services, City of Calgary
Glenn Brown and Kevin LeBlanc, City of Edmonton - Fleet Services
J.D. Schulte, CAFM; Fleet Manager; City of Moline

Excellence in Fleet Leadership          
Lisa Grater, Transportation and Parking Services Coordinator, University of La Verne
Jonathan Kamanns, Fleet Manager, Ingersoll-Rand
Keith Leech, Fleet Manager, City of Sacramento

NAFA's 2014 Institute & Expo, which takes place April 8-11 at the Minneapolis Convention Center, is the event of the year for the fleet profession. Fleet professionals from throughout the world attend to learn about the latest technologies, best practices, and industry trends from over 60 hours of fleet educational sessions. In addition, the conference features an Expo Floor with more than 300 vendors showing the latest products and services. The 2014 I&E includes powerful keynote presentations from authors and motivational speakers Peter Sheahan and Simon Sinek; a special panel featuring executives from Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, and Toyota; and a special panel featuring executives from the leading Fleet Management Companies.

For more information on NAFA's 2014 Institute & Expo visit www.nafainstitute.org.