3 Finalists for 2021 Fleet Manager of the Year

The three finalists for the 2020 Edward J. Bobit Professional Fleet Manager of the Year award were announced by Automotive Fleet magazine. They are:

• Kimberly Fisher, Director, Global Fleet & Travel for NOV Inc.
• Joe Lukacs, Global Director of Fleet Operations for Sherwin-Williams
• Jim Petrillo, Manager Treasury Services & Fleet Management for FujiFilm Holdings America Corp. 

A judging panel will decide the winner.

Nominees are full-time commercial fleet managers who control a company-owned or leased fleet in excess of 100 cars and light trucks combined, and who are recognized nationally among their peers for their unique abilities and accomplishments are eligible. The award is sponsored by Wheels, Inc. and the Automotive Fleet & Leasing Association (AFLA).

The winner of the Edward J. Bobit Professional Fleet Manager of the Year award will be announced at the 2021 AFLA Conference, which will be held in-person on Oct. 4-6, 2021, at the La Cantera Resort and Spa in San Antonio, Texas. The three finalist will also be profiled in the September 2021 print edition of Automotive Fleet magazine.

 

KIMBERLY FISHER, Director, Global Fleet & Travel Services for NOV Inc. 

Total vehicles: 3,000
◗  Staff supervised: 6
◗  Years with current fleet: 10
◗  Years in industry: 20

Notable achievements

Fisher has been in the fleet industry for more than 20 years and with NOV (formerly National Oilwell Varco) for more than 10 years.  She and her team have effectively managed the fleet as it continuously fluctuates in size to accommodate industry demands.  She currently manages the company’s expanding global fleet and travel programs. Being flexible and agile to shift as the company’s needs change is one of Fisher’s strengths.  She and her team’s ability to meet the needs of their field is key to their success as a department. In the past year, Fisher was able to successfully propose the concept of cycling services bodies onto new chassis to extend the life of the service body.  This is a change management process for her field.  Historically, the field has viewed the service body as part of a single chassis, therefore good for only one cycle.  Moving to a multi-chassis cycle will save $2 million over the next two years.  Fisher is active in industry events and serves on the GM Commercial Sounding Board and the Element Customer Advisory Board.

 

JOSEPH LUKACS, Global Director fo Fleet Operations for Sherwin-Willams

Total vehicles: 10,500+
◗  Staff supervised: 10
◗  Years with current fleet: 6
◗  Years in industry: 6

 

Notable achievements

After a year of research, Lukacs committed to acquire, design and deliver two EVs to the fleet in 2020. In five short months, the pilot project went from table concept to field use as Lukacs and his team worked with suppliers to select and upfit a Chevrolet Bolt, design and apply decals and identify and install charging stations. Lukacs also instituted a culture- and change-management program, including executive briefings and store training, to help drivers prepare the new fleet vehicles. Upon the pilot’s success and its potential significant impact on the company’s carbon footprint, Lukacs expanded the program, ordering five more Chevrolet Bolts for use as sales vehicles and another 10 for commercial use. Lukacs and his team continue to test EVs and monitor new EV technology. A leading member at LeasePlan USA’s inaugural 2021 EV Summit, Lukacs also sits on the General Motors Fleet EV advisory board.

 

 

Jim Petrillo, Manager Treasury Services & Fleet Management for FujiFilm Holdings America Corp. 

◗  Total vehicles: 1,500
◗  Staff supervised: 1
◗  Years with current fleet: 11
◗  Years in industry: 11

 

Notable achievements
Petrillo has consistently demonstrated his ability to expertly manage his company’s fleet. This includes his creation and implementation of a comprehensive safety program. In 2017, Petrillo recognized a need for increased safety initiative within FujiFilm’s fleet. He elected to develop a customized safety program from scratch. In 2019, Petrillo extended this initiative to include a virtual risk manager program that was designed to work to measurably reduce collisions and incidents caused by risky driving. He has applied his industry knowledge with great effect recently by identifying and securing cost-effective vehicles which include safety features such as blindside monitors and emergency braking as standard, rather than upgrading at significant cost to more expensive models. Since implementation of the safety program, FujiFilm has experienced a more than 25% decrease in annualized incident rate. Petrillo not only weathered the COVID-19 storm in 2020, but flourished, researching and identifying suitable participants for an electric vehicle pilot program. 

 

2021 Fleet Manager of the Year Judging Panel

Active Past Winners (Below are their positions at the time they won the award)

Gage Wagoner (2014), Philips Electronics

Brenda Davis (2015), Baker Hughes

George Survant (2016), Time Warner Cable

John Dmochowsky (2017), Mondeléz International 

Phil Samuelson (2018), USIC

Erin Gilchrist (2019) Safelite AutoGlass

Lee Pierce (2020) Nutrien Ag Solutions

Dealers

Rick Nicoletti, Napleton Group

Manufacturers

Ed Peper,, General Motors

Phil Podgorny, Ford 

Frank Dankovich, Stellantis

Mark Oldenburg, Toyota

Jennifer Moer, Nissan

Fleet Management Companies

Dan Frank, Wheels Inc.

Bob White, ARI

David Madrigal, Element Fleet Management

Greg DePace, Emkay

Brice Adamson, Enterprise Fleet Management

Tom Callahan, Donlen

Matt Dyer, LeasePlan USA

Robert Singer, Merchants Fleet

Terry Winslow, The CEI Group

Bob Martines, Corporate Claims Management (CCM)

Media

Mike Antich, Automotive Fleet