NAFA Celebrates Its Third Decade

For one group of men, 1957 represented the commencement of interests and professional needs. This group came to be known as the National Association of Fleet Administrators (NAFA).

Fleet administration became a highly specialized field in the 1950s. More companies became aware of the need to furnish automobiles for transportation of field representatives through leasing or company ownership, and, at the same time, to create an investment worth millions of dollars.

The first meeting of fleet administrators was held in Chicago, 1L on Mar. 12 to 13, 1957 where it was decided to incorporate as a nonprofit organization under the name National Association of Fleet Administrators, Inc.

NAFA's actual articles of incorporation were signed on Apr. 11, 1957 by Emerson Parker, James Bekkering, and Sam Fee. They acted on behalf of the 27 men who at-tended that first luncheon meeting. One year later. John Limpert, the Association's first president, stood before those same men and reported that membership had increased to 50 and that a concentrated effort was being made to attract new members.

Due to the fact that NAFA's early founders dealt with the dual task of managing full-time jobs as fleet managers and volunteering the additional time they could to keep NAFA an active organization, the Association's growth was slow but steadily gaining new membership. Today, NAFA's membership has exceeded 3,000.

The need for change was recognized by the early 1960s. Increased efficiency and continued dedication were needed to flourish. The first step to increase revenues was to solicit advertising in the NAFA Bulletin, the Association's publication. The second step was to contract Emil Ames, one of the Association's founders and its president from 1960-1961, to serve as NAFA's "service consultant." The third step was completed on Mar. 1, 1965 with the appointment of Robert Burke as NAFA's executive director.

NAFA reached its goal of 500 members by 1970. In order to give recognition to those persons who were not eligible for membership, but were interested in motor fleet operation, the establishment of NAFA Affiliates was formed. As of 1982 there were 500 NAFA Affiliates who represented manufacturers, dealers, leasing companies, wholesale auto auctions, wholesalers, and brokers.

In 1975, the Association did a special study to define the ideal fleet car. The result was the NAFCAR and NAFVAN.

Another aggregate that was created was the NAFA Law Enforcement Group, which became an important source of information on police vehicle specifications and performance. One of the Association's primary goals was to promote safely on the nation's highways. The Departments of Energy and Transportation, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Federal Trade Commission tire some of the regulatory agencies to whom NAFA has attempted lo present the views and special requirements of fleet operations.

The Association took a very important step in 1976 when it created the NAFA Foundation, a nonprofit, charitable organization dedicated to advancing the profession of vehicle fleet management and to improving upper management's perception of the valuable contribution that fleet operations make to organizational performance.

In 1980 there were two significant occurrences that increased the importance of the Association's relations with the federal government. The first was the passage of the Emergency Energy Conservation Act of 1979 which mandated the Department of Energy to develop a stand-by gasoline-rationing plan for distributing the rights to purchase gasoline in the event of a shortage.

NAFA pledged its complete support to a nationwide "Energy Efficiency" campaign that began in April, 1980. This year also marked the publication of NAFA's complete manual on automotive fleet management. In 1981 the first edition of NAFA's Annual Reference Book was published. It functions as a valuable source of information on fleet management and serves as a vital tool for members and affiliates.

NAFA itself has experienced a number of changes in the past 33 years. Administration of the Association's services are no longer done on a volunteer basis. Today's headquarter staff consists of separate departments including membership, publications, educational programs, accounting, and computer services. NAFA's monthly magazine, once a four-page bulletin, now averages 56 pages a month and accepts four-color advertising from major manufacturers and leasing companies. In addition, NAFA's Annual Conference is refered to as the "fleet event of the year" and attracts an average of 1,200 executives of the fleet business every year.

Despite the fact that NAFA's membership has grown, its structure is basically the same as it was 33 years ago, as are its goals although the activities have surpassed the original concepts.

The guidelines and goals still serve as the basis for NAFA's actions and programs.