The second class of fleet visionaries were honored at the 2017 Automotive Fleet & Leasing Association (AFLA) annual conference in Las Vegas on Sept. 18.
Andy Lundin・Former Senior Editor
September 19, 2017
Photo of Sonya Garrepy, the 2017 Fleet Visionary of the Year, by Eric Gandarilla.
2 min to read
Photo of Sonya Garrepy, the 2017 Fleet Visionary of the Year, by Eric Gandarilla.
The second class of fleet visionaries were honored at the 2017 Automotive Fleet & Leasing Association (AFLA) annual conference in Las Vegas on Sept. 18.
A total of 20 fleet professionals were honored at an awards ceremony during the conference. Of the 20, Sonya Garrepy, fleet manager of IDEXX Laboratories, was named Fleet Visionary of the Year.
Ad Loading...
The Fleet Visionary award is open to any fleet professional with 10 years or fewer in the industry who has brought a new perspective to running a commercial fleet with the result that the fleet is more operationally efficient, cost-effective, safer, or any combination of these by introducing new methods, efficiencies, and/or technologies.
The award, sponsored by Merchants Fleet Management, is designed to recognize and celebrate new voices in fleet management. The honorees were announced by associates from Merchants.
The 20 fleet visionaries for 2017 are:
Dave Tosh, Benco Dental
Brian Fisher, Mortenson Construction
Doug Schrier, Covenant Transportation Group
Jeremey Muoio, Mastec
April Yeager, Clariant
Mohammad Annas Khan, Najm For Insurance
Larry Shupe, Eagle Distributing Co.
Kelsey Wolfe, Southern Freight Services
Melanie Pirylis, Schindler
Sara Vaughn, Dunkin Brands
Daniel Warner, Coloplast
Adam Orth, General Mills
Andrew McDonald, Arcadis
Arthur Parr, MBI Energy Services
Gene Spencer, Weatherford
Dustan Sepulveda, Watermill Express
Jacky Johnson, Truck Accessories Group
Jeffrey Menheer, Takeda Pharmaceuticals
Katherine Stamper, Novo Nordisk
Sonya Garrepy, IDEXX Laboratories
A detailed look at the fleet visionaries will be featured in an upcoming issue of Automotive Fleet.
AI is no longer a future concept for fleets—it’s already embedded in the tools, data, and decisions that operators rely on every day. In this episode of the Fleet Forward Podcast, recorded live at Fleet Forward, industry leaders take the conversation beyond hype to examine what responsible AI adoption really looks like in fleet operations.
As fleets rethink how they capture, manage, and act on vehicle data, telematics is at a major inflection point. In this episode of the Fleet Forward Podcast, we dive deep into one of the most pressing questions facing fleet leaders today: Should you rely on OEM factory-installed connectivity, aftermarket devices, or a hybrid of both?
Experts from telematics analytics, fleet-as-a-service operations, and national EV benchmarking share how real-time data is reshaping fleet strategy—dispelling assumptions, validating best practices, and exposing costly missteps.
A powerhouse panel featuring experts from the American Automotive Leasing Association, CalSTART, and municipal fleet leadership dives into the realities of navigating shifting emissions rules, regulatory waivers, federal agency actions, the future of the EPA’s endangerment finding, and the push for unified standards. They also examine the impacts of tariffs, autonomous vehicle policy, battery innovation, and the accelerating global EV market.
This episode kicks off with a deep dive into the technologies and market forces reshaping today’s fleet landscape. Host Chris Brown is joined by Laolu Adeola (Leke Services), Tyson Jomini (J.D. Power), and Richard Hall (ZappiRide) to break down real-world data, shifting incentives, and practical strategies fleet leaders can use right now.
In the middle of natural disasters fleet managers must shift priorities to protect people and assets. What policy items should be loosened, and when should the line be held?
In this episode, fleet leaders from municipal, university, and private-sector organizations share a candid EV reality check. From infrastructure setbacks and policy whiplash to grant funding, total cost of ownership, and charging resiliency, this conversation dives into what it actually takes to scale electrification in the real world.
After a decade of lagging compensation, fleet manager pay is climbing. But expanding responsibilities, larger fleets, and growing complexity continue to redefine the role.