2013 NAFA I&E in Atlantic City
Motivational and educational, this year’s Institute & Expo changed its date-pattern to the weekdays, introduced new educational tracks, and had four keynote speakers.
(L-R) NAFA President Claude Masters, CAFM, moderated a “fireside chat” with Jim Sassorossi, director, fleet sales, Chrysler; John Ruppert, general manager, commercial and government operations, Ford; and Ed Peper, U.S. vice president, fleet and commercial sales, General Motors for the Wed., April 24 keynote presentation.
(L-R) NAFA President Claude Masters, CAFM, moderated a “fireside chat” with Jim Sassorossi, director, fleet sales, Chrysler; John Ruppert, general manager, commercial and government operations, Ford; and Ed Peper, U.S. vice president, fleet and commercial sales, General Motors for the Wed., April 24 keynote presentation.
The 2013 NAFA Fleet Management Association (NAFA) Institute & Expo (I&E) took place April 23-26 in Atlantic City, N.J. More than 2,400 fleet professionals attended the annual conference, according to NAFA, which, commencing this year, switched to a Tuesday-Friday schedule.
Note: You can click the photo above to view a gallery of images from the event.
The event kicked off with an opening night award’s party, where NAFA’s Fleet Excellence Awards (Flexys) were presented.
Commercial fleet award recipients included: Theresa Belding, senior manager, fleet services, Forest Pharmaceuticals for Excellence in Corporate Fleet Safety; Christy Coyte Meyer, global fleet director, Johnson Controls, Inc. for Excellence in Corporate Fleet Sustainability; Ed Pierce, VP marketing, ARI for NAFA Affiliate of the Year; and Kathryn Antonelli, manager, fleet administration, Novartis Pharmaceuticals for Outstanding Achievement in Corporate Fleet Management.
For 2013, a new fleet sustainability track was added. Presented by CALSTART, the track featured several sessions for fleet managers interested in getting the latest information about advanced fuels and vehicles.
Windell “Win” Mitchell, former fleet manager for King County, Wash., Fleet Administration Division and 2008 Government Fleet Public Sector Fleet Manager of the Year, passed away Oct. 23, 2012, and was honored with a lifetime honorary membership. His brother, Earl Mitchell, a retired fleet manager and member of NAFA for more than 40 years, accepted the award on his brother’s behalf.
Four keynote speakers entertained and engaged attendees. Stuart “Twitchy” Ellis-Myers kicked off the event on April 23, with a session about improving lives based on personal experience. An OEM fireside chat took place Wed., morning, April 24, with representatives from Chrysler, Ford, and GM and was moderated by NAFA President Claude Masters, CAFM. Derek Daly, former racing driver from Ireland and CEO and founder of MotorVation, shared his story about coming up in racing and motivating attendees about teamwork. Finally, Janet Froetscher, president and CEO of the National Safety Council shared details on council initiatives.
The 2014 NAFA I&E will be held April 8-11, 2014, in Minneapolis.
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