Merchants Fleet has hired Jayson Stocking as the regional sales manager for its West Region, where he will be responsible for new client acquisition.

Stocking has more than 15 years of experience in the fleet leasing and automotive industries. Most recently he was vice president of business development at Donlen after being promoted from his corporate account manager position for Hertz, which he held for eight years.

His areas of expertise include account management, client service, and sales. Stocking received his bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship from California State University – San Bernardino. He is based in Corona, Calif.

“His extensive experience servicing clients and successfully managing accounts for people and businesses with vehicle needs makes him a great asset for our company,” said Jeff Thomas, regional vice president of the West Region at Merchants Fleet.

Merchants has made a push to hire the brightest talent in the fleet leasing industry as part of its FleetiQ initiative, and Stocking is the latest hire in that effort, the fleet management company said. To date, the company has hired 62 people from within the fleet industry.