The three finalists for the 2020 Edward J. Bobit Professional Fleet Manager of the Year award include Lee Pierce, Jim Petrillo, and Kimberly Fisher, Automotive Fleet magazine has announced. 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 2020 AFLA Conference, which will be hosted virtually this Oct. 5 - 7, 2020, and will also be profiled in an issue of Automotive Fleet later this year.

Lee Pierce, Director of Fleet, Nutrien Ag Solutions

• Total vehicles: 18,000

• Staff supervised: 9

• Years with current fleet: 2

• Years in industry: 20

Notable achievements

Pierce has managed several of the largest fleets across multiple industries and is now responsible for approximately 70,000 assets (vehicles and heavy equipment). While at Nutrien, she moved a very decentralized fleet to centralized, across 1,200 individual branch locations. 

Some of her many accomplishments include integrating disparate systems such as billing, accounting, and fixed assets along with the SAP integration that would affect their current fleet management environment. Reassessing how fuel, maintenance, and the International Registration Plan are managed are a select few. She has implemented processes and procedures to free up time for field personnel to focus on their core responsibilities, rather than sourcing and selling assets. 

She has recovered over $500,000 in credits by auditing all vendors. She is transforming the landscape by connecting systems and leveraging vendors to identify further opportunities and savings across the organization. Pierce serves on General Motors Commercial Sounding Board and Wheels Steering Council.

Jim Petrillo, Manager of Fleet and Treasury Services, FujiFilm Holdings America Corp.

• Total vehicles: 1,502

• Staff supervised: 1

• Years with current fleet: 10

• Years in industry: 10

Notable achievements

Petrillo has consistently demonstrated his ability to expertly manage his company’s fleet. There are numerous examples of his ability to develop and execute key management policies, including 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.

Since the implementation of the safety program he brought to fruition in 2016, FujiFilm has seen a more than 25% decrease in annualized incident rate. The impacts of the program are far-reaching and can be directly attributed back to Petrillo and the insight and initiative he took to make the program a reality.

Kimberly Fisher, Global Manager, Fleet and Travel, National Oilwell Varco

• Total vehicles: 2,596

• Staff supervised: 6

• Years with current fleet: 9

• Years in industry: 19

Notable achievements

Being a member of the fleet industry for more than 19 years, Fisher has spent more than nine years at National Oilwell Varco. 

She currently manages the company’s global fleet, which consists of the U.S., Canada, United Arab Emirates, U.K. and Brazil, which continued to expand in 2020. 

She manages the relationships with fleet suppliers as well as works with internal customers to make sure they are providing the vehicles and service they need to make business successful. 

She is most proud of her ability to find solutions for fleet, particularly with upfitting.

Fisher has been recognized as always working to find new and inventive ways to provide value to the company and her drivers. She is also seen as a mentor to many others in the industry. 

She is also active at industry tradeshows, and has participated in panel discussions at earlier NAFA I&E conferences.

2020 Fleet Manager of the Year Judging Panel

Active Past Winners (Below are their current positions)

Debbie Mize (1995), Hallmark (Retired)

Susan Miller (1998), Geotab

Patsy Brownson (2001), Consultant

Jim McCarthy (2005), Siemens (Retired)

Lynda Dinwiddie (2007), LabCorp (Retired)

Joe LaRosa (2008), Consultant

Christy Coyte Meyer (2009), Adient (Retired)

Mike Sims (2010), Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Theresa Belding (2011), Abbvie

Lee Miller (2012), Boehringer Ingelheim

Gage Wagoner (2014), Philips Electronics

Brenda Davis (2015), Baker Hughes

George Survant (2016), Consultant

John Dmochowsky (2017), Mondeléz International (Retired)

Phil Samuelson (2018), USIC

Dealers

Russ Cass, Hawk Fleet (Retired)

Rick Nicoletti, Napleton Group

Manufacturers

Ed Peper, General Motors

John Ruppert, Ford 

Frank Dankovich, FCA US LLC

Fleet Management Companies

Dan Frank, Wheels Inc.

Bob White, ARI

David Madrigal, Element Fleet Management

Greg DePace, EMKAY

Tom Callahan, Donlen

Matt Dyer, LeasePlan USA

Robert Singer, Merchants Fleet

Terry Winslow, The CEI Group

Bob Martines, Corporate Claims Management (CCM)

Scott Mawaka, Fleet Response

Media

Sherb Brown, Fleet Financials

Mike Antich, Automotive Fleet