Fleet management is no longer the realm of only men. Here, 18 top fleet managers talk about their fleets more than their gender.
Bertie Barnett looks after a 250-unit fleet leased by the Westfield Companies of Westfield, Ohio. “I get good cooperation from the men in the industry. The most important factor for either a man or woman in this position is communication,” Barnett believes.
“An excellent way fleet administrators can keep abreast of current problems and methods of dealing with them is to become associated with the local NAFA chapter, says Bonnie Pan-din, fleet administrator of the 200 cars leased by Cleveland’s Cole National Corporation.
Pauline Cavin, fleet sales manager for Coberly Ford in Los Angeles, says, “I have found my greatest asset in this business is my product knowledge, which helped me overcome some resistance from fleet buyers not accustomed to dealing with women.”
“I can’t recall ever having any real problem working with the men—they’ve been cooperative and helpful,” says Gertrude McKeon, responsible for 325 leased cars operated by Beneficial Management Corporation of Morristown, New Jersey.
“We are always on the lookout for different types of cars that will fill our needs more economically and efficiently,” says Beverly Stewart, responsible for some 100 leased cars and light trucks operated by The Vendo Company of Kansas City, Missouri.
Idilla “Cindy” Olson, fleet assistant with responsibility for some 900 employee-owned and company-owned cars operated by The St. Paul Companies, Inc., says “I knew as much about cars as the average woman when I started, and it’s been a learning experience ever since.”
“My most notable accomplishment has been taking control of a fleet of 175 autos under a full maintenance lease and building it to a fleet of 487 autos under a finance and maintenance management lease,” reports Harriet McCauley of San Francisco’s Zellerbach Paper Company.
“In just three years of NAFA membership, I have noticed a definite in crease in female participation. From the start, the ‘seasoned’ male fleet managers have been generous in treating me as an ‘equal’,” says Virginia Milton, responsible for 400 cars in Chicago’s Quaker Oats Company fleet.
Doreen Woodrum, fleet administrator for Avon Products, Inc., of New York City, says “I find the job to be challenging and full of opportunities to make our operation as efficient and effective as possible.” With 2,000 cars in the fleet, Woodrum says, “My job is dedicated to keeping Avon district managers on the road.”
“How do I meet the challenge of being an effective fleet administrator? With diplomacy, a sense of humor and an iron hand in a velvet glove when the car plan is being abused,” discloses Norma Sipkin, responsible for the 225-unit fleet operated by The Purdue Frederick Company of Norwalk, Connecticut.
“There are two major necessities for effective fleet administration. The first is a definite company car policy set forth by management and the second is a good leasing company or companies,” says Sylvia Jaffe, administrator of the 300-unit fleet operated by Sun Chemical Company of Fort Lee, New Jersey.
“I manage approximately 250 cars operated on an open end leasing arrangement with two major leasing firms. The cooperation has been out standing from both company drivers and other male fleet administrators,’ says Phyllis Downs of the Bituminous Insurance Companies of Rock Island, Illinois.
“The college for Fleet Administration is, in my opinion, the meetings, workshops, seminars and conferences provided by NAFA. Never before have belonged to a group who so openly accepted women as their equal,” says Shirley Newberg, responsible for the 300-unit fleet operated by Cooper Laboratories., Inc., of Parsippany, New Jersey.
“This is a challenging and fascinating job which offers a great deal of satisfaction. The drivers I deal with appreciate my help and a sense of humor keeps us all on an even keel,” comments Gail Beckley, who keeps track of 360 leased cars in the fleet of M.W. Houck, Inc., of Rye, New York.
“As part of my program for economical fleet operation, I give regularly scheduled lectures on preventive maintenance and show films on safe driving,” reports Bette Natoli, head of the 625-unit fleet operated by the Norwich Pharmacal Company of Norwich, New York.
“In the beginning, men were hesitant to ask for approvals or opinions on situations. However, with perseverance and perhaps a certain amount of female chauvinism, there is almost total cooperation,” is the way Roberta Harris, boss of the 300-unit fleet leased by General Instrument Corporation of Clifton, New Jersey, describes her work.
“Don’t economize on safety” is the motto of Mary Chamblin, supervisor of the 700-unit fleet operated by ICI United States Inc., of Wilmington, Delaware. “The responsibility of counselling employees on their driving habits helped prepare me for my present duties of seeing that our fleet is operated safely,” Chamblin says.
“Historically, fleet management may have been thought of as a ‘man’s business,’ but I look at it as a ‘people job’,” declares Rita Leighton, Boise Cascade Corporation fleet administrator. Leighton, working from the company’s Boise, Idaho, offices, looks after a fleet of 750 cars and 525 light trucks.
