Business titles are useful, but only in a narrow sense, as an expedient way to rank someone you don’t know in their work hierarchy. Mike Antich’s title at Bobit was Associate Publisher/Editor of Automotive Fleet. While that is true, it is woefully inadequate to describe his monumental importance to the fleet industry. 

Over his 40-year career in fleet, he was also a board member, president, officer, secretary, committee chair, conference chair, speaker, podcaster, global ambassador, founder, award winner, and hall of famer. I’m missing a few, I’m sure. And that still doesn’t cover it. 

The fleet industry flowed through Mike. His Rolodex included automakers, dealers, lessors, upfitters, and auctions, as well as the safety service firms, telematics companies, software providers, consultants, and, of course, the fleet managers. 

The fleet industry’s knowledge flowed through Mike. He took the industry’s myriad complexities — the intricacies of vehicle depreciation, when to short-cycle, the nuances of TRAC, finance, and closed-end leases, the need to evolve fleet policy, and the hidden costs of reimbursement (a favorite subject) — and translated them into strategies that fleets could assess and implement. 

Mike was an encyclopedia of fleet history and was the industry’s historian, chronicling its very beginnings to the present. He was also its prognosticator, giving fleets a road map to the future. If anyone mentions the phrase “State of the Fleet Industry,” Mike’s name will forever be attached to it. 

Mike gave his heart and soul to his family, first and foremost. Those in the industry know he gave his heart and soul to fleet, too. I’d show up at the office on an occasional Saturday, and most often, Mike’s car was in the parking lot when I arrived. 

As a writer/editor/publisher of a trade publication, it’s smart to volunteer your time with the associations and organizations that are intrinsic to your industry. But it is a lot of extra work, mixed with some bureaucracy, and it is never written into the job requirement. 

Mike told me that early on: “The best way to get people to return your calls is to work beside them to get things done.” 

Yes, there is an expediency to greasing the wheels for work, but Mike did it because he truly loved the people. He made lifelong friendships in the industry that lasted long after retirements or career changes. 

Mike was ubiquitous at trade events. I’d walk with him through the halls at conventions and hear passersby say, “Wow, that was Mike Antich!” He’d be everywhere — on stage, in meeting rooms, or in the front row of seminars, where he almost always had his hand up with a question. 

His notepad, tucked under his left arm, was ubiquitous, too. At the after-hours networking events, he’d ditch the notepad for a folded paper that he’d scribble notes on after a relevant conversation. 

The next morning, we’d debrief in the suite of Bobit’s founder, Ed Bobit. Ed would ask, “Tell me what you know,” and Mike’s sharing ran deep. 

Some of those notes translated into his education for the fleet world, while others were held closer to the vest. Mike was privy to plenty of inside information but never crossed any lines with his sources. That said, he always managed to convey what was going on to readers, if you were smart enough to decode. 

Mike always advocated for the industry as a whole. He knew how to walk the line between vendors and fleet managers, advocating for both, but always gave the edge to the fleet managers — the reason for our fleet brands. He always had a deep respect for the profession of fleet management and for fleet managers themselves. 

Mike parted ways with Bobit in 2023 but remained connected to the industry through his consulting. He passed away before he could get that career-capping recognition from center stage, that standing ovation he richly deserved. 

We can’t be so cliched to say “they don’t make ‘em like Mike anymore” or naïve to say that no one will come along to fill his shoes. But we can all agree: The fleet industry is a profoundly better place because of the heart and soul he put into it. 

Mike, we will be celebrating your gifts to the industry throughout 2026 and beyond. You’ll get the ovation. And we’ll save a front row seat for you.