TORRANCE, CA - Out of 16 nominees, four finalists are in the running for the title of the 2012 Fleet Manager of the Year. Sponsored by Automotive Fleet magazine, Wheels Inc., and the Automotive Fleet & Leasing Association (AFLA), the winner will be announced April 22 at the NAFA Institute & Expo in St. Louis. Here are this year's four finalists:

Finalists

Donna Bibbo, CAFM, CCTE

Novo Nordisk Inc., Manager, Fleet & Travel

• Total vehicles: 2,972

• Staff supervised: 1

• Years with current fleet: 5½

• Total years in industry: 22

• Replacement policy: 36 months/70,000 miles

Memberships/certifications: NAFA (CAFM; New Jersey Chapter treasurer for more than nine years and current chapter chair; chair of new Safety Advisory Council and member of 2012 I&E Curriculum Committee; and past chair of Audit and FleetEd Committees); AFLA (10-plus years as member, current secretary, and past director-at-large and vice chair of the Education Committee); client advisory board member for Wheels, Fleet Response, and World Travel Inc.; and Certified Corporate Travel Executive (CCTE).

Primary responsibilities: Make the employee experience as best as possible as it pertains to company vehicles/driving and travel while keeping in mind fiduciary responsibility to the company and its commitment to the environment; and constantly seek out value-added services for drivers to allow them to stay productive and safe while maintaining their vehicles.

Notable achievements: Reduced maintenance costs by 12 percent and depreciation costs by 2 percent over 2010, CO2 emissions by 4 percent per mile over 2010, and preventable accidents per million miles down 2.4 percent over 2010.

John Dmochowsky, CAFM

Kraft Foods Inc., Sales Fleet Manager

• Total vehicles: 4,700

• Staff supervised: 1

• Years with current fleet: 11

• Total years in industry: 11

• Replacement policy: 36 months/60,000 miles

Memberships/certifications: NAFA (Chicago Chapter chair, I&E Curriculum Committee member, Education Development member, FMS training instructor, and CAFM certification); AFLA (vice president, chair for Business Development Committee, Conference Committee member); Ford Fleet Advisory Board; and GE Capital Fleet Services Client Advisory Board.

Primary responsibilities: Overall management of U.S. sales fleet program, including fleet policy administration, strategic partner relationships, management, budgeting, vehicle acquisition and disposal, driver safety, auditing, reducing GHG emissions and carbon footprint, fuel management, and repair-maintenance cost-saving initiatives.

Notable achievements: Multimillion dollar savings as a result of accelerated vehicle replacement initiative; reduced total CO2 emissions by 5 percent by replacing 2,500 vehicles with four-cylinder engine Ford Fusions; and reduced preventable accidents by 10 percent.  

Dick Malcom

State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co., Fleet Administrator

• Total vehicles: 12,341

• Staff supervised: 0

• Years with current fleet: 11

• Total years in industry: 29

• Replacement policy: 85,000 miles

Memberships/certifications: AFLA (board member); and GM Commercial Sounding Board.

Primary responsibilities: Manage and monitor vehicle expenses, including fuel, maintenance, and depreciation; choose safe, reliable, cost-efficient, and comfortable vehicles for selector list; and provide departments with sufficient information to help them make sound business decisions.

Notable achievements: Implemented new driver policy and internal charge-back system to increase accountability and compliance; 75 percent of all new vehicle orders SmartWay-certified; implemented new accident review committee; and replaced company vehicle management software system.

Lee Miller

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Senior Manager, Fleet Services

• Total vehicles: 3,800

• Staff supervised: 2

• Years with current fleet: 32

• Total years in industry: 32

• Replacement policy: 36 months/75,000 miles

Memberships: NAFA (23 years, holding several positions: chapter chair, vice chair, and secretary); AFLA (Commercial Sounding Board member, Conference Committee member, and past secretary); Wheels Steering Council; and Fleet Response Advisory Board.

Primary responsibilities: Manages leased vehicles for all operating units in the U.S. and Puerto Rico with budget exceeding $70 million; vendor management and negotiation, content expert for senior leadership, policy implementation and administration, asset management, and driver risk assessment; manage and execute executive fleet program; continually review and analyze auto industry and current trends to determine financial impact on corporation and implement cost savings/avoidance process improvements when appropriate.

Notable achievements: Exceeded $6.5 million in cost-savings initiatives over past three years; reduced CO2 emissions over past three years; served as lead organizer and facilitator of fleet safety committee meetings since 2006; and successfully deployed 700 additional vehicles over last 12 months.

The 2012 Professional Fleet Manager of the Year judging panel consisted of 34 professionals representing past winners, manufacturers, auctions, fleet management services, dealers, and media. The 2012 Fleet Manager of the Year Judging Panel consists of the following individuals:

Active Past Winners

(Below are their current positions)

• Charles Bowen (1993)     Consultant

• Debbie Mize (1995)    Hallmark

• Susan Miller (1998)    McDonald’s

• Shirley Collins (2000)    GlaxoSmithKline

• Jim McCarthy (2005)    Siemens

• Lynda Dinwiddie (2007)    LabCorp

• Joe LaRosa (2008)    Merck

• Christy Coyte Meyer (2009)    Johnson Controls

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

• Theresa Belding (2011)    Forest Pharmaceuticals

Manufacturers

• Ed Peper    General Motors

• Kevin Koswick    Ford

• Pat Dougherty    Chrysler

• Dave Depew    Toyota

• Ed Fargo    Nissan

Auctions

• Lynn Morgan    Manheim

• Bob Rauschenberg    ADESA

Fleet Management Companies

• Jim Frank    Wheels Inc.

• Carl Ortell    Automotive Resources International (ARI)

• Clarence Nunn    GE Capital Fleet Services

• George Kilroy    PHH Arval

• Greg Tepas    Emkay

• Gary Rappeport    Donlen

• Mike Pitcher    LeasePlan USA

• Robert Singer    Merchants Leasing

• Wayne Smolda    CEI

• Marty Betagole    Mike Albert Fleet Solutions

• Bob Martines    Corporate Claims Management (CCM)

• Scott Mawaka    Fleet Response

Dealers

• Russ Cass    Piemonte Network

• Joe David    Pacifico Fleet

• Rick Nicoletti    Napleton Group

Media

• Ed Bobit     Automotive Fleet

• Mike Antich    Automotive Fleet