Merchants Fleet is expanding its fleet team offering services to logistics and delivery companies in response to a rise in e-commerce business, and a national increased demand for delivery vehicles, as well as the associated services required to manage and maintain them. 

Members of the newly expanded fleet team include Mike Gavio, director, logistics sales; Sal Fier, regional sales manager; and Pablo Ruiz, regional sales manager, said Merchants.

According to Adobe Analytics, an additional $107 billion has been spent online since March due to the pandemic, and United States online sales have increased 42% year-over-year in August alone. This accelerated shift to e-commerce has been propelling the growth of last mile, delivery, and logistics companies.

“Our last mile and logistics clients are describing the period we are in as a ‘never-ending peak’ due to the drastic and sustained shift toward ecommerce as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said John Cail, Senior Vice President of Mobility at Merchants Fleet. “We responded quickly to expand our fleet team focused on logistics companies to ensure our clients can scale their operations efficiently to keep goods moving to meet demand.”

Gavio serves as director, logistics sales and will focus on new business development, customer retention, and growth for logistics companies. He joined Merchants in July 2017. Over the course of his time at Merchants, Gavio completed a company leadership development program and has signed new business totaling 7,200 vehicles. Prior to joining Merchants, Gavio was at ARI for seven years, where his primary role was to develop new business. 

Fier serves as regional sales manager and is responsible for building lasting business partnerships with logistics companies that have a need for flexible, customizable vehicle services and mobility solutions. Most recently he was the business development manager for Mobility Leasing Services.

He first joined Merchants in June 2013 as a regional mobility sales executive. Prior to joining Merchants, Fier was director of operations for a Dollar Rent-a-Car franchisee for nearly 10 years and oversaw all aspects of the operations of a rent-a-car location, including fleet maintenance and management, contract presentations, sales, and marketing

And Ruiz serves as regional sales manager and is responsible for building lasting business partnerships with logistics companies that have a need for flexible, customizable vehicle services and mobility solutions.

Most recently he was a sales executive specializing in small and mid-sized fleets in the Northeast. Prior to being a sales executive, he served as a sales administrator and a client service representative. He first joined Merchants in May 2014 as a lease operations administrator.