NEW BRAUNFELS, TEXAS - Rachael L. Smith, fleet manager for The Scooter Store in New Braunfels, Texas, has left the company as part of company-wide layoffs. According to the San Antonio Express, The Scooter Store, a provider of scooters and medical equipment, reduced its workforce by 220 employees in mid-September due to changes in claims processing procedures and reductions in reimbursement amounts.

During her tenure at The Scooter store, she developed a short-cycling plan that yielded $2 million in savings. She established a fleet utilization program to determine underutilized vehicles, resulting in a 10-percent reduction in fleet size and an annualized fixed expense savings of $420,000. She also focused on collaborative efforts to improve fleet safety and mitigate risk, and participated in training and development for 650-plus corporate drivers and vehicles.

Prior to her role at The Scooter Store, Smith worked at Grande Communications, a telecommunications provider located in San Marcos, Texas. During her 10 years with that company, she worked as the company’s facilities services manager and was promoted to director its fleet and logistics management efforts.

Automotive Fleet magazine recognized Smith as one of the 16 nominees for Fleet Manager of the Year for 2012. The Scooter Store’s fleet was also recognized with the 2011 Runzheimer Total Employee Mobility (TEM) Best Practices Award, in the area of Business Vehicle Management.

Smith is currently seeking other opportunities in the fleet industry and can be reached at rasmith2078@gmail.com.

By Greg Basich