AFLA Celebrates Award Winners at 2023 Conference

Operations•Photos 12•October 11, 2023

The Automotive Fleet & Leasing Association's 2023 corporate fleet conference was held Oct. 2-5 at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa in Palm Springs, Calif. In addition to educational programming, networking, and outings, a staple of the event is the awards reception, held Oct. 3. Honors were bestowed for the Edward J. Bobit Professional Fleet Manager of the Year, Fleet Visionary, celebrating new voices in fleet managementm, and AFLA President's Awards. Three honorees were inducted into the Fleet Hall of Fame.

All Photos By Chris Brown

Topics:fleet managers AFLA Conference Awards Fleet Hall of Fame Operations

Steve Diogo, president, fleet & trucking group at Bobit, addresses the awards crowd.
Photo: Chris Brown

Eric McCann, director of fleet sustainability and technology for Bimbo USA (center) was named the 2023 Fleet Visionary.
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John Ruppert, director of new business development for Adrian Steel, was inducted into the Fleet Hall of Fame. Ruppert has over 35 years in the automotive industry, including as general manager, commercial vehicle sales and marketing, at Ford.
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Sherry Calkins, VP of connected car and platform services for Geotab, was one of three inductees into the Fleet Hall of Fame. Calkins has served as fleet manager for various organizations and has over 25 years of experience in fleet.
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Steve Bender announces the 2023 President's Award Winners, SuYvonne Bell of Gilead, Matthew Betz of DTE Energy, Brett Ashley Bridges of BBL Fleet, and Deb Struna of Fleet Street Remarketing.
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Laura Jozwiak, chief client officer for Wheels, addresses the crowd.
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Steve Bender, outgoing president of AFLA and president & owner at Fleet Street Remarketing, emceed the conference and the awards dinner.
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Ed Peper, who recently retired as vice president, GM Envolve at General Motors, was also inducted into the Fleet Hall of Fame. Peper shared perspective from his nearly 40 years in the automotive industry, all with GM.
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Steve Bender receives a commemorative treasure chest from Elizabeth Schlicht, AFLA executive director, to commemorate his service to the association.
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Matthew Betz of DTE Energy and vice president of AFLA, addresses the audience. To close the conference the following day, Betz said that Frank Sinatra's final live performance occurred on the same stage in 1995. His last song was "The Best is Yet to Come," the theme of this year's AFLA Conference.
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Mike Antich, editor & associate publisher, Automotive Fleet, introduced the 2023 Fleet Manager of the Year. Antich is a past president of AFLA and a member of the Fleet Hall of Fame.
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Kimberly Fisher, director of global fleet and travel for NOV Inc. (center left) poses for photos after winning the 2023 Edward J. Bobit Professional Fleet Manager of the Year.
Photo: Chris Brown