Bill Gibson, director of national sales for ELMS, passed away on August 26, 2021, in Orlando, Fla., following a brief illness. Gibson is best remembered for his fleet career at General Motors, where he retired on April 30, 2011, as director, sales for General Motors Fleet & Commercial Operations. He worked at GM for 38 years, which included 21 years in GM Fleet & Commercial Operation, which included rental, commercial, and global fleet sales.
Maria Acuna, the comptroller at Big Valley Auto Auction where she had worked 13 years, passed away on Aug. 14 at age 47.
Frank Grochal retired from Automotive Resources International and Holman Enterprises in 2005, culminating a successful career that spanned five decades. He was inducted in the NAAA Hall of Fame in 1983. He was the first person in fleet to achieve this honor.
James Davis, customer strategy and insight director (commercial vehicles) for Cox Automotive Europe, passed on July 11, 2021. He was 47 years old. In this position, Davis assumed an industry thought leadership role that involved building, sustaining, and evolving deep long-term open trust relationships with customers, business partners, suppliers, and industry bodies.
Dave Funston, manager, national fleet operations for Mazda North American Operations, passed away on April 1, 2021, following a three-year battle with colon cancer. He was 61. Funston passing caught many in the fleet industry unexpectedly and they posted their remembrances of him.
Brian Hunt, a former president of PHH Canada, passed away on Feb. 9, 2021, from cancer. He was 69. Hunt joined Peterson, Howell & Heather (PHH) in 1982, a fleet management company headquartered in Hunt Valley, Md., which is now part of Element Fleet Management.
Dave Funston, manager, national fleet operations for Mazda North American Operations, passed away on April 1, 2021, following a three-year battle with colon cancer. He was 61.He has the distinction, to date, of being longest reining fleet manager in the history of Mazda North American Operations.
Gerald (Jerry) Frick, retired director, commercial and government sales for North American Fleet, Lease & Remarketing Operations (NAFLRO) for Ford Motor Co., passed away on Feb. 10, 2021. He was 73.
In addition to Avis, Vittoria served in a global role at Hertz. After car rental, he developed a line of sailing superyachts.
As the industry heads into 2021, we look back on the lives and careers of those who left their mark on the fleet industry.
media brand
The secure and easy all-access connection to your content.
Bookmarked content can then be accessed anytime on all of your logged in devices!
Already a member? Log In