Pictured at the West Palm Beach 100 Best Seminar are (left to right): George Baker (Volusia County), Tom C. Johnson (The 100 Best Fleets), Michele Amengual (Volusia County) and Robert Gilmore (Volusia County). George Baker and his team at Volusia County were the # 1 Fleet in the country in 2007 and George was named the #3 Government Fleet Manager of the Year in 2008.

The 100 Best Fleets seminars have always been a very pragmatic and valuable resource to my organizations in Texas and Florida. Tom Johnson is a trusted colleague that always does an excellent job in assembling a power-packed day of training seminars, exhibitors, site visits and professional networking opportunities.

The nominal cost of the seminar allows me and several other team members to attend. Our team never fails to glean improvement initiative ideas that we incorporate into our annual business plan. This innovative event never fails to yield an exponential return-on-investment.

As leaders in our organizations we are either a catalyst, showing our team a vision and moving them into the future, or we are a cataract, obstructing their vision and holding them in the past. Tom and his seminars have always expanded my vision. I whole-heartedly recommend the 100 Best Fleets seminars.

George Baker; Director Of Central Services; County of Volusia, Florida

I enjoyed the conference and look forward to attending another such event in the future.

William Lindbergh; Manager Service Center 13; City of Austin, TX

Just wanted to thank you for a successful 100 Best Fleet Seminar in San Antonio last week. I was able to garner four very good leads from the program.

Mike Wade; Director of Marketing; Ward

Thank you for the opportunity to attend. I have recently taken over the position of Fleet manager and have found many opportunities for improvement in the operation and tracking of our Fleet. The connections formed and information collected will be extremely helpful for achieving our goals.

Riverside, CA April 2013 seminar
Danny Lehman, Shop Services Manager; Eastern Municipal Water District; Perris, CA

I found your 100 Best meeting at Dublin very informative. Thanks for inviting me to the meeting.

James Schwab, CAFM; Fleet Counselor; Cincinnati, OH

Thank you. Really good conference.

Laura Rictor; Strategic Account Manager; NetworkFleet

Again, thanks for inviting me to participate in your conference last Friday. As I mentioned, I received 3 leads from the meeting.

James M. McGinnis; NAPA/IBS, Regional Manager

I just wanted to say how much I appreciate your thoughtfulness and hospitality. I love the message you are putting out there and I am proud to be a part of it. You are a true gentleman and a scholar. Please let me know how I can continue to support you and 100 Best Fleets anytime, anywhere!. I will get us a date in Kansas City for next year, just let me know what a good day is and I will coordinate with Kelly at KCCC.

Michael MacComiskey; Regional Sales Manager; Fuelmaster

Thanks again for having us at the Gulf Shores lecture. It was a great turnout and felt like I was able to make a lot of great contacts. Thanks again for your help!

Bruce Oglesby, Fuelmaster

Pictured from left to right: Tim Fitzgerald, Fleet Manager, DC Water; Frank Torcissi, JR DC Water; John O’Leary from Harvard Kennedy School, ASH Institute for good governance and innovation and co-author of the best selling book “If We Can Put A man On The Moon…..Getting Big Things Done In Government” who spoke at the 100 Best Fleet Forum in Washington, DC on November 9th, 2010; and Tom C. Johnson, Author of the 100 Best Fleets and Government Green Fleet Awards.

It was great seeing you again...

In reference to the seminar, it was outstanding. I’ve been in the fleet business for over thirty years now and I still managed to glean several wonderful ideas from this seminar. In addition, simply being around some of the best fleet minds in the business has a contagious effect that re-motivates even the most battle-weary fleet manager into positive action.

The 100 Best Fleet seminar is without a doubt one of the best financial/educational bang-for-the-bucks sessions a fleet professional (of any level of experience) could attend. Keep up the good work Tom!

Alan Savarese; Fleet Manager; Deerfield Beach, FL

Thank you for putting together such a great afternoon last Wednesday.

The whole program was extremely helpful to me to get a better grasp of the world of fleet management.

Your panel was great & it seems like you must have your work cut out to rank so many quality people!

John Warieka, Regional Sales Manager, Wrigtht Express; CA

I wanted to thank you...for a GREAT meeting. It is always refreshing to gather as a group of dedicated professionals with a common goal. Well done!

Aubrey Felton; Region Vice President; First Vehicle Services; Jupiter, FL

Just wanted to say Thank You for the Great Event last week at Dublin.

Jerrold L. Hutton Ph.D.; Director, Gaseous Fuels Transportation Partnership, Clean Fuels Ohio; Columbus, OH

I just wanted to say thanks again for getting me into the Dublin seminar. I’ve already signed up 2 fleets and several more want to see us. Thanks again!

Tom Schmith, President; BioSolutions, Indianapolis, IN

I wanted to tell you Thank You for allowing Dublin to Host the 100 Best Fleet Seminar. It was a great turn out and from all of the feedback that I have heard, everyone enjoyed it.

Darryl Syler, Fleet Manager; City of Dublin; Dublin, OH

Feedback has been very good. Thanks again for making Seattle one of your cross country stops.

John Alley, 2010 Government Fleet Manager of the Year; King County, WA

Tom, I believe you did an excellent job, thank you very much for taking the time to put on what I consider a worthwhile event.

Bill DeRousse, Fleet Superintendent; Everett, WA

Tom, nice to see you last week. Another great meeting with outstanding presentations. Thank you for what you do.

Sharyl Blackington, Fleet Manager; San Diego County (CA)

Thank you for the opportunity!! I learned a lot, mostly that I have a lot to learn!!

Keith Condra Director of Fleet Management Town of Fishers, IN

Two years ago, we never knew about NJPA or NetworkFleet and there’s a very good change that we would not have implement such a program without attending one of your 100 Best Fleet seminars. From our customer owners, thank you.

Gary Lentsch EugeneWater & Electric Board Fleet Services; Eugene, OR

Thanks, Tom! It was a great seminar.

Dave Peterson; Dakota County, MN

I just wanted to thank you for the opportunity to apply for the 100 Best. We have made some great strides over the past year to better ourselves in every way, but I know we are destined for greater things yet. We are now preparing to host the 2012 APWA Snow Conference at the City of Milwaukee.

I believe we will be much better positioned to submit a very strong application for the 100 Best in 2012.

Jeffrey Tews, CPFP; Fleet Operations Manager; City of Milwaukee, WI

Another strong conference. Thanks for extending the invite. I thought the best presenter of the day was the gentleman from Harvard and the Fleet Manager from Roanoke.

Ian A. Sansoni; Management and Fiscal Analyst II Department of Fire and Rescue, Prince William County, VA

It was a great seminar, lots of good information to take back.

Maria Mento; Executive Vice president and Chief Financial Officer for Atlantic County Utilities Authority, NJ

I just completed the survey. This was a great program and it was great to finally meet. Thank you for a great program and for such an informative conference.

Matt von der Hayden; Project Analyst; Atlantic County Utilities Authority Research and Development, NJ

Tom, thank you for the opportunity to attend your conference. We found it informative and useful for many of the things we are dealing with now. Our administration is wanting to get rid of our fuel and send it back to the departments to pay for their own fuel, then just send us the mileages. We anticipate many problems (not to mention taking a step back 15 years) and are gathering any data to help our cause.

Rebecca Staup; Agency Staff Services; Shasta County Fleet Management; Redding, CA

Thank you for having these events, so we can attend. Your love of the field and concern for others is clearly self evident. It is my honor to have met you.

David Kilbourne; Director – Fleet; San Antonio Water System

Thanks for a great meeting yesterday. From a vendor perspective, I think this type of forum is much more effective than trying to learn/share at a large tradeshow. Appreciate the opportunity, and will be signing up for Atlanta due to our relationship with GA.

Sharon Linnane; Government Account Manager; Wright Express Corporation; Bradenton, FL

Thank you Tom. I really enjoyed the seminar. I learned a lot from both the fleet representatives and the technology partners. This is very valuable and very well executed. I look forward to seeing you at GFX and joining you in future seminars.

Denise Baumgart; Government Account Manager; Wright Express Corporation

Thanks so much Tom. We are both looking forward to another great, interesting and upbeat time with you. I wish I could bottle your attitude toward life….I’d be rich in so many ways.

Karen Yeo; Fleet Services; Sarasota, FL

First of all THANK YOU! The seminar was very informative and gave me a lot to think about. Often times school district fleets are overlooked by State and Federal grants and funding programs. Many district fleets like ours are larger than the local transit authorities and are funded very differently. We like to say we can do more for less! Districts need to know about what is out there and how it can help them! You could sure help them if we could get them to attend one of your seminars!

We try to get the word out about new technology as often as we can, matter of fact we just presented to a group of transportation directors from all over Ohio. We talked about our Hybrid buses and new technology.

Let me know if you need anything, I would be glad to help you!

Phil Downs, Fleet Services Supervisor; Columbus City Schools; Columbus, OH

Thank you Tom, I cannot say enough about the event, really beneficial! We will definitely participate in the 100 Best Fleets.

Dan Sunseri, Fleet Manager; San Jose, CA

Thank you. I am not quite sure how you guys were able to get that email to me right before the event last Friday but I am glad it worked out and that I was able to attend. As I mentioned to you as we chatted on the tour of Ft. Lauderdale’s fleet, I am always hungry for information and realize that one of the most important tools that a fleet manager has is education. I will certainly apply to the Top 100 fleets and hope to continue to keep in touch with you through emails or events. I enjoyed meeting you and attending the event. Thanks again.

Facundo Tassara, MPA, Fleet Operations Manager; City of Ormond Beach, FL

Just a quick note to say thanks for coming to Tacoma with your Road Show! I for one had a great time, learned a few things, meet with old friends and establish some new ones too!

John Alley, King County WA

I enjoyed the meeting and the fact of the matter is I received a very important thought before the meeting. When I first got there, I spoke with the [fellow] that was to do a presentation on benchmarking using indicators. He sparked my interest and it revolves around budgets and replacing vehicles. Thanks for keeping me in the loop.

Rodney Todd; City of Jackson; Jackson, Tennessee

100 Best has broadened the avenue for additional sales. Thanks to your efforts, Puradyn is receiving much wider recognition.

Paul J. Paul Smoot, CEO; Puradyn Factory Rep. EnergyMAX, LC

Steve, I wanted to thank you for your presentation in Florida but you left before...I could catch you. You made me realize that I have to revisit our numbers to ensure that our fundamental financial assumptions are still correct. Thanks again.

Ernie Ivy; Director of Fleet Management City and County of Denver, CO
2009 APWA Fleet Manager of the Year; His fleet was rated #2 in The 100 Best Fleets

This was the first of The 100 Best Fleets conferences that I have been able to attend. I thought the program was fantastic and at this point I have no suggestions for improving it.

Don Hathaway; Fleet Manager; Chelan County Public Works; Wenatchee, Washington

Thank you for all your work in the fleet industry. It was a very valuable experience attending the recent seminar and just as advertised was a great networking opportunity.

Don Holland, Fleet Coordinator; County of San Diego; San Diego, CA

Tom, thank you for everything you did for us during our Shop and Stockroom Supervisors meeting.

Duke Robb; Equipment Division; Nevada DOT

Hi Tom. Thanks for the information. Actually on my way to Atlanta to meet with Georgia concerning DriveCam as a result of meeting them at the seminar. I’ve received 3 other meetings with several government fleet attendees of the event. Thank you. Hopefully this will all lead to success stories we can share in 2011 and 2012.

See you in Seattle this week. Best Regards

Rush Akin, Enterprise Sales Director; DriveCam; San Diego, CA

I wanted to follow-up and thank you again for having us last week. It was great to see the enthusiasm folks have for controlling all fleet related costs including accidents. I greatly enjoyed the experience and would welcome our involvement in your future plans.

Ed Finnegan, State Auto Insurance Program Officer, State of Georgia

Tom, I enjoyed your presentation the other week. We are unique, a new city – incorporated in 2003.

Overnight our fleet grew to 400 units. Aside from the many items you brought up in your presentation, I have some ideas I am going to incorporate as well.

David M. Motola; Fleet Service Manager; City of Miami Gardens, Florida

Thanks Tom - For all you do to keep Fleet Managers across the nation inspired.

Michael Brennan; CEM Fleet Manager; Manatee County, Florida

I do want to thank you for what you have set up, I often pull out your criteria for best fleets and use that as a measuring stick and reference for the changes we are working on...

Remember to keep your batteries recharged.

Harold Pedersen; Fleet Services Manager, City Of Fargo; Fargo, ND

It was great seeing you at the 100 Best gathering. The Santa Ana program was the one of the most informative seminars I have ever attended. A person would have to be dead from the neck up to not come away from that meeting with new ideas.

Steve Szueber; Fleet Services Supervisor Department of Public Works; City of Corona, CA

I just want to take a moment to say thank you for your time, guidance, motivation, and advise. I will take our conversation and think through it and make a decision about the whole Bio thing…..I believe that everyone deserve a pat-on-the back every once in awhile, it’s what keeps us motivated, and “Moving Forward”.

Duke Robb; Equipment Division; Nevada DOT; NV

I feel we both came away with great information, new friends, and hopefully new opportunities for business.

Mike Stone; Evans Cooling; Suffield, CT

I wanted to thank you for giving me the opportunity to attend the yesterdays conference. I was able to get some insight into how other agencies do things and I’m sure that it will be helpful in conducting our daily operations on this end. Although I’m only supervising staff on a limited basis at the moment I look forward to the opportunity to change that and at that time being able to make some positive changes. I was unaware of the endless cost saving possibilities that can be achieved by thinking outside the box and looking for ways to become more efficient. I look forward to the opportunity to attend more conferences and seminars in the future. For what it’s worth I thought you gave a great presentation, I was very impressed.

Ed Riquier; Property Control Specialist; City Of Santa Ana, CA

Just saw the results [of The 100 Best Fleets in North America].

Achieving this would not have been possible if not for the great leadership and vision of the town and the great people I have on my team! It is an honor to be part of a new, growing division that supports the entire town’s efforts in servicing its citizens! We hope to make the main list next year!

I appreciate our new and evolving relationship and thank you for your support!

See you in San Diego!

Keith Condra; Director of Fleet Management; Town of Fishers, IN

On behalf of Erik, myself and the entire Zonar Family I wanted to thank you for the amazing conference at the City of Sacramento last week!

John R. Forrest Jr.; Regional Account Manager; Zonar Systems; Seattle, WA

Tom I'm very grateful that I attended this seminar. I will make an effort to attend this or any like this whenever possible. Only wish it had been longer and would of liked to hear how others deal with surplus vehicles/equipment.

Douglas Smith; Acting Fleet Manager; City of Stockton, CA

Thank you very much for the seminar last week. I thought it was certainly worth the trip out to CA. I am back in Florida now and heading to the state's central east coast tomorrow then into the Orlando area.

Craig McGree; Executive Director; Evoilution; Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Thank you for your very informative event on Friday.

Cris Dorman, Coordinator of Clean Cities, Indiana

We enjoyed the program, especially the NJPA, How to get Accurate Meter Readings and the two programs from the The #1 Fleets in the Country. That’s not to say the other programs weren’t great as they were.

Kerry Kamp, Public Works, City of Evansville, IN

Tom, thanks for the great meeting! As always, very informative, lots of sharing of best practices.

Bill Burns; Fleet Operations Manager, City of Columbus; Columbus, OH

Following up our meeting last week; I really enjoyed your presentation. My plan now (you usually ask for a plan) is to take your criteria along with the 100 Best summary from “Gov’t Fleet” and compile an action plan on those items we can implement. Thanks for that detail and the information you offered.

Bob Stanton; Director – Polk County Fleet Management; Bartow, Florida

I really appreciated the invitation to your 100 Best workshop. I wish we all would have had another day at the very least.

Don Hathaway; Chelan County, WA

Hey Tom, great seminar on Friday. Sorry, I did not have a chance to stick around and talk after the wrap up. A lot of great information is put out at these meetings and even with budgets being cut in fleet, it is important to attend these fleet events. I am basically at a starting point with the 100 Best and am faced with the documentation portion of the operation to submit for one of the 100 Best Fleets for next year. Keep in touch from time to time and let me know any new industry happenings!

Aaron Alvarado; Fleet Manager; City of Tempe, AZ

I really appreciated the meeting you hosted in Boise, the information was timely and very relevant. I enjoyed the opportunity to meet people in the same profession facing similar challenges. I especially enjoyed listening to Ernie and Craig. I would have liked to spent an hour asking Ernie questions about fund balances, rates, service intervals and a hundred other things. I’m sitting at my desk making notes and several ideas presented will be implemented or affect our policies here at Walla Walla County.

Scott Wagner; Equipment Maintenance Manager; Walla Walla County Public Works, WA

The information I received during the last two conferences and the information that you provided in your book, has allowed us the opportunity to enhance or improve our work processes. It shows us what we are doing right and where we have opportunities to make adjustments, putting us in the running for the Top 100 Fleets.

Mike DePaulo, CPFP; Town of Buckeye Fleet Management Supervisor; Buckeye AZ

Thanks for the invite. I have a few ideas for our fleet that could help sustain that longevity even thru the tough times ahead. I will be looking forward for a few items to be put on the site.

Vehicle leasing agreement, vehicle score carding, and how to come up with a shop labor rate.

I would be interested in putting our name in the hat for Top 100 fleets if given the opportunity.

Thanks again! Great gathering! I brought home a lot of good information.

Shawn M. Dawson, Fleet Operations; Westerville City Schools; Westerville, OH

"Tom Nelson and I found the day to be very valuable. I sure would enjoy another opportunity to speak to Roger. He was awesome. The whole presentation was very well done. Thanks again for the invite."

Tom Vetsch, Public Works Supt. City of Plymouth

"If there was only one seminar the County Coffers would allow me to attend per year, it would be yours. I get so much value from them. Thanks for your enthusiasm, knowledge and sharing. You are a huge asset to the Fleet Industry and I appreciate all that you do. Please let us know when you will be this way again."

Karen Yeo; Fleet Services; Sarasota, FL 34233

"Tom - I wanted to let you know that we appreciated the opportunity to attend the Minneapolis fleet event this week. Every time we get together with other fleets that are grappling with similar issues, we pick up information that helps us to improve our programs and get better at what we do - which ends up saving $$ for our customers, in our case - the taxpayers. Too much of the time we end up with our heads down focused on the immediate work in front of us - which certainly needs to be done - and not scanning the horizon for what's coming or perhaps better approaches. That you're taking this on the road to our respective "neighborhoods", eases some of the time (and travel) constraints, and makes it easier for us to get (and stay) good.

"Thanks for your assistance, and thank you also for the certificate for being among the 100 Best. We think we're pretty good in a lot of respects, but we also know that we've got a lot to learn from others and we've got plenty of room to get better. Thanks!"

Dave Schiller CAFM; Fleet, Safety & Materials Mgr.; MN Department of Natural Resources

This would be great seminar to attend. We have gone to a few and they have pretty good stuff.

Matthew F. Villareale; Acting Fleet Manager; Prince William County VA Public Works

"There isn't a better use of your time than brainstorming with your successful peers for better ways to do the business of government."

John Hunt, 2005 Government Fleet Manager of the Year from Portland, Oregon

Thank you Tom. The seminar couldn’t have been more informative. The topics discussed have opened my eyes to new techniques and ideas. I hope to attend more in the future.

Gary T. O'Donnell, Jr.; Asst. Service Manager; City of Rochester, New York

"It was worth the three hour drive. We got one idea we implemented that saved us $20,000 immediately."

Paul Patterson, Fleet Manager of Oneonta, New York

We had a great time working on the event. I hear there was a lot of great feedback on this 100 Best Fleets. Best of luck in the coming year and the remainder of the seminars!

Ali Kirkland; Marketing Manager; LeasePlan USA; Alpharetta, GA

Thank you again for inviting me to speak and participate in the seminar. Your enthusiasm for promoting professional fleet management is to be commended. I enjoyed hearing the other speakers, networking with others, and learning more about the challenges that face all fleets.

I hope we can work together in the future to enhance everyone's processes and operations. Let me know if there is anything I can do to support you.

Rick Wendt; Channel Manager, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company; Akron, OH

Quotes from post-event surveys

What was the one best idea you got that you could implement immediately?

"For me, it provided background into what fleet managers face every day and a chance to interact with several key decision makers."

"Share more information on Best Practices, Network, Be Open Minded...be creative, but don't always look to reinvent the wheel."

"There was not a specific idea that I picked up, but the thing I picked up was that there are a lot of fleets that are passionate about how their fleets are run. It is great to be able to get together with these fleet managers and share our experiences."

"We are in the brain storming stage of writing our Business Plan for Fleet Services here at the City of Chico. I can immediately benchmark the City of Portland's Business Plan knowing that it's in service and worked will for Portland. I also gained valuable information that NJPA is in the final stages of forming contracts with Ford and GM. That is fantastic news that will save us both time and money once they're in place. As always 100 Best Fleets put on a very valuable conference."

"The best idea was the program itself, by bringing together all the different groups to share their experiences, ideas, and programs. For implementation this is important to stay on top of what is available for today's fleets, which can be incorporated for future savings."

"I got more than an idea. What encourages me most is knowing that there are people in our field who care more about doing the right thing and value serving others above themselves. This is the attitude that will fix our families, our nation, and our world. By sharing the room with progressive thinkers and doers, I am motivated to do the same!"

"'Know your numbers' one speaker said. Do you know exactly how many on-road vs. off-road unit you have? What percentage of your budget is fuel? What is your productivity percentage this month? The speaker said 'If someone comes into your room and wakes you from a dead sleep and asks; know your numbers.' I have since implemented a crude dashboard that has current information and I update it daily."

"Of all of the 100 Best Fleets [seminars] that I have attended, this was one of the best. The facility was fantastic and Mike's keynote address was very memorable without a hint of salesmanship. Excellent."

"This was the first 100 Best I have ever attended. My first comments as I walked out were, "this is the best presentation I have gone to in years". I want to thank you for providing such a wealth of knowledgeable people. Best Idea--work with dept in developing equipment standards (for loose gear) per class of vehicles."

"Implementing a Fleet Utilization study."

"Online vehicle auctions."

"Establishing a Fleet Purchasing Committee Reviewing how the city disposes of surplus items. How important it is to network with your peers."

"Public open houses related to employment and public interest in the organization."

"I actually felt the attendees were really interested in learning something rather than just having a goof-off day with pay."

"Recognizing that when your life cycles are on track 70% of your maintenance work should be PM related."

"Implementing a vehicle justification report 2 to 4 times annually great idea...."

"Anti-idling policy (borrowed from Seattle)"

"Steve made a comment about the fact that in his fleet operation, 60% of his vehicles were beyond the expected life cycle. This prompt me to think that a key performance indicator (KPI) could be made by charting (reporting) the percentage of the fleet that is beyond it’s expected life (month by month). We have data that will allow us to back track a few years (indicating the direction the fleet is headed by not replacing vehicles). This will be very useful when we present out budget this year."

"Information from the discussion of the 10 issues facing fleet managers."

"Information from best practices, engagement with fleet managers and immediately follow up the interest in product presented at the meeting."

"Run fleet utilization report(s) Networking Clean & green fleet action plan Vendor presentations."

"Features and benefits of short-term leasing presented by Greg Haglin from National Joint Powers Alliance."

"David Vasquez's spreadsheet, we will attempt to integrate this model into our fleet management policy."

"Although the topics were diverse, they were spot on in addressing our concerns in beginning a program to consolidate management of our fleet."

"I really enjoyed the presentation by David Vasquez. The Fleet Vehicle Justification calculator model that he presented is very useful to all fleet managers. It does a great job of calculating the true costs of the fleet."

"Explore using the NJPA organization."

"I think it was well put together."

"I think the program was solid. I would not have changed any of the content."

"Use of the vehicle justification model."

"Learning how the Driver alert program can save costs."

"Because we are not a government entity and do not have a large fleet, most of the discussion did not really pertain to us. However, the mention of a Driver Qualification program reiterated its value. I also found the Vehicle Justification Model to be of great interest and will use it."

"Join National Joint Powers."

"To develop a business plan and vision statement. Your example of the city manager, which called the fleet manager; saying he could save a million bucks by cutting out all PMs for a year, and the fleet manager rebuttal; how about I show you (the city manager) how we can save "even more" by doing all of the PMs. As we move into an uncertain future, any tools and strategies we can use to preserve great practices are valuable."

"To put a decal on back of trucks, "How is my driving? Please call XXX-YYYY" Very good, inexpensive idea to interact with the Public."

"Check out NJPA as a possible source for better pricing."

"NJPA option for no bid or RFP process"

"FuelMaster system may be a good idea for some of our fleets."

"It was great to hear about the current trends and upcoming issues that government fleet managers will be facing."

"We need to try and stop the bleeding"

"Thought Tom's anecdotes were great...I even wrote a couple down! Great Job Mr. Johnson!"

"As a vendor, I have a different perspective and cannot really answer this question. Overall, your program is fantastic and a great way to network and share ideas. Well done!"

"What you measure you can control. Know your numbers and the value you bring."

"Investigate the National Joint Powers Alliance. Use the bench mark of 5,000 miles or 500 hrs within 12 months to control 'Fleet Creep'."

"Internal survey of "customers" to improve deliverables from Fleet Services."

"Gathering more employee input."

"Measure, Measure, Measure. ROI, ROI, ROI. Analyze, Analyze, Analyze."

"Will be passing the NJPA information along to our Procurement folks. They are understaffed and overworked and this may be a great resource to help them with their workload."

"John Alley's information on centralizing their Fleet operation. John is an outstanding smart Fleet professional."

"As a Vendor, I would want to mimic what Driver's Alert has gotten accomplished and tap on their expertise."

"Joining NJPA ASAP."

"The competitive approaches, esp. from San Diego."

"RPN - Consortium Purchasing."

"The take home car program."

"Submitting some of our innovations to NAFA for award consideration."

"Partnerships, outsourcing and communication with staff that was presented by John Alley."

"Overall, this program was very exciting and informational. We came away with a renewed energy level to create and manage a citywide vehicle pool."

"Market fleet activities with council and executive leadership."

"Seeking grants for emissions retrofits and vehicle replacements."

"To develop a work plan for your fleet and stick with it, 'live it'. document your successes. Be proactive."

"Ways to do a better job evaluating our Fleet Management Processes and Procedures."

"Nothing right now, but a very big idea for down the road. It will have to be developed for quite awhile, but when we get there it will be a game changer. Thank you for this program. I will let you about the idea down the road."

"Fleet business plan and audit."

"The survey and self assessment checklist."

"Passing the Fleet information from Tom Johnson on to my fleet manager for consideration."

"We were one of the few vendors in attendance. I felt many pain points were openly shared it it gave us a better feel for the needs of our customers."

"Grant writing opportunities to capture needed dollars to implement operational improvements."

"By the way I like Tom's jokes. I have great respect for Tom and I extremely happy he and those who work with him have put this entire program together."

"Keep doing what you are doing."

"Performance keys and cost of service. I'm looking forward to attending again."

"Self-promote fleet accomplishments."

"I loved the metrics briefing. It provided me a new way of looking at some data. We have metrics and crunch various numbers, but any new idea offers new insights. I really loved the man's enthusiasm for the topic. Zeal he had it and it was apparent."

"The program is great that I observed and learned. I like the presentation of each representative because they placed their best ideas to help fleet managers more progressive in time, budgeting, what best for their organizations. Run this business like your own business."

"Vehicle repair process, proper mechanic staffing and supervision, key performance indicator and good ideal on good performance measures and implementation. And good business contracts."

"Consolidation in the number of vendors we use to supply fleet related parts and materials. Use of NJPA contracts."

"As a Vendor I found it very helpful to hear what the huge concerns about finding innovative ways to manage costs within the organizations maintaining fleets."

"Several of the ROI approaches will be very helpful in justifications in the future."

"ROI spreadsheet"

"I was there to listen to the fleet managers in order to understand their needs, etc."

"Taking the next step with our continuous improvement team efforts to include Business Process Review and striving for Most Efficient Organization (MEO) in developing our 2011 Business Plan as John Alley has done in San Diego."

"It wasn't so much that I got a single idea to try and implement, but more so that I made contact with other managers to trade ideas with."

"I thought the program was very organized, and cannot think of any improvements."

"Great Program - Tough to improve."

"Dashboarding"

"Fleet evaluation outline for Managed Competition."

"The fleet audit self assessment check list was one and focusing on KPI's."

"From a vendors standpoint it was all good information."

"NJPA was very interesting and could prove helpful. Betty Linck's suggestions regarding blowing your own horn (make bosses/everyone aware of what you are doing and what you have accomplished) is terrific. Too often we are doing great things that nobody really knows about. It makes sense to champion your teams' accomplishments."

"Fleet Managers who are progressive have a very high level of interest in learning about new ideas and solutions."

"Sam Lomanto, Fleet Manager from Troy, MI, had some great ideas about insourcing work from other municipalities. We currently do this with sister agencies (CTA, Park District, Aviation, Water Management), but the concept of opening this service up to suburban fleets was a revelation."

"Always room for improvement no matter where you rate in the top 100."

"Follow up with NJPA for current initiatives."

"As a vendor presenting the value was hearing what the industry challenges are."

"NJPA purchasing. APWA references and professional certifications. Grant opportunities. Networking and resource opportunities."

"Evaluating the Fleet with Vehicle Equivalency Units of Measure to properly staff our facility."

"Alternative Funding for Fleets and No More RFPS"

"Purchase APWA's newest publications"

"Am working on a comprehensive light duty vehicle reduction strategy that incorporates car sharing, managed pools, and leasing."

"Tom's jokes!! :) As a first time attendee I found the information and networking to be very beneficial. I probably have more questions than answers right now. I am just starting this new division for the Town and trying to learn all I can!! I appreciate the opportunity to attend!!"

"Although the presentations were all first class, the opportunity to network with my peers was the most valuable part of the 100 Best event program. The environment fosters exchange of ideas and even work product, thus potentially saving hundreds of work hours by avoiding 're-inventing the wheel'."

"There were many ideas that could be implemented. I think the best idea for me is Joint purchasing contracts. It is time saving tool and will give me more time to put towards other areas of operation."

"As a potential supplier to the audience the best thing I was able to receive was the opportunity to meet with other municipalities and provide solutions to the issues and challenges they face on a daily basis."

"After viewing the site at Moline it reminded me to include, in the expansion of our own site, a lube area for operators accompanied by a product dispensing unit. I immediately added this to the list of things for this expansion."

"I really though all the presentations and discussions were exceptional. I really appreciated the sample Fleet Business Plan. I also appreciate Tom’s dedication and commitment to the Fleet Industry."

"This was my first meeting with 100 Best Fleets and didn’t know what to expect. I walked away with an renewed appreciation of the importance in participating in this sort of forum. I brought back the information to my Manager for the NJPA Program and we are looking into joining."

"Both the National Joint Powers Alliance information and Bill De Rousse’s Explanation of the 100 Best grading criteria-very informative and well done!"

"Well, I really was going to to comment on Tom’s jokes but since they are off-limits, I though the program was well thought out and addressed current Fleet Concerns. I hope sessions like this continue."

"I have been to two so far and they have been informative. The program has been fantastic, thanks."

"Didn’t think anything needed improvement. All was very professional. Excellent! Presentations were informative."

"The program covered all needed areas of interest."

"Information was well presented and very helpful. Thank you and continue the good work."

"We also learned ideas about how to improve the greening of our Fleet. We felt we were doing our best, but we were just looking at the economics alone and not the political aspects."

"I think it was a very good program. The modern economic situation does not allow us to go to many of the national venues and conferences that are over several days. This meeting was within driving distance and very economical for us to get together and exchange ideas. Thanks."

In response to a question about the best idea that you could implement immediately: "The self-assessment checklist."

"Repair shop design and especially organization is an important aspect of efficiency. Every shop needs some cleaning/organization and in the day-to-day operation one can become comfortable with a situation that needs improvement. A little effort and low cost can have big effects on operations."

"I was very impressed with how well things went. All presentations were informative and on time."

"The program was structured well and kept on track with the time available. More time at the host facility to discuss and share actual day-to-day operations and procedures would be helpful if time allowed."

"Felt good about the content. Enjoyed learning about the challenges fleets face in today's environment outside of budget restrictions."

"Fuel monitoring information offers some real possible cost savings. The presentation by NJPA offered some new possibilities for contract alliances. Both will be pursued."

"Information on deferred maintenance."

"To review and organize our fleet data better."

"Loved everything about the presentation."

"The whole event was very good. I have a lot to digest for me it was the Take Home vehicle calculator I am dealing with that issue now."

"The information about the Fleet Audit. We just completed a similar Benchmarking Study against other Florida fleets, so the info about the audit will complement that."

"Audit information very useful since we just completed a benchmarking study of our own and ran into the same concerns with the data unless you question it."

"I really enjoy hearing from actual fleet managers as to how they are integrated various technologies into their fleet operations. I did not hear anything specific that I am currently not doing, but the meeting helped to remind me that we always need to be working on improving our operations."

"I had not heard of NJPA, Evans Coolant, or Bio Rem surface cleaner."

"As a vendor, we were able to identify some fleet trends that will help us in our approach to municipal fleets. We were also able to identify some opportunities for sales. As a manufacturer, we were able to get some really interesting information about products which have a potential for use in our process."

"Call on the fleets that are struggling to help them move up and become one of the 100 best fleets."

"Several different ideas were garnered from a diverse roster of speakers."

"Fleet utilization policy needed."

"Dashboards from AssetWorks"

"DriveCam and telematics are two areas we are strongly considering implementing."

"The idea of seeking input from the 'Talent'"

"Surplus vehicles sales price comparisons."

"Alternative Fuel Ideas ...Vehicle utilization...Surplus options...Better communication /
buy in with the finance office."

"Staff involvement and promotion of what and why we do what we do"

"The importance of developing a Fleet Utilization Policy!"

"I didn't pick up any ideas that I immediately implemented, but I did meet a number of folks that I have called since the seminar and have used them to bounce different ideas with and also to ask how they are doing certain tasks."

"Financing from Bank and getting the word out with managers and editors. Many great products."

"The ability to modify my vehicles to electric and therefore be able to utilize much less expensive fuel."

"Even though I was a vendor and not a fleet manager, I enjoyed hearing and seeing some of the issues that fleet managers deal with. Because of the volume of vehicles some of the managers have under their supervision, cost is critical, along with safety and the environment."

"Perform an in depth analysis of deficient process to discover areas of improvement."

"Focusing on one thing at a time to reach your goals and actually get things accomplished."

"Lean six sigma"

"Self audit document."

"Working with the various vendors as well as using some of the methods that were shared in evaluating and improving my shop operations."

"Waste...the ability to not over process and waste company time."

"I really enjoyed hearing from Dave Seavey on how he sees his operation and his role in managing it. He did a great job in explaining the keys to managing a great fleet department."

"Purchasing directly from NJPA program. It is approved by our purchasing department and has comprehensive list of manufacturer products that I purchase on a routine basis each year."

"Getting feedback from your peers and creating buy-in from your organization as a whole"

What could we do to improve the program? (Tom's jokes are off limits.)

"Not much. I felt it was a great use of my time and welcomed the opportunity to interact with other fleet management professionals."

"The program is good because it stays at a high fleet management level. We are all trying to run lean operations in tough times with demanding clients. It is great to hear about areas across North America that are having success. Tom's joke are fine. More of the same please."

"To allow a little more time for some of the vendors. 10 to 15 minutes was enough to gain our interest, just needed a little more information. The time management was fantastic, it kept the ball rolling."

"The current program offers area Fleet Managers the opportunity to listen to the presenters and share their experiences, review applicable vendor related materials and network with others around the area who share similar issues and concerns. If we could just get Tom to look up some new jokes it would be perfect."

"Our fleet is strictly law enforcement, I would like to see ideas on how to present or introduce new technology in a positive way that the local Police Union will not vote it down until they have heard the idea or seen the potential benefits."

"I can't bust on Tom's jokes? :o) I loved the full agenda, but I'd like to get a little more meat and potatos from the presenters if possible, maybe go for a full day? Thanks Tom, much appreciated!!!"

"I don't have any improvements to suggest. I liked the mix of fleet managers or fleet personnel and vendors. Discussion was what I enjoyed and benefitted from the most."

"I thought the program is spot on by allowing actual fleet managers to tell their successes and how they achieved them. That is real life situations that are presented and ways to find resolve."

"If Tom's jokes are off limits how about the food. All kidding aside it was a good program. I did like the tour also. It is nice to see how others do things and pick up tips from networking."

"As a first time attendee I did not see anything that needed improvement. I enjoyed every minute I was there."

"For me nothing else could be done. I met some people who could help take our organization to the next level and hopefully we will break into the to 100 Fleet status."

"Just keep offering these type of meetings. I like the partnering with other groups for a combined meeting."

"Continue to do what you do. I think your time management and topics and discussions were very helpful. I enjoyed it very much. I will definitely attend again next year."

"The program was great! A future topic that would be valuable is: motivating employees during these 'doom & gloom' times. Continued discussions on how to do 'more with less' and still keep staff motivated is always helpful. Thanks again for a great program!"

"This program was one of the most informative and well run I have attended. Keep doing a great job."

"Not sure as it appeared to be well attended which brought out great discussions."

"This was the first meeting that I was able to attend. I liked the flow of the meeting and the interactions that were involved. It was great to hear other fleet ideas and problems that came up."

"Come more often and make it a two day program---I really got a lot out of it---Thanks"

"A beer party, karaoke, wet t-shirt ( ladies only ) or just stick with Tom's jokes?"

"Really promote open discussion throughout the room, many great ideas and procedures get passed around. Overall, I really enjoyed it. Thank you."

"I would not change anything, Tom, you did an excellent job and we appreciated you taking the time to come up to Seattle. I would hope the association would have you up to Seattle again next year."

"This was a probably one of the best informational meeting that I attended in recent years. For those that traveled across the county to present this session, thank you for caring and sharing your stories and knowledge."

"Darn, Tom's jokes were my first target. The only thing I can think of is more time for round table discussion of best management practices provides benefits to everybody. We always can learn from others."

"Program was very good...too bad there weren't more in attendance. Great facility to host it at and maybe a shorter gap between how often you host them because there is a lot of knowledgeable information."

"Tom does not need any more coffee. Just kidding! Tom was the spark that brought this meeting together. I've never been so hopeful for the future of our city fleet program. Your speakers from the other fleets were great...more of the same!"

"His jokes were the only thing I could think of [to improve]. Naw, I liked them! In all honesty, I don't think you could have improved on the format. I liked hearing from other municipalities and from vendors who I currently use and potentially may use in the future."

"I don't have any suggestions, I thought it was good."

"No solid suggestions here. The meeting pace and topic coverage were handled well to keep the audience attention without getting mired down in too much detail. I would like to get a copy of all slides presented and hope that attendees will get notified in how to obtain them."

"The program was very informative and I have no suggestions. Great program!"

"I thought it went smoothly and the presenters gave out lots of useful information, so I can't think of any improvements."

"It was fine."

"I can't think of anything...got a lot out of it and still processing the info. Great selection of speakers."

"Do it more often"

"This was a great event. hats off to Best Fleets and PFMA (Fred Chun) for arranging it."

"I was very pleased with the current program. I would like to get a Ford factory rep. to attend if possible when you are back in the South Florida area."

"The day was so full of great ideas delivered by professionals who cared that no one seemed to mind that the meeting ran a little longer than scheduled. Perhaps allow a little more time if future meetings have the potential to be a great "powerhouse gathering" like this one!"

"I really like the program, one day with lots of useful information. The combination of vendors and managers together sharing challenges, successes and ideas was really good. Really liked the experience."

"The program was great. You had top notch presenters in the industry. A lot was to be learned from their experiences, best practices, and how their fleets got to where they are now setting a good example for other fleets to follow."

"I thought it was informative, the best of the Clean Cities meetings I have attended."

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